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. |
Read More Phrasal Verbs That start with “K”