Choosing the right preposition after a verb can be surprisingly tricky, even for confident English learners. We “agree on” a plan, “dream of” success, “apologise for” mistakes, and “wait for” a reply—change the preposition and the meaning often changes too. This article gathers common verb + preposition combinations in one place, with clear example sentences to show how they work in real life. Use it as a quick reference when speaking, writing, or preparing for exams. With regular practice, these patterns will start to feel natural and automatic.
- dabble in: As a kid, I loved to dabble in paints and colours.
- dance to: The crowd jumped up and danced to the lively music.
- debate on: The students organised a forum to debate on climate change.
- debate with: I refuse to debate with someone who keeps interrupting.
- declare to: He calmly declared to us that he was leaving the company.
- declare on: The country has declared war on drug trafficking.
- decrease from: Sales have decreased from a million units to half a million.
- decrease in: Many animals decrease in speed as they grow older.
- dedicate to: She has dedicated her new book to her late father.
- deduce from: The inspector deduced from the footprints that a child was involved.
- defeat by: Our team was defeated by three goals to nil.
- defraud of: The scammer defrauded them of their life savings.
- delegate to: The manager decided to delegate the task to her assistant.
- deliberate about/on: The committee will deliberate on the proposal tomorrow.
- deliver to: The courier delivered the package to my office.
- demand from: They demanded a clear explanation from the director.
- demote from: He was demoted from manager to supervisor after the inquiry.
- denounce for: The leader was publicly denounced for his corrupt practices.
- depart from: The bus departs from platform 4 at noon.
- deprive of: The new rules deprived them of certain basic rights.
- describe to: She described to me exactly how the accident happened.
- desist from: He was ordered to desist from contacting the witness.
- despair of: She began to despair of ever finding a new job.
- detect in: The doctor detected an infection in his lungs.
- deter from: Strict punishment may deter people from committing such crimes.
- deviate from: We must not deviate from the agreed plan.
- die from: The injured bird later died from its wounds.
- die of: Many people still die of preventable diseases.
- differ from: This fabric differs from the sample you showed me.
- digress from: Try not to digress from the main topic in your speech.
- direct to: The guard directed us to the correct entrance.
- disabuse of: No one has tried to disabuse her of that false idea.
- disapprove of: His parents strongly disapprove of his gambling habit.
- discharge from: He was discharged from hospital after a week.
- disconcert by: We were disconcerted by his sudden change of tone.
- discourage by: She was discouraged by her poor exam results.
- discourage from: High costs may discourage students from studying abroad.
- discriminate against: The law forbids employers to discriminate against women.
- discriminate between: It’s hard to discriminate between genuine and fake reviews online.
- disguise as: He disguised himself as a waiter to get into the party.
- disgusted by: I was disgusted by the amount of litter on the beach.
- dismiss from: She was dismissed from the firm for repeated lateness.
- dispossess of: The conquerors dispossessed the villagers of their land.
- disqualify from: He was disqualified from the race for starting too early.
- dissent from: Several members chose to dissent from the final decision.
- dissuade from: They tried to dissuade him from dropping out of school.
- distinguish between: Children must learn to distinguish between right and wrong.
- distinguish from: His accent is hard to distinguish from a native speaker’s.
- distinguish in: She distinguished herself in the tournament by winning every match.
- distract from: The loud music distracted me from my homework.
- diverge from: Our views begin to diverge from this point onwards.
- divert from: Traffic was diverted from the main road after the landslide.
- divide between/among: The inheritance was divided equally among the three sisters.
- drive for: He offered to drive for the first part of the journey.
- drive to: We love to drive to the mountains at the weekend.
- elaborate on: Could you elaborate on that last point, please?
- eliminate from: She was eliminated from the contest in the second round.
- embody in: The company’s values are embodied in its code of conduct.
- embroil in: He soon found himself embroiled in a messy lawsuit.
- emerge from: The sun finally emerged from behind the clouds.
- emigrate from: His grandparents emigrated from Italy many years ago.
- employ as: She was employed as a graphic designer.
- encompass by: The town was once encompassed by high stone walls.
- encourage by: We were encouraged by the positive feedback from customers.
- engross in: He was so engrossed in his book that he missed his stop.
- enjoin from: The court enjoined him from contacting his former partner.
- enrage by: The fans were enraged by the referee’s decision.
- enrich by: Our culture is enriched by many different traditions.
- entitle to: Full-time staff are entitled to paid annual leave.
- entrust to: They entrusted the keys to a close neighbour.
- entrust with: I entrusted her with all the financial records.
- envelope in: The valley was enveloped in a thick morning mist.
- equip for: The team is fully equipped for the expedition.
- escape from: The bird escaped from its cage through a small gap.
- escape with: He escaped with only minor injuries after the crash.
- estimate at: The damage was estimated at several thousand dollars.
- excel in: She excels in maths and science.
- exclude from: He felt hurt after being excluded from the meeting.
- excuse from: I was excused from duty because I was ill.
- expatiate on: He loves to expatiate on the glories of ancient history.
- expect from: What exactly do you expect from this arrangement?
- expect of: A high level of discipline is expected of every soldier.
- expend on: The charity expended a large sum on medical supplies.
- explain to: The teacher patiently explained the formula to the class.
- export to: The company exports its products to over twenty countries.
- extract from: The journalist extracted several important details from the interview.
- extricate from: She managed to extricate herself from the awkward conversation.
- feel like: I feel like eating something spicy tonight.
- feel toward: I don’t know how I really feel toward him anymore.
- fight against: They vowed to fight against all forms of injustice.
- fight for: Many people are still fighting for equal pay.
- figure on: I didn’t figure on the traffic being this bad.
- fill with: The hall was filled with the sound of laughter.
- focus on: We need to focus on improving customer service.
- fool with: Don’t fool with those wires; they might be live.
- forget about: Let’s forget about the argument and move on.
- forgive for: She never forgave him for betraying her trust.
- fret about: There’s no need to fret about small mistakes.
- frighten by: The child was frightened by the loud thunder.
- frown at: The teacher frowned at the students who were whispering.
- furnish with: Each apartment is furnished with basic kitchen equipment.
