Phrasal Verbs/C

Phrasal verbs beginning with C. Select a phrasal verb for more details.

call back

If you call someone back, you return their telephone call.

call for

If a person or an organisation calls for something, they state in public that it's needed, or should be done.

call off

to cancel an event that was planned or scheduled

call on

to visit someone for a short time

call out

If you call out, you use a loud voice to tell something to someone who's far away, or tell something to a large group.

calm down

If a person who is excited or agitated calms down, they become calmer and less excited or agitated.

care for (1)

If you care for someone, you like them a lot and have a strong affection for them.

care for (2)

If you care for someone or something, you look after them and make sure they have what they need.

care for (3) FORMAL

If you ask someone if they would care for something, you want to know if they'd like to have something.

carry on

to continue doing something

carry out

If you carry out a task or a piece of work, you do whatever is needed to complete it.

catch on (1)

If something catches on, it becomes popular.

catch on (2)

If you catch on, you suddenly understand something that you couldn't understand at first.

catch up (1)

If you catch up with someone who is ahead of you, you go faster than them until you reach them.

catch up (2)

If two people meet again after a while and catch up, they tell each other what they've been doing.

cater to

to provide people with what they need

change into

to change from one state or form into another

change over

to stop using one thing or one system and start using another one instead

charge with

If someone is charged with a crime, they are officially accused of committing it.

chase up

to try to find out what is being done about something, or what has happened to something

chat up British and Australian English INFORMAL

to talk to someone in the hope of beginning a romantic relationship with them

cheat on

to be disloyal to your spouse or partner by having sex with someone else

cheat out of

to get something from somebody by cheating them

check in

If you check in, you give your details at a hotel's reception desk, or at an airline's check-in counter, when you arrive.

check into

to register your details after arriving for treatment at a hospital, a rehabilitation centre or a health resort

check on

to look at someone or something to make sure that nothing is wrong

check out (1)

to pay the bill and leave after staying at a hotel, a hospital or a rehabilitation centre

check out (2) INFORMAL

to look at something, or go somewhere, to see what it's like

check through

to examine something carefully to make sure nothing is wrong, or to look for something

cheer on

to shout loudly to encourage someone, especially someone who's playing sport or competing in a race

cheer up

to feel happier after being sad

chop down

If you chop down something like a tree, you cause it to fall by cutting through its base.

chop up

to cut something into pieces with an axe or a knife

clean out (1)

to clean the inside of something

clean out (2) INFORMAL

If you have been cleaned out, all your money has been taken by someone, or spent on something.

clean up

to make something clean and tidy

clear out (1)

to tidy a place by removing things that shouldn't be there

clear out (2) INFORMAL

to leave a place, usually for a long time or forever

clear up

If an illness or a condition like acne clears up, it improves until it's no longer a problem.

close down

If a business closes down, or if someone closes it down, it stops operating.

come about

to happen, especially partly or totally by chance

come across (1)

to find something or meet someone by chance

come across (2)

If somebody comes across as being a certain type of person, they appear that way to other people.

come along (1)

to arrive or to appear

come along (2)

to make progress or to improve in some way

come along (3)

to go with somebody when they're going somewhere

come apart

to separate into several pieces, or to break into several parts

come around

to visit somebody, usually at their home

come back

to return to a place

come down

to move to a lower level or a lower position

come from (1)

to be born and raised in a place

come from (2)

to be made in or obtained from a particular place or thing

come in (1)

to enter a room or a building

come in (2)

If something like a train or plane comes in, it arrives at a station or an airport.

come into

to be given something after its owner dies

come of

to be the result of an event or situation

come off (1)

If something comes off, it becomes separated from the thing it's usually attached to.

come off (2)

to result in the intended outcome

come on (1)

to make progress or to improve in some way

come on (2)

If a light or a computer comes on, it starts working.

come on (3)

If a TV or radio show comes on, it starts.

come out (1)

to become available

come out (2)

to become known

come over (1)

to visit a place, or to move from one place or country to another

come over (2)

to seem to be a particular type of person

come through

to survive a difficult or dangerous situation or time

come to (1)

to regain consciousness after an accident or an operation

come to (2)

to add up to a particular total

come to (3)

If a thought or an idea comes to you, you remember it or you think of it

come under

to suddenly experience or suffer something dangerous or unpleasant

come up (1)

to walk up to someone or something

come up (2)

If an issue or a name comes up in something like a conversation, a meeting, or a report, the issue or name is discussed or mentioned.

come up (3)

to appear, occur, or become available

come up against

to face a difficult situation or a difficult opponent

come up with

to think of something like a plan, an idea or a solution to a problem

count on

to depend on someone or something to do what is expected or needed

cover up

to try to stop people finding out about something bad

crack down

to start enforcing a law or a rule more strictly

cross off

to remove a name or an item from a list by drawing a line through it

cross out

If you cross something out, you draw a line through it with a pen or a pencil, usually because it's wrong or is no longer necessary.

cry out

to scream or yell because of pain or fear

cut back

to reduce the amount of money spent on something, or to reduce the size or scale of something

cut down

to reduce the amount, number or size of something

cut off (1)

to stop the supply of something like electricity, water, gas or telephone service.

cut off (2)

to isolate somebody or something by making transport or communication very difficult or impossible

cut out (1)

to remove an area of paper or cloth from a larger sheet by cutting

cut out (2)

to stop doing something, such as eating fatty foods or gambling or taking drugs, usually in order to improve one's health or one's life

cut out (3) INFORMAL

If you tell someone to "Cut it out!", you want them to stop doing something annoying.

cut up

to cut something into small pieces

Contributor: Matt Errey