English Idioms Using "down", "in" and "off"

There are so many English idioms with or using phrasal verb. In this post, you will find some English idioms using the words "down", "in" and "off". What is the meaning of the idioms? How to use them? Read and practice the following English idioms.

English Phrasal Verb with "down"

Back down (or climb down) = to no longer stick to your original ideas or position: "After weeks of negotiating, she backed down and accepted their conditions."

Break down (1) = examine the different parts of something: "The profits break down in the following way – 50% profit in European sales, a 20% profit in North American sales and a 30% profit in Asian sales."

Break down (2) = when communication stops between two parties: "The negotiations broke down after two days."

Bring down = destroy something: "A series of disastrous investments brought down the company."

Cut back on = reduce something: "The government has cut back on its defence budget."

Drive down = work hard to reduce prices or costs: "Over the last year we have driven down the distribution costs."

Live down = when other people can forget a bad reputation: "I was two hours late for the meeting and now my colleagues will never let me live it down."

Play down = minimise the importance of something: "She played down the fact that her father was the boss."

Set down = put something in writing: "The conditions are set down in the contract."

Stand down = resign: "After ten years at the head of the company, the chairman has decided to stand down."

Take down = write notes in a meeting: "Can someone take down the minutes?"

Wear down = argue so much that the other person abandons their position: "The unions finally wore the management down on the issue of overtime pay."

Write down (or note down) = write something: "Could you write down your mobile phone number?"

 English Phrasal Verb with "in"

break in (1) = interrupt: "He broke in to their conversation to add that he couldn't work overtime."

break in / into (2) = burgle / steal: "Thieves broke into the warehouse and stole 100 computers."

bring in (1) = introduce: "She has brought in some changes to the company."

bring in (2) = receive income: "He brings in a lot of money as a computer programmer."

cave in = accept someone's idea or decision: "The unions finally caved in and accepted the new contracts."

chip in = contribute: "We're all chipping in for Maria's birthday present."

fill in (1) = complete: "You need to fill in this form."

fill in (2) = act as a substitute: "As Robert is on holiday, you'll have to fill in for him this week."

fill in (3) = bring someone up to date: "Can you fill me in on the new project?"

fit in = be accepted by a group: "He doesn't really fit in at work. He's very different from us."

give in = finally accept something: "She gave in to her children's demands for sweets."

hand in = give something to someone: "They handed in their assignment early."

kick in = start to have an effect: "The painkillers have finally kicked in. I feel much better."

lead in = start with something: "In our presentation, we are going to lead in with our vision for the future."

move in = occupy a house: "Some new neighbours have moved in next door."

take in (1) = understand: "I still can't take in the news."

take in (2) = deceive someone: "He really took me in with his hard-luck story."

take in (3) = provide refuge: "She took the old couple in."

work in = incorporate: "Is there any way of working in this paragraph? The text is a little unclear otherwise."

English Phrasal Verb with "off"

There are many phrasal verbs in English that use the word "off". Here are some of the more common.

Break off= end: "Talks have broken off between the union and management."

Bring off = succeed in something difficult: "The new management brought off an amazing recovery in the company's fortunes."

Call off = cancel: "The proposed merger has been called off."

Cut off = disconnect: "Their electricity was cut off when they didn't pay the bill."

Lay off = make workers redundant: "The car manufacturer laid off 5000 workers."

Live off = get money from another source: "He invested the money and lived off the interest."

Pay off = settle your debt: "She saved money every month and finally managed to pay off her student loan."

Put off = (1) postpone: "They put off the decision for another month."

            = (2) dissuade: "Falling prices put me off investing in the English property market."

Take off = do well: "Business has really taken off!"

Write off = accept a loss: "We'll never get the money back – I think we should write it off."

As we know that we can translate the English idioms word for word. So, we must memorize them. To help you memorize the English idioms, we must often read from some sources and use them when we write a sentence. The source of  the English idiom above is from english-at-home.com. You can visit the sites directly to get complete information. Finally, Let's learn for sharing and share learning.

Posted in: English Idioms