B

 

Back (7)

Back away
- Retreat or go backwards
Back down
- Retract or withdraw your position or proposal in an argument
Back into
- Enter a parking area in reverse gear
Back off
- Retreat
Back out
- Fail to keep an arrangement or promise
Back out of
- Fail to keep an agreement, arrangement
- Exit a parking area in reverse gear
Back up
- Make a copy of computer data
- Support
- Drive a vehicle backwards

Bag (1)

Bag out
- Criticise

Bail (4)

Bail out
- Save, rescue
- Remove water from something that is flooded
- Jump out of a plane because it is going to crash
Bail out of
- Pay a bond to release someone from jail
Bail out on
- Stop supporting someone when they are in trouble
Bail up
- Talk to someone and delay them
- Rob someone at gunpoint

Ball (1)

Ball up
- Confuse or make things complicated
- Roll or form into a round shape

Balls (1)

Balls up
- Spoil, ruin

Bang (5)

Bang about
- Move in a place making a lot of noise
Bang around
- Move in a place making a lot of noise
Bang on about
- Keep talking about something
Bang out
- Play a musical instrument loudly
Bang up
- Put someone in prison
- Damage badly

Bank (1)

Bank on
- Count or rely on

Barge (2)

Barge in
- Enter a place and interrupt
Barge into
- Enter a place and interrupt people rudely

Bash (4)

Bash about
- Mistreat physically
Bash in
- Break, damage or injure by hitting
Bash out
- Write something quickly without much preparation
Bash up
- Break, damage or hurt by hitting

Bawl (1)

Bawl out
- Scold, shout at someone
- Scold
- Sing or shout unpleasantly loudly

Be (25)

Be after
- Try to find or get
Be along
- Arrive
Be away
- Be elsewhere; on holiday, etc.
Be cut out for
- Be suitable, have the necessary qualities
Be cut up
- Be upset
Be down
- Be depressed
- Be reduced or less
Be down on
- Have negative feelings toward someone
Be down with
- Be ill
Be fed up
- Be bored, upset or sick of something
Be in
- Be at home or at work
- Be submitted, arrive
Be in on
- Be involved in
Be not on
- Be unacceptable
Be off
- Be bad (of food)
- Depart, leave
Be on
- Be functioning (of machines)
- Take place
- Take medication or drugs, especially when they affect the person badly
- Be at the top of one’s game, performing very well
Be on about
- Mean, try to say
Be onto
- Pursue, be aware of someone's true nature
Be out
- Be absent from a place
Be out of
- Have no more left
Be out to
- Attempt
Be snowed under
- Have too much work
Be taken aback
- Be shocked or surprised
Be taken with
- Like something
Be up
- Be out of bed
- Have increased or risen
- When the time for something finishes or expires
Be up for
- Be enthusiastic about an upcoming event
Be up to
- Be good enough
- Doing something naughty or wrong

Bear (6)

Bear down on
- Move towards
Bear on
- Influence, affect
Bear out
- Confirm that something is correct
- Confirm that something is correct
Bear up
- Resist pressure
Bear up under
- Cope with something difficult or stressful
Bear with
- Be patient

Beat (3)

Beat down
- Strong sunshine
Beat out
- Narrowly win in competition
Beat up
- Attack violently

Beaver (2)

Beaver away
- Work hard
Beaver away at
- Work hard doing something

Bed (2)

Bed down
- Sleep somewhere less comfortable than normal
- Become established or successful over time
Bed out
- Move a plant outside

Beef (1)

Beef up
- Make something stronger or more solid

Belt (2)

Belt out
- Sing something loudly
Belt up
- Be quiet
- Fasten your seatbelt

Bend (3)

Bend down
- Lower the top half of your body
Bend over
- Lower the top part of your body
Bend over backwards
- Do a lot to try to help or please someone

Black (1)

Black out
- Fall unconscious
- Lose light

Blank (1)

Blank out
- Censor text so that words cannot be read
- Have a temporary memory failure

Blare (1)

Blare out
- A loud sound or music

Blast (1)

Blast off
- Leave the ground- spaceship or rocket

Blaze (1)

Blaze away
- Fire a gun repeatedly

Bliss (1)

Bliss out
- Be extremely relaxed and happy

Block (4)

Block in
- Park a car and obstruct another car
- Shade or fill in
Block off
- Obstruct an exit to prevent people from leaving
Block out
- Stop light from entering or leaving
- Try not think about or feel something because it is upsetting or painful
Block up
- Fill a space so that nothing can pass

Blow (7)

Blow away
- Kill
- Beat rivals or competitors by a large margin
- Impress greatly
- When the wind moves something from a place
Blow down
- When the wind forces something to fall
Blow in
- Arrive, sometimes suddenly or unexpectedly
Blow off
- Not keep an appointment
- Ignore, not do something
Blow out
- Extinguish candles, matches, etc.
- Defeat decisively
Blow over
- When a scandal gets forgotten
Blow up
- Explode
- Inflate
- Enlarge (e.g., photograph).

Blurt (1)

Blurt out
- Say something quickly without thinking, especially if you shouldn't

Bog (4)

Bog down
- Slow make progress
Bog in
- Eat enthusiastically
Bog into
- Eat something enthusiastically
Bog off!
- Get lost

Boil (4)

Boil down
- Simplify, reduce to the essentials
Boil down to
- Amount to
Boil over
- When a hot liquid spills out of a container
- When people lose their tempers and things get nasty
Boil up
- Feel a negative emotion strongly
- Cook or heat something to boiling point

Bone (1)

Bone up on
- Study hard

Book (3)

Book in
- Make a reservation in advance
- Check in at a hotel
Book into
- Make a reservation in advance
- Check in at a hotel
Book up
- Reserve

Boot (1)

Boot up
- Start a computer

Border (1)

Border on
- Be located next to a place
- Be very nearly something

Boss (2)

Boss about
- Use excessive authority to control people
Boss around
- Use excessive authority to control people

Botch (1)

Botch up
- Ruin or spoil something

Bottle (3)

Bottle away
- Store up
Bottle out
- Lack courage to do something
Bottle up
- Not express your feelings

Bottom (1)

Bottom out
- Pass the lowest point and start rising

Bounce (3)

Bounce into
- Force someone
Bounce back
- Recover
Bounce off
- Test ideas

Bowl (1)

Bowl over
- Surprise someone greatly

Box (2)

Box in
- Prevent something from moving, especially vehicles
Box up
- Pack things in boxes to move them

Branch (1)

Branch out
- Move into a different area of business, etc.

Break (8)

Break away
- Leave an organisation, usually to form a new one
Break down
- End negotiations unsuccessfully
- Start crying
- Stop working
Break in
- Go into a building to steal something
- Interrupt something
- Train a horse to be ridden
- Carefully use new products until they are fully functional.
Break off
- Break a piece from something
- End a relationship
Break out in
- Sweat heavily, develop skin sores or irritation.
Break out of
- Escape
Break through
- Pass a barrier or obstacle
Break up
- Break into many pieces
- Close an educational institution for the holidays
- Finish a relationship
- Become inaudible over the telephone because of interference

Breeze (4)

Breeze along
- Move easily and quickly
Breeze in
- Enter a place quickly
Breeze into
- Enter a place quickly
Breeze through
- Pass easily, succeed

Brighten (1)

Brighten up
- Improve (weather)
- Become happier
- Make something more attractive or pleasant

Bring (14)

Bring about
- Make something happen
Bring along
- Bring someone or something to certain place
- Help someone improve
Bring around
- Persuade or convince someone
- Bring something with you when you visit
- Get someone talking about something
Bring back
- Cause someone to remember
- Return
Bring down
- Make a government fall
- Make something cheaper
Bring forth
- Produce something, make it known or visible
- Produce
- Make something happen
- Remove something from where it is kept or hidden
Bring forward
- Make something happen earlier than originally planned
Bring in
- Earn
Bring on
- Cause something to happen or speed up the process
- Make something appear
Bring out
- Release or publish
- Elicit a response
Bring out in
- Cause a health problem or reaction
Bring round
- Make someone wake up from unconsciousness or an anaesthetic
Bring up
- Mention
- Raise a child
Bring Up
- Be officially charged with a crime

Brush (2)

Brush off
- Ignore, pay little attention
Brush up
- Improve a skill quickly

Bubble (1)

Bubble over
- Become very excited

Buck (1)

Buck up
- Hurry (either transitive or reflexive)
- Smarten up, improve

Bucket (1)

Bucket down
- Rain heavily

Budge (1)

Budge up
- Move to make space for someone

Buff (2)

Buff up
- Clear, clean or make something shine
- Improve
Buff up on
- Improve your knowledge quickly

Bug (2)

Bug off!
- Go away
Bug out
- Open your eyes wide in surprise
- Leave somewhere in a hurry

Build (1)

Build up
- Develop a company
- Increase

Bulk (1)

Bulk out
- Make something bigger or thicker

Bump (3)

Bump into
- Meet by chance
Bump off
- Kill
Bump up
- Increase

Bundle (3)

Bundle off
- Send someone somewhere
Bundle out
- Expel
Bundle up
- Put on warm clothing
- Wrap or tie things together

Bunk (1)

Bunk off
- Not go to school when you should

Buoy (1)

Buoy up
- Make someone feel more positive

Burn (4)

Burn down
- Burn completely
Burn off
- Remove by burning or similar process
Burn out
- Lose enthusiasm and energy to continue in a demanding job
Burn up
- Destroy completely by fire
- Drive at high speed
- To be or cause to be highly annoyed

Burst (1)

Burst into
- Catch fire very quickly
- Laugh, cry or clap loudly

Butt (2)

Butt in
- Interrupt
Butt out
- Not be involved in other people's business

Butter (1)

Butter up
- Praise or flatter someone excessively

Buy (5)

Buy in
- Force a CD or record into the charts by buying lots of copies
Buy into
- Accept an idea
Buy off
- Pay someone to stop them causing trouble
Buy out
- Buy somebody's share in a company
Buy up
- Buy all of something

Buzz (3)

Buzz around

- Move quickly around a place

Buzz off

- Leave somewhere

Buzz off!
- Go away (imperative)