Phrasal Verb | Phrasal Verb Meaning | Example Sentence |
lapse into | To pass gradually into a worse state or condition. | He lapsed into a coma after suffering a brain haemorrhage/hemorrhage. |
lay about | To beat violently on all sides.+ | He laid about his would-be pickpocket with his walking stick. |
lay aside | To temporarily suspend doing something. | They may decide to lay aside the building project until the rainy season ends. |
To save for future use. | The couple lay/lays aside an amount of money for a summer holiday. | |
lay away | To reserve for future use. | The land has been laid away for a housing project. |
lay down | To stop fighting. | A call for ceasefire was ignored as both sides refused to lay down their arms. |
To formulate rule, principle, etc. | The document lays down clear guidelines on the use of chemicals. | |
To store wine in a cellar for drinking in the future. | It is an underground cellar where they lay down wine. | |
lay in | To store away a supply of something for future use. | Residents in this remote region usually lay in sufficient food in case they are cut off by adverse weather conditions. |
lay into | To carry out a physical or verbal attack against someone. | No one knew why she suddenly laid into him. |
lay off | To discharge a worker temporarily or permanently | Mark was laid off after working for the company for twenty years. |
To stop doing or using something | She warned him to lay off excessive alcohol or she would leave him. | |
lay on | To provide something such as food, entertainment, etc. | They laid on a generous buffet for visitors to their sales promotion. |
lay out | To arrange or spread out something. | Miniature models of houses and buildings in a new housing estate were laid out for viewing. |
To spend large amount of money. | He has no hesitation in laying out hundreds of dollars on a hotel room for a night. | |
To knock unconscious. | He was laid out for a few minutes when a ball struck him on the head. | |
lay over | To make a stopover when going on a journey. | He usually lays over when driving on a long journey. |
lead off | To start or begin. | He led off by thanking those present for joining in the discussion. |
lead on | To deceive. | How long is he going to let her lead him on before the truth dawns on him? |
lead to | To join directly to some place. | We took a wrong turn which led us to an old cemetery. |
To result in something happening | A reward for information led to the capture of the murderer. | |
lead up to | To give an account of something. | The television documentary recounted the events leading up to the bombing of the airport. |
leaf through | To turn pages quickly without serious reading. | Bob leafed through many magazines while waiting at the clinic. |
lean against | To rest something against something else so that it is supported. | He leaned a ladder against the gutter to reach the roof. |
lean on | To derive support from. | In times of difficulty it would be great to have someone to lean on for support. |
lean towards | To have a tendency. | Police believe the group is leaning towards terrorism. |
leave aside | To not include something. | Let’s leave that aside as it is not relevant in this discussion. |
leave behind | To forget to take something with you. | I have this feeling that I have left something behind, but can’t figure out what it is. |
To have surviving relatives after one’s death. | The deceased left behind a wife and two children. | |
To go away from a place without taking something along. | The tourists left behind a trail of litter. | |
To go away and cause something such as damage and destruction to remain. | The storm has passed, leaving behind a trail of devastation. | |
To lag or fall behind. | You will get left behind if you don’t work as hard as the others. | |
leave off | To stop doing something. | Let’s continue from where we left off. |
leave out | To not include someone or something. | This is the first time he is left out of the squad for the World Cup. |
let down | To disappoint someone. | He really let us down by not turning up to show us how to do it. |
To withdraw support. | The few of them let the candidate down by switching their support to his opponent. | |
let in | To allow something to enter. | Let’s open the windows and let the air in. |
To allow someone to enter. | She believed the house was haunted as the bedroom door once opened by itself to let her in. | |
To place oneself in a difficult situation. | He’s beginning to realize how much trouble he is letting himself in by borrowing heavily from different sources. | |
let in on | To trust someone. | She’s prepared to let me in on her secret recipe if I promised not to tell other people about it. |
let into | To allow someone to enter. | They only let certain individuals into the building. |
let off | To not punish someone. | If you pluck my apples again, I’ll not let you off. |
To make something explode. | Someone tied a string of firecrackers to a dog’s tail and let them off. | |
let on | To reveal something. | He made her promise not to let on that he did it. |
let out | To allow someone or something to leave. | It usually barks when it wants to be let out. |
To utter a sound. | When she heard the news, she let out a sigh of relief. | |
To make an item of clothing looser. | She’s letting some of her clothes out as she has put on weight. | |
let up | To stop or abate. | It looks like the rain is not going to let up, so what shall we do? |
To become less determined. | The rescuers will not let up in their effort to find the missing victims. | |
level against | To direct accusation at someone. | They have yet to prove the charges relating to embezzlement leveled against him. |
level at | To aim something such as criticism, accusation, etc. at someone. | All he can ever do is level criticism at others for their mistakes. |
level off | To not fluctuate. | Prices of houses in the area have leveled off after recent hike. |
level out | To move horizontally. | After reaching the height of 20,000 feet, the plane leveled out. |
level with | To speak frankly. | The candidate’s aides will level with him about what the voters are saying about him. |