Phrasal Verbs That Start With “M”

phrasal verb with that start m
phrasal verb with that start m

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Muddle through Do or achieve something without knowing what is required or having a plan. We faced uncertainty and just muddled through.
Muddle up Mess up ordered or sequenced things. My cleaner muddled up my books, and now I can’t find anything.
Muddle up Mistake one thing for another because of similarities. I tend to muddle up her and her sister because they look alike.
Mug up Study quickly or revise. I need to mug up before the exam tomorrow.
Mug up on Study or revise something quickly. I have to mug up on my history for the test next week.
Mull over Think about a problem or issue. She mulls over decisions carefully before making them.
Muscle in Involve oneself in something unwanted. He tried to muscle in on our project, but we didn’t want him to be part of it.
Muscle in on Become involved in something despite opposition. She muscled in on the conversation, even though we preferred to handle it ourselves.
Muscle into Get involved despite opposition. They’re muscling into our territory, and it’s challenging to stop them.
Muscle out Force someone out using power or influence. They used their connections to muscle the competitors out of the market.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Mop up Clean up a spilled liquid. I used a cloth to mop up the coffee I had accidentally knocked over.
Mope about Wander around while feeling miserable. She didn’t get the job and has been moping about all afternoon.
Mope around Move aimlessly while feeling sad. He’s been moping around since his girlfriend left him.
Mount up Accumulate or increase gradually. My debts mounted up while I was in university due to my overspending.
Mouth off Speak angrily or rudely about something. I always get angry and start mouthing off when I see unfairness on the news.
Move ahead Make progress, especially after a delay. The construction project can move ahead now that permission has been granted.
Move along Instruct someone to leave a place. The police told the bystanders to move along as they were obstructing the sidewalk.
Move along Progress or develop satisfactorily. The project’s moving along smoothly, and we expect everything to be ready on time.
Move away Leave the area where you’ve been living. I moved away from my hometown after getting a job offer in another city.
Move away from Stop using or doing something in favor of another. They’re moving away from Windows and switching to Linux for their operating system.
Move down Lower someone or something to a lower level. He was finding the course too difficult, so they moved him down to a lower class.
Move in Begin living in a new place. The new tenants moved in a few weeks ago after the previous occupants moved out.
Move in on Approach, often with the intention of taking advantage. As he watched, the predators began to move in on the unsuspecting prey.
Move into Start living in a new place. They moved into the new house as soon as it was ready for occupancy.
Move on Change the subject or change jobs. She decided to move on to another company where she could earn a better salary.
Move on Encourage people to leave a place. The police had to move the crowd on because they were blocking traffic.
Move out Leave a place where you’ve been living or working. She’s tired of living there and is planning to move out soon.
Move out Remove something from a place. The president announced they would move the troops out of the warzone next year.
Move out Change lanes or position to overtake a vehicle. I moved out to overtake the slow-moving truck ahead of me.
Move towards Make preparations for something. The government is moving towards holding free and fair elections in the country.
Move up Shift to make space for someone or something else. Could you move up a bit so that I can sit down?
Move up Progress to a higher level or position. They moved her up to senior management after she consistently performed well.
Muddle along Continue without a clear plan or direction. If you’re ambitious, you cannot afford to muddle along without a goal or strategy.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Mess around with Try to make something better but end up making it worse. They messed around with the computer, and now it won’t even turn on.
Mess over Treat someone unfairly or poorly. The company really messed her over when they didn’t give her the promotion she deserved.
Mess up Ruin or spoil something. They completely messed up the presentation by forgetting to include the important data.
Mess up Make something dirty or disorganized. The kids messed up the living room with their toys scattered everywhere.
Mess up Cause emotional or mental distress. Losing his job really messed him up, and he’s been struggling with depression since then.
Mess with Get involved in something dangerous or harmful. He’s been messing with drugs, and it’s starting to affect his health.
Mess with Annoy or provoke someone. Don’t mess with him; he’s in a bad mood today.
Mess with Associate with or get involved with someone or something negative. He’s been messing with some shady characters lately.
Mess with Attempt to fix or modify something, often unsuccessfully. She’s been messing with the computer for hours, but it still won’t start.
Mete out Administer or deliver something, usually punishment or justice. The judge meted out a harsh sentence to the convicted criminal.
Mill around Wander aimlessly or hang around without purpose. There were a lot of people milling around in the park on a Sunday afternoon.
Miss out Fail to take advantage of an opportunity. If you don’t come to the party, you’ll miss out on all the fun.
Miss out Exclude someone or something. Let’s not miss out anyone when we’re making the guest list.
Miss out on Lose the chance to experience or achieve something. She missed out on a great job opportunity because she didn’t apply in time.
Mix up Confuse or mistake one thing for another. I always mix up their names because they look so similar.
Mix up Add variety or excitement to something. The DJ mixed up the playlist with some old classics and new hits.
Mock up Create a rough model or prototype of something. They mocked up a design of the new building before starting construction.
Moggy off Leave or depart from a place. Let’s moggy off before it gets too late and we miss the last train.
Monkey around Behave in a silly or playful manner, especially when it’s not appropriate. Stop monkeying around and focus on the task at hand.
Mooch about Spend time idly or aimlessly. After finishing his work, he decided to mooch about in the park for a while.
Mooch around Wander or move slowly without a specific destination. They spent the afternoon mooching around the city, exploring its hidden gems.
Mop up Clean or resolve a messy situation. After the party, they had to mop up the spilled drinks and food from the floor.
Mop up Finish off the last remaining bits or pieces of something. I used the bread to mop up the delicious sauce left on my plate.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Mash up Break or damage something severely. He completely mashed up my MP3 player and all my files were lost.
Max out Reach the maximum limit of something. She maxed out her credit cards, spending beyond her means.
Measure against Evaluate or judge by comparing. The work doesn’t look impressive when measured against what our competitors have done.
Measure off Measure and mark the endpoint of something. The tailor measured off the material for my suit before cutting.
Measure off Mark a specific length on something. He measured off a meter of silk fabric before cutting it.
Measure out Measure or weigh a specific amount. He measured out the flour needed for the bread recipe.
Measure out Weigh or measure an exact quantity. She measured out a hundred grams of the powder for the experiment.
Measure up Determine the size of something. The estate agent measured up all the rooms in the house before listing it for sale.
Measure up Be of satisfactory quality or standard. She didn’t measure up in her probationary period, so her contract wasn’t extended.
Measure up Be good enough or worthy of something. I hope to measure up to the high expectations you have for me.
Meet with Experience something, typically negative. They met with unexpected problems during the project.
Melt down Heat something solid until it becomes liquid. They melted down the gold statue and recast it into gold bars.
Mess about Play or handle something carelessly. The children were messing about with the TV remote and accidentally broke it.
Mess about Treat someone poorly or without respect. He’s always messing me about, never keeping his promises.
Mess about Engage in extramarital or casual sexual relationships. He’s been messing about since he got married, which is causing strain on their relationship.
Mess about with Have casual or extramarital sexual relationships. She’s been messing about with a coworker, which is creating tension in the office.
Mess about with Attempt to improve something ineffectively. The computer was working fine until he started messing about with its settings.
Mess around Play or act frivolously, without seriousness. I was messing around on the internet instead of doing my work.
Mess around Treat someone poorly or without respect. She’s always messing me around, never keeping her word.
Mess around Engage in extramarital or casual sexual relationships. She’s been messing around since they got married, which is causing problems in their marriage.
Mess around with Have casual or extramarital sexual relationships. He’s been messing around with a colleague, which is affecting his professional reputation.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Make over Change appearance, typically through grooming or style enhancement. The beauty salon gave her a makeover before the party.
Make over Legally transfer money or possessions to someone. She made over her property to her children in her will.
Make towards Move or head in a specific direction. We made towards the centre of the city to catch the concert.
Make up Reconcile after an argument; end a disagreement. Despite their constant bickering, they always make up quickly.
Make up Apply cosmetics to enhance appearance. She went to the bathroom to make up her face before the event.
Make up Fabricate or invent a story or excuse. They made up an excuse for their tardiness.
Make up for Compensate for a mistake or wrongdoing. I sent her a gift to make up for forgetting her birthday.
Make up to Increase a sum to reach a specific amount or figure. The anonymous donor made the total up to £25,000 with their generous contribution.
Make with Give or provide something (usually used as an imperative). Make with the money you owe me; I need it back.
Man down Behave without courage or conviction. He manned down and didn’t confront the bully.
Man up Behave with courage or conviction. She told her critics to man up and address their concerns openly.
Mark down Give a lower grade to a student for a specific reason. Students who recited rehearsed answers were marked down, while those who spoke naturally were rewarded.
Mark down Reduce the price of something. I’ll buy more if you mark them down a bit; they’re too expensive right now.
Mark down as Consider someone or something to be a certain type or group. I marked them down as conservatives, but they turned out to be quite liberal.
Mark off Tick or cross out to indicate completion or dealing with something. I marked off the tasks on my list as I finished them.
Mark out Draw lines to enclose an area. They marked out the boundaries of the construction site.
Mark out for Show promise or potential for future success. His exceptional skills marked him out for a successful career in music.
Mark out from Stand out due to distinctive qualities or characteristics. Her exceptional talent marks her out from the rest of the team.
Mark up Increase the price of something. They marked up the goods by 25% before putting them on sale.
Marry in Marry someone of the same ethnicity, religion, etc. Many cultures encourage individuals to marry in within their community.
Marry out Marry someone of a different ethnicity, religion, etc. Her family disowned her when she chose to marry out of her religion.
Mash up Crush something into a paste-like consistency. He mashed up some bananas to make dessert.
Mash up Combine different sources to create something new. She mashed up songs from various genres to create a unique track.

 

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example
Magic away Make something vanish quickly. He made the bill disappear and paid for us all before I could take out my wallet.
Make after Pursue or follow. The police made after the stolen car, but it was too late.
Make away with Steal or take something unlawfully. The thieves made away with the painting from the museum.
Make do with Accept less satisfactory options due to limited choices. Since there’s no coffee, we’ll have to make do with tea.
Make for Head towards a particular direction. We made for home as soon as it started raining heavily.
Make for Contribute to or result in. The poor service quality made for a lot of customer dissatisfaction.
Make into Transform or convert into something else. Many old warehouses have been made into trendy apartments.
Make it Manage to arrive or achieve something. Despite the traffic, I made it to the meeting on time.
Make it up to Compensate for a wrong action or mistake. He tried to make it up to her by buying her flowers after forgetting their anniversary.
Make of Understand or interpret. What do you make of the new company policy?
Make off Leave quickly or escape from a place. The thief made off when he heard the police sirens approaching.
Make off with Steal or take something away, usually hurriedly. The burglars made off with valuable jewelry from the house.
Make out Write or prepare a document, such as a check. Please make the check out to ABC Company.
Make out Pretend or feign. He made out that he was sick to avoid going to school.
Make out Fare or progress in a particular situation. How are you making out in your new job?
Make out Engage in passionate kissing or petting. They were making out in the back seat of the car.
Make out Discern or distinguish something. I could barely make out the street sign in the fog.
Make out Perceive or understand someone or something. Can you make out what she’s saying over the phone?
Make out Form an opinion or judgment about someone or something. I can’t make him out; he’s always so mysterious.

 

Read More Phrasal Verbs That Start With “L”

Dictionary Of Phrasal Verbs