Phrasal Verbs That Start With “K”
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Knock off | To finish work for the day. | We finished work early on Friday to avoid traffic. |
| Knock off | To reduce the price of something. | They reduced the price by ten pounds when I asked for a discount. |
| Knock off | To shorten the time needed to do something. | The new road cut an hour off our journey time. |
| Knock off | To steal. | He stole it and sold it afterward. |
| Knock off | To produce or create something quickly. | I quickly produced the essay in just an hour. |
| Knock out | To hit and make somebody unconscious. | The champion knocked out his opponent in the fourth round of the fight. |
| Knock out | To sell or distribute. | They’re selling hundreds of units every day. |
| Knock together | To join separate houses. | They joined two outbuildings together and converted them into a single home. |
| Knock up | To become or get someone pregnant. | She became pregnant during her holiday. |
| Knock up | To warm up before a match. | The teams warmed up for a few minutes before the final game. |
| Knock up | To create something quickly. | They quickly created a model over the weekend. |
| Knuckle down | To make a great effort. | With exams next week, I need to put in some serious effort. |
| Knuckle under | To submit to authority. | The teacher insisted that the students submit their projects on time, and they complied. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kick in | To break something using your feet. | During the fight, they kicked his head in. |
| Kick in | To contribute money towards something. | If you buy the pizza, I’ll kick in for some of the beer. |
| Kick in | To start having an effect or become active. | The budget cuts are starting to kick in, and people are feeling the impact. |
| Kick off | To start a game of football or other sports. | The match kicks off at three o’clock this afternoon. |
| Kick off | To die. | Sadly, he kicked off last month after suffering a massive heart attack. |
| Kick off | To start trouble or conflict. | The fight kicked off when he insulted the guy’s girlfriend. |
| Kick off | To protest or refuse to cooperate. | He started kicking off big time when the police tried to arrest him. |
| Kick out | To expel or remove someone from a place. | The family kicked the au pair out when they discovered her intentions to work elsewhere. |
| Kick up | To cause trouble or pain. | My back kicks up whenever it gets cold outside. |
| Kill off | To eliminate or exterminate a population. | Hunting and habitat loss have killed off most of the wolves in the area. |
| Kip down | To sleep away from home, usually unexpectedly. | Can I kip down here tonight since it’s too late to catch the train? |
| Kip down on | To sleep on something other than a bed. | With so many guests, we had to kip down on the floor. |
| Kiss off | To tell someone to go away. | He was bothering us, so we told him to kiss off. |
| Kiss off | To dismiss or disregard something. | He kissed off the criticism and continued with his project. |
| Kiss up to | To flatter or try to gain favor with someone. | He’s always kissing up to the boss in hopes of getting a promotion. |
| Knock about | To beat someone up or mistreat them. | He knocked his brother about after their argument. |
| Knock around | To discuss something informally or casually. | We knocked the idea around a bit but decided not to pursue it. |
| Knock back | To cost someone a significant amount of money. | Your holiday must have knocked you back quite a bit. |
| Knock back | To finish a drink quickly. | As the pub was closing, we knocked our drinks back and left. |
| Knock back | To shock or surprise someone. | The news of their deaths really knocked me back. |
| Knock down | To demolish or destroy a structure. | They knocked down the old church to make way for new apartments. |
| Knock down | To hit and injure someone with a vehicle. | The car knocked her down, resulting in a broken arm. |
| Knock it off | To stop doing something annoying or disruptive. | They were making too much noise, so I told them to knock it off. |
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Keel over | Turn upside down suddenly. | The boat keeled over in the storm, and everyone fell into the water. |
| Keel over | Give up or surrender unexpectedly. | He was about to argue with his boss but keeled over and stayed quiet. |
| Keel over | Collapse or faint suddenly. | The drunk man keeled over while leaving the pub. |
| Keep around | Have something nearby for frequent use. | I always keep a bottle of water around when I’m exercising. |
| Keep at | Persist or continue with effort. | Despite the challenges, she kept at her studies and graduated with honors. |
| Keep away | Prevent someone or something from approaching. | Keep away from the edge of the cliff; it’s dangerous. |
| Keep back | Maintain a distance from someone or something. | The spectators were told to keep back from the stage during the performance. |
| Keep down | Prevent oneself from vomiting. | He tried hard to keep down his lunch, despite feeling queasy. |
| Keep from | Refrain or control oneself from doing something. | I had to keep from laughing during the serious meeting. |
| Keep in | Confine or detain someone inside a place. | The teacher kept the students in the classroom after the bell rang. |
| Keep off | Avoid or refrain from discussing something. | Let’s keep off the topic of politics during dinner. |
| Keep off | Stay away from stepping on something. | Keep off the wet floor to avoid slipping. |
| Keep on | Continue without stopping. | She kept on practicing the piano until she mastered the piece. |
| Keep out | Prevent someone from entering. | The security guard kept out unauthorized personnel from entering the building. |
| Keep to | Adhere strictly to a rule or guideline. | Please keep to the designated trail while hiking in the park. |
| Keep up | Sustain or maintain a certain level or pace. | It’s important to keep up with your studies to pass the exam. |
| Keep up | Continue or persist in an activity. | They vowed to keep up their efforts until they achieved their goal. |
| Keep up with | Stay updated or informed about something. | It’s challenging to keep up with all the latest technology trends. |
| Key down | Relax or calm down. | After a stressful day at work, he needed to key down with some soothing music. |
| Key in | Input data into a computer or system. | She had to key in all the customer information into the database. |
| Key in on | Focus or concentrate attention on something. | The detective keyed in on the suspect’s unusual behavior. |
| Key on | Focus or concentrate on achieving something. | Our strategy is to key on improving customer satisfaction. |
| Key to | Essential or critical for success. | Effective communication is key to a successful relationship. |
| Key up | Excite or stimulate someone. | The coach’s pep talk got the team all keyed up for the big game. |
| Kick about | Discuss or consider casually. | Let’s kick about some ideas for the upcoming project. |
| Kick around | Wander aimlessly or spend time idly. | We used to kick around the neighborhood on lazy Sundays. |
| Kick around with | Spend time with friends or companions. | He enjoys kicking around with his buddies on weekends. |
| Kick back | Relax or unwind, often leisurely. | After a long day, it’s nice to kick back with a good book. |
| Kick back | Receive illegal payments or rebates. | Some employees kick back a portion of their salary to avoid taxes. |
| Kick back | Resist or retaliate against authority. | The workers kicked back against the unfair labor practices. |
| Kick down | Break or force open with feet. | The police had to kick down the door to apprehend the suspect. |
| Kick in | Take effect suddenly, especially a drug. | The pain reliever took a while to kick in after surgery. |
Read More Phrasal Verbs That Start With “J”