Phrasal verbs start with ‘P’ (Phrasal Verbs With P). A Phrasal verb like Pad down, Pad out, Pair off, Pair off with, Pair up, Pal about, and more.
Phrasal Verbs With P
Pad down
Meaning: Sleep somewhere for the night
Example: Pad down the dark wooden stairs and you’re in the cavernous, glass-ceilinged main hall.
Pad out
Meaning: Make a text longer by including extra content, often content that isn’t particularly relevant
Example: It is possible to pad out all records to the length of the largest and handle them as fixed-length.
Pair off
Meaning: Begin a romantic relationship
Example: The guards pair off in all directions, making their choices at random.
Pair off
Meaning: Introduce people, hoping they will start a relationship
Example: All the tennis players had to pair off for a round of doubles matches.
Pair off with
Meaning: Form a pair with someone
Example: I suppose Mr Lin will pair off with Miss Wang in the end.
Pair up
Meaning: Form a pair
Example: The moon and Jupiter pair up near Algedi in the eastern part of the constellation Capricornus.
Pal about
Meaning: Be friendly and spend time with someone
Example: We used to Pal about when we were at school.
Pal around
Meaning: Be friendly and spend time with someone
Example: The coach seems to pal around with a lot of the players.
Pal up
Meaning: Become friends
Example: They are allowed to enter dorm buildings and know how to pal up with their peers quickly.
Palm off
Meaning: Get someone to accept something that isn’t true
Example: The counterfeit notes were palmed off on unsuspecting customers.
Palm off
Meaning: Pretend something is better than it is in order to sell it
Example: The fruit seller palmed off some bad oranges onto the old lady.
Pan out
Meaning: The way a situation develops
Example: After you pan out the dirt and sand there might be some gold left.
Paper over
Meaning: Try to conceal a problem without really fixing it
Example: If we paper over the spaces between the wallboards, they won’t show.
Pare back
Meaning: If you pare something back, you reduce the size or numbers.
Example: The United States can pare back its military presence in Asia as well.
Pare down
Meaning: Reduce, decrease
Example: The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third.
Part with
Meaning: Give something away, especially when you don’t want to
Example: They persuade susceptible teenagers to part with their money.
Pat down
Meaning: Search or frisk someone
Example: The batsman walked out to pat down some bumps in the pitch.
Patch together
Meaning: Create or assemble something quickly without much planning
Example: They hope to be able to patch together a temporary settlement.
Patch up
Meaning: Fix or make things better
Example: How long do we try to patch up a failing plan?
Patch up
Meaning: Give an injured person basic medical treatment
Example: Doctors decided not to patch up her infected wounds.
Peck at
Meaning: Eat very small amounts
Example: The budgerigar gave a quick peck at the seed.
Peg away
Meaning: Keep working at something
Example: Peg away, students, and you are bound to win.
Peg down
Meaning: Fasten something to the ground
Example: The government agreed to peg down the retail price of certain basic foodstuffs.
Peg it
Meaning: Die
Example: I do the washing and then I hang/peg it out in the garden.
Peg out
Meaning: Put washing outside to dry
Example: This engine is going to peg out soon if you don’t do something.
Peg out
Meaning: Mark out an area of land by driving pegs into the ground
Example: Several of the runners pegged out at the end of the course.
Pen in
Meaning: Confine people or animals to an area and prevent them from leaving
Example: Taking a pen in her hand,she began to write.
Pen up
Meaning: Keep people or animals in a restricted area and prevent them from leaving
Example: The whole family were penned up in one room for a month.
Pencil in
Meaning: Make a provisional appointment
Example: Pencil in those random appointments that come up on short notice, and can be cancelled at short notice!
Pep up
Meaning: Make something more interesting
Example: The prime minister aired some ideas about pepping up trade in the region.
Pep up
Meaning: Make someone more enthusiastic, energetic or interested
Example: Lower interest rates designed to pep up the corporate sector threaten to add more fuel to the consumer boom.
Perk up
Meaning: Feel better or happier, make someone feel better or happier
Example: Perk up a dark kitchen with a coat of paint.
Peter out
Meaning: Lose impetus and stop
Example: The houses began to peter out, and eventually stopped.
Phase in
Meaning: Introduce gradually
Example: The agreement marks a new phase in international relations.
Phase out
Meaning: Remove gradually
Example: The government will phase out an advertising campaign.
Phone in
Meaning: Telephone your place of work to pass on information
Example: You can bank by phone in the USA, punching in account numbers on the phone.
Phone in
Meaning: Telephone a TV or radio programme
Example: The newspaper reporter had to phone in her story before midnight.
Pig off
Meaning: Used to tell someone to get lost or leave you alone
Example: He told them to Pig off and leave him in peace.
Pig out
Meaning: Eat a lot
Example: I found Sam in front of the TV, pigging out on pizza and fries.
Pin down
Meaning: Get a fixed idea, opinion, etc, from someone.
Example: We should use our secondary forces to pin down several enemy columns.
Pin down
Meaning: Discover exact details about something
Example: The teacher cannot pin down the essence of ancient poetry.
Pin on
Meaning: Attach the blame to someone
Example: He supports the group and wears its pin on his lapel.
Pin up
Meaning: Fix something to a wall, or other vertical surface, with a pin
Example: The teachers usually pin up the best work on the blackboard.
Pine away
Meaning: Suffer physically because of grief, stress, worry, etc
Example: The Vaudois pined away or escaped, and the Monregalesi were allowed to return home after a few years.
Pine for
Meaning: Want or miss something or someone
Example: Well, like everyone else, they pine for promotions, pay raises, and job security.
Pipe down
Meaning: Be quiet (often as an imperative)
Example: Everybody pipe down. There’s no need to shout.
Pipe up
Meaning: To speak, raise your voice
Example: The smallest child piped up with the answer.
Pit against
Meaning: Compete or force to compete
Example: Lawyers and accountants felt that they were being pitted against each other.
Pit out
Meaning: Go into the pits (car racing)
Example: He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.
Pitch for
Meaning: Try to persuade someone to give your work, business, a job, etc
Example: On Monday night, Ellison also made another pitch for his $ 500 network computer.
Pitch in
Meaning: Work together to help achieve an objective
Example: The nation was at fever pitch in the days leading up to the election.
Pitch into
Meaning: Criticise severely or attack someone
Example: He pitched into me as soon as I arrived, asking where the work was.
Plant out
Meaning: Put a young plant that has been grown in a pot or greenhouse into the ground
Example: Plant out bedding plants, hanging baskets and window boxes now.
Plant up
Meaning: Fill an area with plants or seeds
Example: The government has introduced several schemes to encourage farmers to plant up land.
Plate up
Meaning: Put food onto a plate to serve
Example: Disruption was minimal with the backing plant up and running again in time for the factory re-opening.
Plead out
Meaning: Plead guilty to get a reduced sentence or fine
Example: The CEO Pleaded out and blamed the CFO for the fraud.
Pluck at
Meaning: Pull or fiddle with something nervously
Example: Someone was plucking at the strings of an old guitar.
Pluck up
Meaning: Muster, acquire, gather
Example: It took me about two hours to pluck up courage to call.
Plug away
Meaning: Do something with determination despite any difficulties
Example: Katie has been plugging away at her homework for hours.
Plug in
Meaning: Connect machines to the electricity supply
Example: They used electricity from a plug in the garage.
Plug into
Meaning: Be involved with, get information about
Example: It is possible to plug into remote databases to pick up information.
Plump down
Meaning: Put something in a place without taking care
Example: He Plumped his bag down and kicked his shoes off.
Plump for
Meaning: Choose
Example: People who like spicy food for example, also plump for strong, penetrating essences such as patchouli and ginger.
Plump up
Meaning: Make something like a cushion bigger and softer by shaking it
Example: He plumped up his cheeks in an expression of annoyance.
Plump yourself down
Meaning: Sit down heavily
Example: She plumped herself down next to me and started asking me what had happened.
Point out
Meaning: Make someone aware of something
Example: Please don’t take it amiss, if I point out your errors.
Poke about
Meaning: Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something
Example: The man is always poking about in the office, and that is a bad habit.
Poke around
Meaning: Move things around or search in a casual way to try to find something
Example: I used to poke around the Internet and see what was new online.
Polish off
Meaning: Finish, consume
Example: I can polish off the rest of the typing in no time.
Polish up
Meaning: Improve something quickly
Example: Polish up your writing skills on a one-week professional course.
Pony up
Meaning: Pay for something
Example: All investors had to pony up a minimum of $5000.
Poop out
Meaning: Get too tired to do something
Example: The laptop’s battery pooped out after only two hours.
Poop out on
Meaning: Fail to keep an appointment
Example: You cannot play on Thursday? Don’t tell me you are going to poop out on me.
Pootle along
Meaning: Travel in a leisurely way
Example: We were Pootling along at thirty miles an hour.
Pore over
Meaning: Read, look at or study carefully
Example: I pore over the hopeless, resigned faces, the emaciated bodies, the stick-like limbs.
Potter about
Meaning: Spend time doing little things for pleasure
Example: When you get home, do you potter about in the garden or sit in front of the television?
Potter around
Meaning: Spend some time doing little things for pleasure
Example: I was perfectly happy just pottering around doing up my flat.
Pour down
Meaning: Rain hard
Example: Just as the television cameras started rolling, it began to pour down with rain.
Pour forth
Meaning: Emerge from a place in large numbers
Example: The house was still burning, pouring forth thick black smoke.
Power down
Meaning: Cut the electricity supply to a computer or electronic device
Example: It is time to shut nuclear power down, and begin the task of decommissioning Britain’s most disastrous experiment.
Power off
Meaning: Cut the electricity to a computer or device to turn it off
Example: Unauthorized network card is plugged in – Power off and remove the mini PCI network card.
Power up
Meaning: Turn a computer or electronic device on so that it is ready to use
Example: The computer takes a few seconds to power up after it’s been switched on.
Prattle on
Meaning: Talk too much
Example: The lawmakers prattle on about wanting greater continuity.
Prey on
Meaning: Catch and kill an animal for food
Example: The survey claims loan companies prey on weak families already in debt.
Prey on
Meaning: Exploit or harm
Example: Smaller birds that prey on insect pests also raid fruit crops, which must be netted.
Prey upon
Meaning: Catch and kill an animal for food
Example: The insects that bats prey upon have a comparable battery of sophisticated electronic and acoustic gear.
Prey upon
Meaning: Exploit or harm
Example: What would it have left to prey upon, if such was its design and its destiny?
Price in
Meaning: Include the affects of possible future events when assessing the value of something
Example: The company can not compete on price in the volume markets because of outdated equipment and small purchasing power.
Price up
Meaning: Charge more for something
Example: The only way they can protect themselves against hostile takeovers is to get the stock price up.
Print out
Meaning: Make a hard copy of a computer document
Example: The machine will print out the results of the calculation and the names of suitable books on this subject.
Prop up
Meaning: Support something, both physically and financially, politically, etc.
Example: The government refuses to prop up inefficient industries.
Pry out
Meaning: Obtain information someone is unwilling to give up
Example: The drivers tried to pry out of Lota information about the family. Lota merely told them that his master was an owner of medicine shops.
Psych out
Meaning: Work out or anticipate someone’s intentions
Example: Some soldiers were able to get out of the army by psyching out.
Psych up
Meaning: Prepare someone mentally
Example: I psyched myself up for the exam.
Puke up
Meaning: vomit
Example: Sometimes I got to stop and breathe deep cos I feel sick, but I don’t puke up again.
Pump (money) into
Meaning: Invest in something
Example: It’d also be safer to pump into , without as much risk of leakage as just pumping in the gas alone.
Pump in
Meaning: Invest, put money in
Example: A pump in the boiler sends hot water round the central heating system.
Pump out
Meaning: Remove liquids coming in using a pump
Example: Our cars pump out thousands of tonnes of poisonous fumes every year.
Pump up
Meaning: Encourage, make someone feel confident
Example: You can pump up the tyres by hand or with this special machine.
