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Phrasal Verbs That Start With “L”

Phrasal Verbs That start with’L’
Phrasal Verbs That start with’L’
Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Lose out on Miss the opportunity to gain something advantageous. I lost out on my bonus because I left the company before it was paid.
Lose out to Be surpassed or less successful than someone else. People without IT skills often lose out to those who possess them.
Luck into Obtain something unexpectedly or by chance. We lucked into getting the correct answer without even trying.
Luck out Experience exceptionally good fortune. I really lucked out when I met my partner; it was such a fortunate encounter.
Lust after Feel strong sexual desire for someone. He secretly lusts after his friend’s wife, which causes him inner conflict.
Lust after Strongly desire or crave something. He lusts after a Rolex watch, dreaming of owning one someday.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Look for Try to find something. I’ve been searching for their hidden files, but I can’t seem to locate them anywhere.
Look forward to Anticipate something pleasant. I’m eagerly anticipating our upcoming meeting.
Look in Make a brief visit. I’ll drop by on my way home to check in quickly.
Look in on Visit briefly to check on someone. I’ll pop in to see how Granny’s doing on my way home tonight; she hasn’t been feeling well.
Look into Investigate or research something. We’ll delve deeper into the issue and provide you with more information soon.
Look on Observe without intervening. The bystanders just stood by and watched as the altercation unfolded.
Look on as Regard or consider someone or something. I regard her as a dear friend whom I can always count on.
Look out Be cautious or vigilant. Be careful; you’re about to drop that!
Look out for Take care of or watch over someone. She always watches out for her younger sister, especially when they’re out in public.
Look over Inspect or examine something closely. They came to examine the house thoroughly with the intention of purchasing it.
Look round Explore or inspect a place. We explored the house and decided it wasn’t the right fit for us.
Look through Peruse or examine quickly. I quickly skimmed through the article to find the relevant information.
Look to Expect or hope for something. The company is aiming to boost its sales in the Asian market.
Look up Consult a reference source for information. I had to consult the dictionary to look up the correct spelling.
Look up Improve or become better. The economy is showing signs of improvement.
Look up to Respect or admire someone. She greatly admires and respects her mother’s wisdom and strength.
Look upon as Regard or consider someone or something. I consider him to be a trusted ally and friend.
Loosen up Relax or become less tense. He was initially quite reserved, but he has gradually become more relaxed and outgoing.
Lord it over Behave in a domineering manner. She enjoys asserting her authority and control over her subordinates.
Lose out Be at a disadvantage or miss out. Many people found themselves at a disadvantage when the new regulations were implemented.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Load down Burden or heavily weigh down with something. I was loaded down with all the stuff I had to take there.
Load up Take illegal drugs. He’s been loading up for years.
Load up Fill a machine or vehicle. We loaded the car up and left for our holiday.
Load up on Consume a large amount of something for a purpose. The athletes loaded up on carbohydrates before the race.
Lock away Store securely in a safe place. He locked the gun away in a drawer.
Lock away Confine someone to prison or a mental institution. They locked him away for life after the murders.
Lock down Secure something tightly. If you lock down your computer properly, it’s difficult for people to access it.
Lock in Prevent someone from leaving a place. They locked him in the room until he calmed down.
Lock in Keep someone committed or restricted. They are locked in now that they have paid their subscription.
Lock onto Target and pursue a specific object or goal. The missile locked onto the plane and blew it out of the sky.
Lock out Deny access to a workplace. The management locked the staff out after they rejected the pay offer.
Lock out Prevent someone from entering a place. I lost my key and locked myself out.
Lock up Secure a building by closing all entrances. She locked up after everyone had left and went home.
Lock up Store something securely. I locked my money up in the safe.
Lock up Confine someone in a prison or mental institution. They locked him up for burglary.
Lock yourself away Isolate oneself from others to focus on work or study. I lock myself away for a few weeks before exams.
Log in Gain access to a computer system. I couldn’t log in because I forgot my password.
Log into Access a restricted area of a computer system. I logged into the staff intranet to check my email.
Log off Exit or sign out from a computer system. When she finished working on the spreadsheet, she logged off and left the office.
Log on Enter or access a computer system. He logged on to the college intranet with his password.
Log out Exit or sign out from a computer system. Danny logged out when it was time to go home.
Look after Take care of someone or something. Their auntie looked after them while their mother was in the hospital.
Look back Reflect on past events or memories. Old people often look back over their lives.
Look down on Have a low opinion of someone. He looks down on his colleagues because he thinks he’s better than they are.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Limber up Get ready for something that needs a lot of effort. Before the marathon, runners limber up by stretching their muscles.
Line up Put things or people in a row. The teacher lined up the students before they entered the classroom.
Line up Organize or schedule events or activities. The event planner lined up several performances for the festival.
Link up Connect or join things together. The bridge links up the two sides of the river.
Link up with Get in touch or collaborate with someone. We linked up with a local charity to organize a fundraiser.
Listen out for Pay attention to hear a specific sound or noise. During the hike, listen out for the sound of running water; it may indicate a stream nearby.
Listen up Listen carefully or pay attention. Listen up, class! The teacher is going to explain the assignment.
Live by Follow or adhere to certain principles or rules. She lives by the motto “treat others as you want to be treated.”
Live down Overcome or move past embarrassment or shame. Despite his mistake, he managed to live it down and earn back his colleagues’ trust.
Live for Have a deep passion or strong interest in something. He lives for adventure and spends every weekend hiking or camping.
Live in Reside or dwell in a particular place. Many students live in campus dormitories during their first year of college.
Live it up Enjoy life to the fullest, often by indulging in luxuries. After receiving his bonus, he decided to live it up and booked a luxurious vacation.
Live off Survive or sustain oneself using a particular resource. She’s living off her savings until she finds a new job.
Live off Depend financially on someone or something. Some artists struggle to make ends meet and end up living off their parents’ support.
Live on Manage with a certain amount of money or resources. As a retiree, she has to live on a fixed income.
Live on Continue to exist in people’s memory or influence. The legacy of great leaders lives on for generations.
Live out Spend the rest of one’s life in a particular way or place. After retirement, they plan to live out their days in a beachfront cottage.
Live out Fulfill or realize one’s dreams or desires. Despite the challenges, she managed to live out her dream of traveling the world.
Live out Reside outside of one’s workplace or study institution. During college, he chose to live out with friends rather than in the dorms.
Live through Experience and endure difficult or challenging times. The country lived through a devastating natural disaster but emerged stronger.
Live together Share a residence and a relationship without marriage. They decided to live together before getting married to see if they were compatible.
Live up to Fulfill or meet expectations or standards. As a role model, she always tries to live up to her fans’ expectations.
Live with Accept and cope with an unpleasant situation or condition. Despite the pain, he learned to live with his chronic illness and make the best of it.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Leap upon To quickly take advantage of something. They jumped at a couple of errors in the document and want to invalidate the agreement.
Leave on To keep something switched on. Please keep the TV on; I want to hear the football results.
Leave out To omit or exclude something. He was left out of the team because he hasn’t been playing well lately.
Let down To disappoint someone or fail them. She didn’t show up, and I felt really let down.
Let down To make clothes longer. He’s grown so much; we’ll need to let his trousers down.
Let in To allow someone to enter. The bouncer wouldn’t let him in the nightclub because he was wearing jeans.
Let off To excuse or forgive someone from punishment. The judge let him off with a fine instead of a prison sentence since it was his first offense.
Let on To reveal or disclose something, often accidentally. I accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party; I didn’t mean to let on about it.
Let out To release or set free. The prisoner was let out of jail after serving five years of his sentence.
Let out To emit a sound. He couldn’t contain his excitement and let out a huge cheer when he heard the news.
Let out To make clothes bigger. I’ve gained weight, so I need to let out my pants.
Level off To stabilize or reach a steady level. The plane leveled off at 5,000 feet, providing a smooth ride for the passengers.
Level out To stabilize or become steady. After some turbulence, the plane finally leveled out.
Lie around To be lazy or idle. He spent most days lying around the house, doing nothing productive.
Lie down To recline or rest. I’m feeling tired, so I’m going to lie down for a nap.
Lie with To be the responsibility or decision of someone or something. The final decision lies with the board of directors.
Lift off To take flight or leave the ground, especially for a rocket or spaceship. With a roar, the rocket lifted off into space.
Light out To depart quickly or hastily. When he heard the sirens, he knew it was time to light out.
Light up To ignite or illuminate. He lit up a cigarette as soon as he stepped outside.
Light up To brighten or illuminate an area. The city lights lit up the night sky.
Lighten up To become less serious or more cheerful. I told him to lighten up and enjoy the party.
Limber up To prepare physically before an activity, usually by stretching or warming up. The team limbered up before the game to prevent injuries.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Land in Get someone into trouble. He landed me in it when he told them what I had done wrong.
Land up in Arrive unexpectedly in a place. We set out for Manchester, but ended up in Liverpool.
Land with Place a burden or responsibility on someone. He landed me with the job of proofreading the entire document.
Lap up Enjoy or appreciate something greatly. He lapped up their praise after the successful presentation.
Large it up Have a great time while intoxicated. They were having a blast, larging it up at the rave.
Lark about Behave in a playful or silly manner. The children were larking about and making a mess.
Lark around Behave in a playful or silly manner. The students wouldn’t stop larking around during class.
Lark it up Enjoy oneself noisily and exuberantly. After winning the match, they went to a bar to lark it up.
Lash down Rain heavily. The rain was lashing down all day, causing flooding in the streets.
Lash down Secure something with ropes or cords. We lashed down the tarpaulin to prevent it from blowing away in the wind.
Lash into Criticize someone strongly. He lashed into them for making such a mess.
Lash out React suddenly with aggression or violence. He lashed out and broke the man’s nose in a fit of anger.
Lash out React angrily or defensively. He tends to lash out when things don’t go his way.
Lash out Spend a large amount of money impulsively. I lashed out in the sales last week and bought way too much.
Lash out against Criticize something vehemently. The media lashed out against the government’s new policy.
Lash out at Physically or verbally attack someone suddenly. He lashed out at me when I accidentally bumped into him.
Lash out at Criticize or blame someone angrily. She lashed out at her colleagues after receiving bad news.
Lash out on Spend a large amount of money on something. I lashed out a lot of money on a new car last month.
Latch on Understand something, often after a delay. It took her a while, but she finally latched on to what was happening.
Latch onto Grasp onto something tightly. The gecko latched onto the branch to avoid falling.
Latch onto Recognize the potential of something and pursue it. Companies have latched onto the trend of eco-friendly products.
Laugh off Treat something as unimportant or trivial. He laughed off the criticism and continued with his work.
Lay down Establish rules or regulations. The organization laid down strict guidelines for employee conduct.
Lay down To kill or murder. He got laid down in a gang fight over territory.
Lay into Criticize someone forcefully. His boss laid into him for his poor performance in the meeting.
Lay off Dismiss or terminate employment. The company had to lay off several employees due to budget cuts.
Lay on Provide or organize something. They laid on a lavish buffet for the guests at the event.
Lay out Spend money on something. They laid out a significant amount of cash on their dream vacation.
Lead on Deceive or mislead someone, often about feelings. She led him on about her intentions, causing him to believe they had a future together.
Lead to Result in or cause. The protests led to significant changes in government policy.
Leak out Become known or spread. News of the scandal leaked out to the media, causing a public outcry.
Lean on Rely on or pressure someone for support. The company leaned on the government for financial assistance.
Leap at Seize or take advantage of an opportunity eagerly. He leaped at the chance to work abroad.
Leap on Take advantage of or exploit something. They leaped on the opportunity to expand their business.
Leap out at Be very noticeable or striking. Her bright red dress leaped out at me among the crowd.

 

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Dictionary Of Phrasal Verbs