44 Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A (with examples)
44 Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A (with meanings & examples)
This helpful list will share 44 interesting phrasal verbs beginning with a, and each verb is provided with examples to help in its demonstration and to help you during your educational journey while learning English.
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A
Abandon to
To allow oneself to enjoy something fully.
Ex: during the weekend, I abandon myself to sleep and relaxation.
Abide By
Accept or follow a decision or rule.
Ex: they have to abide by what the manager says.
Abstain from
To not do or have something you enjoy, usually for reasons of religion or health.
Ex: Muslims abstain from food and drink in Ramadan from dusk to dawn.
Account For
To Explain.
Ex: can you account for your actions the other day?
Ache For
To want something or someone very much.
Ex: he was so lonely he ached for the sound of a human voice.
Act On / Act Upon
To take action because you have been given information or advice.
Ex: they were acting upon the instructions of their leaders.
Act Out
To demonstrate with gestures and movements.
Ex: the children acted out the play in school.
Act Up
Cause pain or annoyance by behaving or functioning badly.
Ex: During the science class, Robert kept acting up.
The car is acting up again.
Add Up
To calculate the total of several numbers or Make sense or seem reasonable
Ex: I’m very good at adding up in my head.
The story he mentioned just doesn’t add up!
Adhere to
To behave according to specific rules or follow a set of beliefs.
Ex: For six months he adhered to a strict no-fat diet.
Admit of
To allow something or make it possible.
Ex: The present schedule does not admit of modifications (= it cannot be changed).
The latest events admit of several interpretations.
Advise against
To recommend not doing something.
Ex: I’d advise you against saying anything to the press.
Police advised the public against travelling in the fog.
Agree with
To believe that a decision, action, or suggestion is correct or right.
Ex: He doesn’t agree with giving money to beggars.
Aim at
To say or do something that is intended for a particular person or group of people.
Ex: The criticism wasn’t aimed at you.
Allow for
To include or consider something in your plan.
Ex: Before leaving home, allow for the possibility that it might rain.
You need to allow for inflation when planning your project costs!
Allude to
To mention someone or something in an indirect way.
Ex: The speech alluded to some issues that are now forgotten.
Amount to
To be the same as or equal to something else.
Ex: Their actions amount to a breach of the agreement.
Angle for
To try to get something indirectly.
Ex: He was angling for taking the car but I didn’t allow him to.
Answer back
To reply in a rude way to someone that you are supposed to obey.
Ex: Stop answering your mother back!
Answer for
To accept responsibility or blame for something.
Ex: You have to answer for any problems that happen during your visit.
Answer to
To be responsible or controlled by someone above you.
Ex: Who do you answer to in your job?
Appeal to
Try to persuade someone to do something by reminding them that it is a good or fair thing to do.
Ex: Activists appealed to the government to stop the war.
Apply for
To make a formal request, usually written, for something or permission to do something.
Ex: She applied for the job with the school.
Apply to
To have the same thing or relate to the same people.
Ex: The same rules apply to everyone.
Argue down
Ex: The professor tried to argue his student down but he couldn’t.
Argue out
To discuss a problem to find solutions.
Ex: We have to argue our difference of opinions out.
Arrive at
To reach an agreement, a decision or a conclusion.
Ex: The two studies arrive at different conclusions.
Ask about
To ask for information about someone, especially about his or her profession or health.
Ex: Tell your father I was asking about him.
Ask after (sb)
To enquire about news about someone.
Ex: Sam called me and asked after you.
Ask around
To ask several people for information or advice.
Ex: I will ask around to see if anyone has seen your book.
Ask for
To say that you want to speak to somebody or be directed to a place.
Ex: when you call the office, ask for Mary.
Ask in
Invite someone to come inside.
Ex: once Jamie arrives, ask him in; don’t leave him standing in the cold.
Ask out
To invite someone to come with you to a place such as a restaurant, especially as a way of starting a romantic relationship.
Ex: Mark asked Tina out the second time they met.
Aspire to
To desire and work towards achieving something important.
Ex: she has always aspired to be an astronaut.
Associate with
To be connected with or related to something or someone.
Ex: smoking is usually associated with many diseases and health problems, such as cancer.
Attone for
To do something to show that you are sorry for having done something wrong.
Ex: Just when he reached old age, he remembered all those sins that he had to atone for.
Attend to (sb)
To help or look after someone.
Ex: The doctor was busy attending to other patients.
Attend to (sth)
To deal with business or personal matters.
Ex: I will only arrive after the meeting as I have some issues to attend to.
Attest to
To show or prove that something is true.
Ex: studies attest to the health problems of not drinking enough water.
Attribute to
To say or believe that a situation or event is caused by something.
Ex: the fall in the number of deaths from heart disease is generally attributed to improvements in diet.
Auction off
To sell something at an auction.
Ex: the contents of the house were auctioned off to pay for the family’s debts.
Average out
To calculate the average of something.
Ex: our marketing costs for last year averaged out at £12000.
Awake to
Here we end the list of phrasal Verbs Beginning with A with the final verb. Awake to means that you begin to realize the possible effects of a situation.
Ex: The government finally awoke to the grim reality of the economy.
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