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Phrasal Verbs with OUT 3

If you are 'tired out' you are very tired.

• All this work is beginning to tire me out. I need a break.
   
• The long journey has tired me out.

If you 'back out' of something, you decide not to do something that you had previously agreed to do.

• John was going to make the presentation but he backed out at the last minute.
   
• You've signed the contract so you can't back out now.

If you 'sort something out', you solve any problems or difficulties.

• I had to sort out a problem with our delivery times.
   
• We're meeting on Monday to sort out the details of the new contract.

If you 'pull out' of negotiations or an agreement, you stop being involved in it.

• They have pulled out of the deal because they didn't like our payment terms.
   
• The unions have pulled out of the negotiations and are now threatening strike action.

If you 'rule out' something or someone, you decide that it is not suitable or is impossible. 

• I think we can rule him out for the job as he doesn't speak Italian well enough.
   
• We haven't ruled out the possibility of appointing a local agent.

If you 'find something out', you get new information that you want to have or you learn a fact or information for the first time.

• I only found out about this earlier today.
   
• We need to find out a lot more before we can give a definitive answer.

If you 'wash out' your clothes, you clean them, often by hand. If you have a stain in your clothes, you can try to 'wash out' the stain.

• I usually wash out my clothes in the sink when I am staying in a hotel.
   
• Red wine is really hard to wash out.

If a sports competition cannot continue because of rain, it has been 'washed out'.

• The tennis at Wimbledon was washed out for the day.
   
• There so much rain that it might wash out the game.

In US informal English, if you 'wash out', you fail to finish something or to achieve the necessary standard.

• He was a big football star in college but he washed out in the NFL.
   
• The training course is tough but I'm not going to wash out.

If you 'spread something out', you move things apart so that there is plenty of space or time between them. 

• I'll spread these photos out on the table so that you can all see them.
• You can spread the payments out over several months.

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Phrasal Verbs with OUT 4

If you 'show somebody out', you show them the door out of the building.

• My secretary will show you out.
   
• Could you show Ms Smith out?

If you 'set out', you start a journey or activity.

• We need to set out early if we want to get there in time for lunch.
   
• I set out to be an architect but ended up a zoologist.

To 'set out' can also mean to give all the details or a full explanation.

• She set out all the facts clearly in her presentation.
   
• The contract clearly sets out your terms of employment.

If you 'cross something out', you draw a line through it because it is wrong.

• You can't just cross out things you don't like in the contract. We need to retype it.
   
• Just cross out her name and put your own in its place.

If you 'miss out' on something, you don't get something that you would like that other people get.

• I missed out on the bonus because I'd not met my sales targets.
   
• There are some real bargains in the sales. Make sure you don't miss out.

If you 'pass out', you lose consciousness.

• He had too much to drink and passed out.
   
• It was so hot that I thought I was going to pass out.

If you 'pass something out', you distribute it to people in the room.

• I'm going to pass out a copy of the letter for you to study.
   
• Could someone pass out these papers, please?

If you 'point someone or something out',  you indicate where they are, either by speaking or by pointing your finger.

• If Diana is at this party, I'll point her out to you.
   
• Martin pointed out several mistakes I had made.

If you 'point something out', you tell them a fact they did not know, usually relevant to the current discussion.

• Harry pointed out that our sale in China were rising rapidly.
   
• I must point out that this new system has several disadvantages.

If you 'share something out', you divide it into smaller amounts and give one part to each person.

• We shared out the bonus between seven of us.
   
• You need to share out the work equally between you.

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Phrasal Verbs with OUT 5

If you 'shut out' a noise or light you prevent it from being heard or seen. You can also 'shut out' emotions and feelings, usually painful ones.

• We need to close the curtains and shut out the light.
   
• You will have to try to shut out those painful memories.

If you don't include somebody in an activity, you 'shut them out'. In the US, if you prevent the other team from scoring, you have 'shut them out'.

• They claim that women are shut out from the key decision posts.
   
• The Yankees shut out the Red Sox.

If you 'storm out', you leave angrily.

• He stormed out of the meeting with an angry look on his face.
   
• Don't storm out. Stay and explain to us why you are so upset.

If you 'try something out', you test it to see if it is satisfactory.

• I want to try out this restaurant before we invite clients there.
   
• The company are trying out a new security system.

If you 'cry out', you shout or make a loud noise.

• He cried out in pain.
   
• He was so frightened that he cried out for help.

In informal English, if something 'is crying out for' something, it needs it urgently.

• The company is crying out for better leadership.
   
• The factory is crying out for modernization.

If you 'hand out' something, you give it to everybody in the group.

• Don't take notes. I'll hand out a summary later.
   
• We could try handing out some promotional leaflets in the street.

If you 'hand out' advice, criticism, a punishment etc., you give it to somebody (who usually doesn't want to receive it.)

• She's good at handing out criticism but she can't take it.
   
• He's always handing out advice but he doesn't really know what he's talking about.

If you 'invite somebody out' you ask them to go with you to some pleasant event.

• I've been invited out to dinner by an old friend.
   
• He invited me out to the cinema but I was too tired and went back to my hotel room.

If you 'wear something out', you use it to the point where it becomes weak or damaged.

• My brakes have worn out. I need new ones urgently.
   
• I've worn out my shoes shopping for the perfect dress.

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Phrasal Verbs with OUT 6

If you 'burst out', you suddenly say something. If you 'burst out laughing', you suddenly start to laugh. If you have an 'outburst', you express your feelings (usually anger) strongly.

• I burst out laughing when I saw Derek wearing his kilt.
   
• He suddenly burst out crying when I told him he had lost his job.

If you 'call somebody out', you ask them to come to help you.

• We called out the fire brigade because the situation was so dangerous.
   
• I was called out in the middle of the night because the computer system went down.

If you 'call out', you say something loudly.

• If you know the answer, just call it out.
   
• I called out your name but you couldn't have heard me.

If you 'carry out' a task, you do something you were told or agreed to do.

• We need to carry out a survey to see what people really want.
   
• I didn't think he would carry out his threat to resign.

If you 'clear out' a place, you remove all the unwanted items.

• We cleared out the old storeroom and turned it into an office.
   
• You're fired. Clear out your desk and leave the premises.

If you 'wear somebody out' , you make them very tired.

• I'm worn out from all the business trips I take.
   
• Running two offices in Milan and New York is enough to wear anybody out.

If you 'work something out', you make a calculation or make a plan and a decision.

• I need to work out the new prices for next year's catalogue.
   
• We need to work out an agreement between our companies.

If something unpleasant or bad 'breaks out', it starts.

• The fire broke out in the warehouse.
   
• A fight broke out in the canteen when somebody tried to jump the queue.

If you 'drop out' of an activity, you stop doing it.

• We dropped out of the bidding for the new contract because we were going to make a loss.
   
• I've dropped out of the planning committee because I don't have the time.

If you 'fall out' with someone, you have an argument with them.

• Harry and I have fallen out about the plans for the new building.
   
• I don't want to fall out with you but I strongly disagree.

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Phrasal Verbs with OUT 7

If you 'fall out' with somebody, you have a bad argument with them.

• They fell out over the arrangements for the meeting.
  
• I don't want to fall out with you but I'm very unhappy with what you have done.

If news 'leaks out', people who shouldn't know about it do.

• Details of the report leaked out over the weekend.
  
• If this information leaks out, we are in serious trouble.

If you 'come out with' something, you say something suddenly.

• She came straight out with it and said I was a liar.
  
• You never know what he is going to come out with next.

If you 'come out with' a new product , you make available something new.

• Microsoft have come out with a new version of Office.
  
• We haven't come out with a new product for two years.

If you 'give out' information,  you hand it out to people.

• I'll give out a summary at the end so you don't need to take notes.
  
• Could you give those papers out for me, please?

If something 'gives out', it stops working or supplies run out.

• Our stock of leather will give out in three days, if we don't get any more.
  My voice is about to give out so I'll stop my presentation at this point.

If you are 'let out' of something, it can mean that you escape from doing something difficult or unpleasant or that you have agreed to do.

• They won't let us out of our contract with them.
  
• He resigned this morning which lets me out from having to fire him.

If you 'make something out', it can mean that you are able to see or hear something with difficulty.

• I couldn't make out what he was saying with all that background noise.
  
• I can't make out who sent me this letter.

To 'make out something' can mean to claim falsely that something is true.

• He made out that he had a lot of experience in this area but it wasn't true.
  
• He's not as difficult a person as he is often made out to be.

If you are 'put out', it can mean that you are annoyed or caused extra work by something that is said or done.

• He seemed put out that we didn't ask him to join us for lunch.
  
• I don't want to put you out. Don't do it if it is too much bother.

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