Phrasal Verbs U-Z

• use up
  • Finish a product ( so that there's none left).
    "What a nuisance! The kids have used up all the toothpaste. "
    
• veer away from
  • Avoid, stay away from.
    "I veer away from hypochondriacs if I can."
    
• vouch for.
  • Express confidence in, or guarantee something.
    "You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him. "
    
• ward off
  • Keep away or repel (something dangerous or unpleasant).
    "I take plenty of vitamin C in winter to ward off colds."
    
• warm up
  • Reheat something.  
    "She didn't have time to cook so she warmed up some left-over soup."
    
  • Make more lively or more relaxed.
    "He told a few jokes to warm up the atmosphere."
    
• wash up
  • Wash the dishes after a meal.
    "Who's going to help me wash up?"
    
• watch out
  • Be careful.
    "Watch out! There's a car coming."
    
• water down
  • Dilute or make weaker by adding water.
    "If you water down the medicine it will be easier to take."
    
  • Make less severe.
    "He watered down his remarks so as not to offend anyone."
    
• wear away
  • Disappear after use or over time.
    "The words printed on the cover had worn away."
    
• wear down
  • Make someone feel weary or tired.
    "Kim is exhausted. The baby's constant crying is wearing her down."
    
• wear off
  • Gradually disappear.
    "The effect of the painkiller began to wear off."
    
• wear out
  • Become unusable.
    "During the trip Julie wore out her shoes sightseeing.
    
  • Become very tired
    "At the end of the every day Julie was worn out."
    
• whip up
  • Prepare quickly.
    "I can whip up something to eat if you're hungry."
    
• wolf down
  • Eat greedily and quickly.
    "The boys wolfed down the whole cake in no time!"
    
• work out
  • Do physical exercise.
    "Tanya works out twice a week at the gym club."
    
  • Find a solution or calculate something.
    "It's going to be expensive but I haven't worked out the exact cost yet."
    
• wind up
  • Finish or put an end to something.
    "Before winding up his speech he thanked everyone for their presence."
    "Larry decided to wind up his business and retire."
    
  • Arrive finally in a place.
    "After a long drive we finally wound up in a village with a spectacular view."
    
• wipe off
  • Clean (board, table).
    "The teacher asked one of the children to wipe off the board."
    
• wrap up
  • Cover; enclose.
    "She's busy right now. She's wrapping up her Christmas presents."
    
  • Complete (a task, a discussion).
    "The salesman hoped to wrap up a few deals at the end of  the demonstration."
    
• write back
  • Reply to a letter.
    "Lucy and Steve sent me an invitation and I wrote back to accept it."
    
• write (something) down
  • Note something on a piece of paper.
    "Richard wrote down the address of the hotel."