Get on (UK)

• Meaning: Continue or start doing

something

• Example: Can we please get on, because

there are a lot of things still to discuss.

……………………………………………………………..

Keep up with

• Meaning: Follow

• Example: We try to keep up with

what’s happening about financial news.

……………………………………………………………….

Set up

• Meaning: Start (a business)

• Example: The group plans to set up an

import business.

…………………………………………………………………….
Go through

• Meaning: Experience something bad

• Example: We can’t really imagine what

our company’s going through.

………………………………………………………………………

Find out

• Meaning: Discover a fact or piece of

information

• Example: Can you find out what our

customers think of their local bus
service?

………………………………………………………………….

Call off

• Meaning: Cancel something

• Example: With the weather worsening,

they have called off their field trip.
…………………………………………………………………

Call back

• Meaning: To return a call or telephone

someone again.

• Example: I’ll call you back when I’ve

heard something about the interview.

………………………………………………………………………

Common Business Phrasal Verbs

(4) Deal with

• Meaning: Handle (a problem)

• Example: He's good at dealing with

pressure.

…………………………………………………………………….
Drop in

• Meaning: Make a short visit without

making an arrangement in advance

• Example: Drop in whenever you want—

I'll be at the office all day.

……………………………………………………………………..

Fill out

• Meaning: Complete (a form)

• Example: It took me several hours to

fill out the application form.

…………………………………………………………………….

Hold on

• Meaning: Wait

• Example: We’ll hold on another minute,

then we’ll have to go.

……………………………………………………………
Join in

• Meaning: Participate • Example: We

would be eager to join in projects of that
sort.

…………………………………………………………………

Lay off

• Meaning: Fire (staff)

• Example: We have no plans in the

immediate future to lay off workers.

……………………………………………………………………

Put back

• Meaning: Delay or postpone

• Example: The meeting has been put

back to next week.

……………………………………………………………………
Common Business Phrasal Verbs

(5) Run out of

• Meaning: Have no more of something

• Example: Many companies are running

out of money.

…………………………………………………………………….

Sort out

• Meaning: Organise or fix

• Example: We brought in a management

consultant to sort out the mess.

………………………………………………………………….

Take on

• Meaning: Employ (staff)

• Example: We’re not taking on any new

staff at the moment.
……………………………………………………………………….

Take over

• Meaning: To begin to have control of or

responsibility for something

• Example: He understands the business

and can take over when I'm away.

……………………………………………………………………..

Bail out

• Meaning: To rescue somebody from a

difficult situation, especially financial
problems

• Example: The bank helped to bail out

the struggling company.

…………………………………………………………………..

Common Business Phrasal Verbs

(6) Cut back

• Meaning: To reduce something

• Example: In times of economic

hardship, firms cut back on training.

…………………………………………………………………….

Go under

• Meaning: To become bankrupt

• Example: The firm will go under unless

business improves.

………………………………………………………………………..

Fall through

• Meaning: If an agreement, plan, sale

etc. falls through, it is not completed
successfully

• Example: The planned purchase of the

racecourse fell through.
…………………………………………………………………………
….

Pull out

• Meaning: To move away from

something or stop being involved in it

• Example: The project became so

expensive that we had to pull out.

…………………………………………………………………………

Bottom out

• Meaning: To stop getting worse

• Example: Property prices are still

falling, and show no signs of bottoming
out.

………………………………………………………………………..

Level off

• Meaning: To stop rising or falling and

become steady
• Example: Inflation has begun to level
off.