Technology & Devices

Phrasal verbs for the digital age

Introduction

Technology has generated countless new phrasal verbs. We "log in" and "log out," "back up" our data, "scroll through" feeds, and hope our devices don't "break down" or "conk out."

This chapter explores the phrasal verbs of our digital lives: computers, phones, the internet, and the technical vocabulary of the modern world.

Themes

All Phrasal Verbs in This Chapter (71)

• log in To access a computer system with credentials
• log out To exit a computer system
• back up To make a copy of data
• scroll through To move through content on a screen
• print out To produce a paper copy
• plug in To connect to an electrical source
• zoom in To magnify or enlarge a view
• set up To install and configure technology
• boot up To start a computer
• scroll down To move down a page on screen
• zoom out To make an image or view smaller
• click on To select something by pressing a mouse button
• log into To access a system with credentials
• sign out To end a session and exit an account
• opt in To choose to participate
• opt out To choose not to participate
• hook up To connect equipment; to meet someone casually
• key in To type information into a device
• power up To start a device
• power down To turn off a device completely
• sync up To synchronize devices or schedules
• log off To end a computer session
• log on To start a computer session
• freeze up When a computer stops responding
• scroll up To move up a page or screen
• sign in To access an online account
• type in To enter text by typing
• swipe through To browse by sliding finger on screen
• tap on To touch a screen to select
• plug into To connect to a system or network
• unplug To disconnect from power
• charge up To restore battery power
• run down To drain battery power
• black out For a screen to go dark
• crash For a system to fail suddenly
• break down For technology to stop working
• pack up For a device to stop working
• go off For an alarm to activate
• link up To connect systems together
• pair up To connect via Bluetooth
• beam over To transfer wirelessly
• send off To transmit a message
• send out To broadcast or distribute
• put through To connect a phone call
• call up To telephone someone
• get through To make a connection
• pop up To appear suddenly on screen
• show up To display on screen
• bring up To display or open something
• pull up To retrieve and display
• track down To find information online
• filter out To exclude from results
• clean out To delete unwanted files
• load up To transfer data onto a device
• stream in To receive media continuously
• buffer To preload content
• max out To reach storage capacity
• free up To make space available
• fire up To start a system
• spin up To initialize a system
• patch up To fix with an update
• work out To figure out a solution
• figure out To understand or solve
• build in To include as a feature
• add on To install an extension
• sign up To register for a service
• lock out To prevent access
• lock in To secure or commit
• hack into To gain unauthorized access
• glitch out To malfunction temporarily
• stream on To continue streaming content