Work & Business

Professional phrasal verbs for the workplace

Introduction

The modern workplace runs on phrasal verbs. Projects are "taken on" and "carried out," meetings are "set up" and "wrapped up," and everyone hopes their ideas won't be "shot down" in the boardroom.

This chapter covers the essential phrasal verbs for professional life. Whether you're "filling in" for a colleague, "handing over" responsibilities, or trying to "get ahead," mastering these expressions will help you communicate confidently in any business setting.

Themes

All Phrasal Verbs in This Chapter (76)

• take on To accept responsibility for a task or hire someone
• carry out To complete or perform a task
• wrap up To finish or conclude something
• set up To establish or arrange something
• hand over To transfer responsibility or possession
• fill in To substitute for someone or complete a form
• put off To postpone or delay something
• get ahead To make progress or become successful
• cut back To reduce spending or consumption
• lay off To dismiss employees or stop doing something
• come up with To think of an idea or plan
• follow up To take further action or check on progress
• bring up To mention or introduce a topic
• call off To cancel something
• put forward To propose or suggest something
• turn down To reject or refuse something
• draw up To prepare a document or plan
• phase out To gradually stop using or doing something
• scale up To increase in size or scope
• step down To resign from a position
• keep up with To maintain the same pace or level as others
• fall behind To fail to keep up with progress or schedule
• knuckle down To start working hard and seriously
• slack off To work less hard than usual
• branch out To expand into new areas
• step up To increase effort or take responsibility
• clock in To record arrival at work
• clock out To record departure from work
• fill in for To temporarily do someone else's job
• take off To not work for a period; to become successful
• buckle down To start working hard and seriously
• burn the midnight oil To work late into the night
• pencil in To schedule tentatively
• iron out To resolve problems or difficulties
• crack on To continue working quickly
• sign off on To give official approval
• wind up To close down a business; to end up in a situation
• burn through To use up resources quickly
• pitch in To help with a task
• phase in To introduce something gradually at work
• ramp up To increase activity or production
• factor in To include something in calculations
• hand in To submit work or documents
• hand out To distribute something to people
• draw up To prepare a formal document
• set out To explain or present clearly
• stand in for To replace someone temporarily
• push ahead To continue despite difficulties
• keep up To maintain the same pace or level
• sign off To approve or end communication
• knock off To finish work for the day
• hand in To submit work or a resignation
• take over To assume control or responsibility
• step in To intervene or take over temporarily
• stand in To substitute for someone
• cover for To substitute or protect someone
• set up To arrange or establish
• wrap up To finish or conclude
• cut back To reduce spending or activity
• take on To hire or accept responsibility
• bring in To hire or generate
• report to To be accountable to a manager
• answer to To be accountable to someone
• step up To take more responsibility
• push back To resist or delay
• weigh up To assess or consider carefully
• beaver away To work hard and steadily
• slog away To work hard continuously
• slave away To work extremely hard
• delegate out To assign work to others
• farm out To outsource or assign externally
• clock up To accumulate or achieve
• notch up To achieve or record
• ramp up To increase activity or production
• scale back To reduce the size or scope
• roll out To launch or introduce officially