Relationships & Social

Phrasal verbs for interpersonal connections

Introduction

Relationships are built, tested, and sometimes broken through our interactions with others. Phrasal verbs capture these dynamics perfectly: couples "break up" and "make up," friends "fall out" and "patch things up," and we all try to "get along" with difficult people.

This chapter explores the phrasal verbs that describe our social lives—from first meetings to lasting friendships, from romantic beginnings to complicated endings.

Themes

All Phrasal Verbs in This Chapter (69)

• break up To end a romantic relationship
• make up To reconcile after an argument
• get along To have a friendly relationship
• fall out To have a serious argument and stop being friends
• ask out To invite someone on a date
• go out To be in a romantic relationship (British) or leave the house
• look up to To admire and respect someone
• look down on To consider someone inferior
• grow apart To gradually become less close to someone
• hang out To spend time with friends casually
• hit it off To quickly become good friends
• drift apart To gradually become less close
• stand by To support someone through difficulties
• let go of To stop holding onto someone emotionally
• settle down To start living a stable, quiet life (often with a partner)
• split up To end a romantic relationship
• warm up to To gradually start to like someone
• reach out To make contact or offer help
• chat up To talk flirtatiously to someone
• go out with To be in a romantic relationship with someone
• walk out on To abandon someone suddenly
• cheat on To be unfaithful to a partner
• look after To take care of someone or something
• stick up for To defend or support someone
• put up with To tolerate something unpleasant
• lean on To depend on someone for support
• come between To cause problems in a relationship
• look out for To take care of someone; to watch for
• fall for To fall in love with; to be deceived by
• drop in To visit unexpectedly
• stick with To remain loyal or committed
• team up To join together for a common purpose
• pair up To form a pair or couple
• check up on To monitor or verify
• catch up with To meet after time apart
• count on To rely on
• hit on To flirt with or proposition
• hook up To have a casual romantic encounter
• get together To start a relationship
• move in together To start living with a partner
• get along with To have a friendly relationship
• hang out with To spend casual time with
• stick by To remain loyal to
• stick together To remain united and supportive
• confide in To share secrets or personal matters
• reach out to To contact someone for connection
• take after To resemble a family member
• take in To provide shelter for someone
• turn to To seek help or support from
• turn on To suddenly become hostile towards
• run out on To abandon suddenly
• lead on To deceive with false hopes
• push away To emotionally distance from others
• freeze out To exclude coldly
• butt heads To disagree or clash
• rub off on To influence through close contact
• take to To start liking
• click with To connect instantly with someone
• rub along To manage to coexist
• kiss up to To flatter excessively
• suck up to To flatter someone for advantage
• buddy up To form a friendship or partnership
• pair off To form couples or partnerships
• gang up on To unite against someone
• side with To support one person against another
• make friends with To become friends with
• lose touch To no longer be in contact
• keep in touch To maintain contact
• get in touch To make contact