Dictionary: letter C

call back [call back, call someone back] return a phone call or call again later phone back, ring back

• I'll call you back as soon as I hear anything.
• Can you ask her to call me back, please?
• I called him four times and he never called me back.

call in 1 visit (insep) pay someone a short visit drop in, pop in

• Call in next time you're in town.
• I've just called in to see if you needed anything. 

2 [call someone in] (doctor, expert, consultant, police, technician) ask someone, like a doctor or a technician, to come and help you with a problem bring in

• We had to call in a doctor.
• The situation got out of hand and the Army had to be called in.
• We can't afford to call in a technician every time the washing-machine breaks down.

call off cancel [call something off] cancel an event be off, put off

• The concert was called off because of rain.
• It's too late to call off the ceremony now.

call out 1 shout [call something out] announce or say something in a loud voice

• He called out the results.
• She called out his name but there was no answer.

2 challenge [call something out] draw attention to unacceptable behaviour

• That blatantly false fact was not called out.
• We have a responsibility to call it out when we see it.

call up phone [call someone up] phone someone

• Call me up when you get there.
• He called me up this this morning.

calm down relax [calm down, calm someone down] become more relaxed

• He was very upset about it, but he calmed down eventually.
• She was rude and aggressive towards him but it was clear he was trying to calm her down.

carry away [get carried away] behave in a silly way because you are too excited, angry, etc; not know what you are doing

• Sorry I called you a fool; I got a bit carried away. 
• She got carried away in the shop and spent all her money on new dresses.

carry on continue (insep) continue doing something go on, keep on

• Carry on working!
• He carried on as if nothing had happened.
• If things carry on the way they are, you'll lose your job.

carry out do [carry something out] (survey, investigation, research, review, plan, threat) do a task

• It's going to be difficult to carry out that plan.
• The government is going to carry out a survey on the nation's health.
• Politicians don't usually carry out their promises.

carve out get [carve something out] (career, name, reputation, place, role) manage to get something by working hard

• The region has carved out a reputation for its apples.

cash in get [cash something in] (cheque, pension) get the money

• I need to cash in a cheque.
• There may be a reduction in benefits if you cash in your pension early.

cash in on [cash in on something] (insep) profit or take advantage of something

• They were accused of cashing in on the tragedy.

catch on (insep) (idea, fashion, concept) become popular

• The idea eventually caught on and became all the rage by the 1980s.

chalk up 1 [chalk something up] (goals, losses, success, victory, win) succeed in getting something

• The team has just chalked up their first victory.
• They have chalked up yet another victory.
• He has chalked up his 500th career win with victory at the Miami Open.

2 [chalk something up] write down what someone should pay

• Chalk up these drinks to my account, please.

3 [chalk something up to] explain something as the result of something else

• Okay, let's chalk it up to inexperience.
• Chalk it up to my charming personality.
• Should we chalk this up to a misunderstanding?

idiom chalk it up to experience regard a failure as an experience you can learn from

chase away [chase someone/something away] force a person or animal to leave a place with threats or by attacking them

• A passer-by stopped his car to help and, along with several neighbors, managed to chase the dog away. No one was bitten.

chase off chase away

chat up seduce [chat someone up] talk to someone in a friendly way because you are sexually attracted to them

• Normally I find it dead hard to chat up a girl but I was drunk and had no inhibitions.

check in [check in, check something in] arrive at a hotel or airport and report your arrival at reception or check-in desk

• We checked into the hotel a little after midnight.
• I arrived in London a few days ago and checked into the Bolsover Hotel.
• When I checked in with a confirmed economy ticket, I was told that the flight was overbooked.
• The staff were incredibly helpful and made checking in a delightful hassle free experience.

check out 1 pay and leave a place

• After breakfast I checked out of the hotel.

2 [check something out] check that something is correct or it's what you want

• You've got to check the facts out before you start torturing yourself.
• Hey, check this out!

cheer up [cheer up, cheer someone up, cheer something up] make someone feel happier

• I got you this. I thought it might cheer you up.
• I took him to the party because he needed cheering up.
• Fancy a pint to cheer you up?

chew over think [chew something over] think about something or discuss it very carefully mull over, think over

• I can't imagine Jeffrey being the kind of guy to openly argue, but rather chew it over in silence and - eventually - decide for himself.

chicken out (insep) not do something because of fear

• At the last minute, I chickened out.
• I was ready to do it but I chickened out.

chip in 1 contribute contribute money towards something club together, pitch in

• Local schools students, individuals and community groups have all chipped in to bring this area alive.

2 interrupt interrupt a conversation butt in

• Some senior Army officials chipped in to say it was safe and there was no danger.

chuck in leave [chuck something in] leave; stop doing something (job, possessions )

• He decided to chuck in his job.
• I'd love to just chuck it all in.

clam up (insep) refuse to speak

• I've tried talking to her about it, but she just clams up and changes the subject.
• He would clam up when the conversation turned personal.
• She just clammed up. She wouldn't speak.

clean up [clean up, clean something up] wash or clean completely clear up

• You'd better go and get cleaned up.
• It took ages to clean up the mess.

clear off leave [clear off, clear something off] disappear or be removed

• During the night the fog cleared off.
• We cleared off all the dirt and rock that was loose on the ground.

clear up 1 [clear up, clear something up] (kitchen, mess) tidy & clean or remove dirt and clean clean up

• I cleared up the mess from the kids in the back garden.

2 (doubt, problem, disagreement, misunderstanding, confusion, issue, crime, mystery) find an answer or an explanation for something or settle it sort out

• I think this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.

3 (insep) (weather) improve brighten up

• The weather is horrible at the moment. I hope it clears up later.

climb down (insep) admit you are wrong back down

• The bank was eventually forced to climb down in the face of a fierce and sustained public backlash.

clock in (insep) register the time when arriving at work clock on clock out, clock off

• I have to clock in at 8.
• I clocked in and was ready to start working.

clock off (insep) leave work or register the time you leave work clock out clock on, clock in

• What time do you usually clock off?

clock on (insep) clock in clock out, clock off

• She clocked on at 8 am and worked until 6 pm.

clock out (insep) register the time you leave work clock off clock in, clock on

• I clocked out a bit early and went home.

clogup block (insep) (arteries, pipe, drain, well) block choke up

• Some types of weed have to be kept in check so that they don't clog up the pond.
• Dairy products make me feel clogged up.

close down [close something down] (factory, plant, business, company, shop, production, operations) close a place permanently shut down

• They closed down the bar many months ago because they weren't making enough money from it.
• There used to be a shop at the end of the street but it closed down last year.
• The factory closed down five years ago.

clue in [clue someone in] give someone the information needed to understand something or let them know what's new clue up

• Never played a Witcher game before. Can someone clue me in?
• Someone needs to clue us in on what's happening.

come across 1 meet [come across someone] (insep) meet someone by chance bump into , run into, stumble across

• Not long ago, I came across an old friend from the gang. I won't say his name for privacy reasons.

2 find [come across something] (insep) (photo) find something by chance

• This stretch of coastline is famous for the fossils that you just come across lying on the beach.

come forward (insep) offer help or information

• The witness has come forward to speak publicly about the incident.

come round/around 1 (insep) recover consciousness come to pass out, black out

• I had no idea what had happened to me when I came round.

2 (insep) pay someone a visit drop by

• Bill and Ben are coming round tonight. We're going to watch a video.
• Look, I'll come round to yours later, yeah?

come on 1 start (insep) start

• We had a good chat before the film came on.

2 (insep) make progress get on

• How's dinner coming on? I'm starving.

come to (insep) recover consciousness come (a)round, pass out, black out

• When Rose came to in the lifeboat, she could not remember what had happened.
• When he came to, he was being loaded into an ambulance.

come through 1 (insep) (call, message, document, authorization, divorce, money, results, news) recieve something

• As the final results came through, it couldn't have been any worse.

2 survive [come through something] (insep) (car crash, accident, operation, illness, war, ordeal, crisis) survive or recover

• He was in a serious car accident last week. Fortunately, he came through it with only minor injuries.

come up 1 mention (insep) (issue, point, matter, question, subject) be mentioned bring up

• You'd better make sure you know these verbs because they always come up in the exam.

2 appear (insep) (job, vacancy) appear

• As new jobs come up, we will contact students who have signed with the Odd Jobs database.

come up with [come up with something] (insep) (idea, plan, proposal, theory, scheme, solution, suggestion, compromise, money, funding) occur to you or you manage to find it

• I wonder who came up with the idea.
• The owner came up with a plan to avoid closing.
• They came up with a scheme to make some extra money.

cool down 1 (insep) become less hot

• Let food cool down before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
• Sweat is the body's natural way of cooling you down.

2 (insep) become less excited

• I thought we could finally calmly discuss our quarrel, now that she had cooled down a bit.
• She knew that she might regret it later, when she had cooled down.

cop out [cop out, cop out of something] (responsibility) avoid something because you are afraid or you don't want to keep your promise

• I hoped Maxwell would focus on the freedom issue, but he copped out.

cotton on understand (informal) begin to understand

• Lawyers are beginning to cotton on to the usefulness of using computerised graphics and other high-tech exhibits to impress judges and jurors.

cough up [cough something up] (informal) (money, name) give someone something because you have to pay up

• The health minister said the federal government must eventually cough up more money if it wants to maintain a high-quality health system.

count on [count on someone] (insep) rely on them to help or support you

• Ask Mary. You can always count on her to know the latest information.

crack down [crack down on someone, crack down on something] (informal) (criminals, vandals, extremists) be much stricter than before clamp down on

• We need to crack down on youth offenders with heavy penalties and teach them respect for other people.
• Ever since September 11th the Saudi government has been under pressure to crack down on extremist groups.

cram in include [cram in, cram something in] manage to have a lot of people or things in a reduced space or time pack in, fit in

• It's amazing how much you can cram into your brain the day before an exam.
• The more vegetables you can cram into your diet the better.
• Visit our website for more ideas on what to cram into your trip.

creep away/down/into/etc (insep) gradually or quietly begin to do something

• Christmas spirit is starting to creep into my office.

creep on up [creep up on someone] approach someone quietly from behind

• Don't creep up on me like that.

crop up (insep) (issues, problems, rumours) appear, often unexpectedly

• These kind of rumours have cropped up before.
• Several problems have cropped up.
• Numerous privacy issues have cropped up since the system launched two months ago.

cut back [cut something back, cut down on something] (spending, public expenditure, expenses, production, budget, costs) reduce something to save money

• Kraft Foods, the maker of brands from Oreo cookies to Oscar Meyer bologna, announced plans Tuesday to cut back on sugar and fat in some products.

cut down 1 reduce [cut down, cut down on something] (smoking, cigarettes, sugar, fatty foods; luxuries, spending, cost) reduce the amount you take of something

• People with diabetes are usually advised to cut down on sugar and sugary foods.

2 cut [cut something down] (tree, forest) make something fall to the ground by cutting it

• The tree was damaged in the storm so they had to cut it down.

cut off [cut something off] (electricity, water) remove something by cutting, separating or stopping it somehow

• For years, the country was part of the soviet union and was cut off from the rest of europe.

For other verbs and to get more examples build your own lists in the Lists section.