Dictionary: letter P

pack in 1 stop [pack something in] (job, course, university) leave something because you find it very difficult to continue chuck in, jack in

• At the age of 29 he packed in his job and moved to France.
• It's time to pack it in.
• To be honest, I'm thinking of packing in the business.
• I decided to pack it all in and move to San Antonio.

2 include [pack something in] include or do as many things as possible fit in

• Avoid tours that pack in too many people.

idiom pack it in (british, spoken) tell someone to stop doing something because it's annoying you

pack up (insep) break (car, computer, system, machine) stop working because of a serious problem break down, pack in

• On the way home the car packed up. It was midnight by the time we arrived.
• My laptop has finally packed up.
• Heating has packed up on my car.

pan out (insep) happen in a particular way

• Things didn't pan out the way we expected.
• Let's see how things pan out.

pass away (insep) die

• Her husband passed away recently.
• He passed away today at the age of 61 after suffering a cardiac arrest.

pass on [pass something up] (information, message) give something to another person

• By reproducing, we pass on our genes to the next generation.
• I said I'd be happy to pass on the message.

pass out (insep) lose consciousness black out come round, come to

• She felt dizzy and then passed out but luckily someone caught her before she hit the ground.
• I guess I must have passed out, because the next thing I remember was the paramedic looking down at me.

pass up [pass something up] (deal, opportunity, chance, offer) not take advantage of something; discard

• Every week you will find a fantastic computer or Internet offer that is too good to pass up.
• Don't pass up the chance to eat there; you won't be disappointed.
• Senior dogs are often passed up for adoption.
• We'd be stupid to pass this up.

pass away die (insep) die - used to avoid the word 'die' pass on

• She passed away at Royal Lodge, Windsor, on Saturday.

patch up [patch something up] (differences, quarrel, things, dispute, marriage, friendship) be friends again

• Maybe I should try to patch things up with my wife
• Will the two countries ever find a way to patch up their differences?.

pay in [pay something in] (money, cheque) put money into a bank account

• The company pays my wages directly into my bank account.

pay off 1 succeed (insep) (plan, planning, gamble, risk, effort, hard work, patience, persistence) be successful

• His patience paid off. His work was accepted and published.
• All the hard work and sacrifice finally paid off.

2 [pay someone off] (insep) (debt, loan, mortgage, creditor) pay someone all the money you owe them so that you are not in debt anymore

• He won so much money in the card game that he was able to pay off his debts.

3 [pay someone off] (insep) (officials) give someone money so they keep quiet about something illegal

• The criminals paid off corrupt officials to look the other way.

pencil in [pencil something in, pencil someone in] make a provisional arrangement or appointment

• I can pencil you in for next month.
• Shall I pencil you in for the day after tomorrow?

perk up [perk someone up, perk something up] make someone feel more energetic liven up

• Coffee is the perfect drink to perk you up.
• Any ideas are welcome as to how to perk things up a bit.

peter out (insep) (path, track, road, voice, conversation, enthusiasm, supplies, engine, storm, attack, protest) gradully become smaller or less intense and end

• With no one to guide me in my investigations my enthusiasm petered out.
• Her voice petered out and her last few words were mumbled into my ear.

phase in [phase something in] introduce something gradually or in stages

• The restriction will be phased in over four years.

phase out [phase something out] stop something gradually or in stages

• Incandescent light bulbs are being phased out in favor of more energy-efficient bulbs.

pick up 1 [pick someone up, pick something up] (friend, passenger, hitchhiker) collect someone in your car

• I'll pick you up at your house at seven.

2 (man, woman) be very friendly with somebdoy and start a sexual relationship with them

• Discos in Brazil are the best place to pick up a woman.

3 (bag, glass, baby, phone) lift something from somewhere lift up

• She picked up her bag, gave me her card, and then she was gone.

4 (bill, tab, cheque) pay for something

• At the end of the day, the taxpayer is having to pick up the bill for everything.

5 (language, idea, habit, English, word, rude words, job) learn something easily, sometimes by chance and without much effort

• My one year old enjoys the visuals and has already picked up a few words.

6 (insep) (the economy, business, pace, prices, sales, speed, trade, demand, weather) get better

• Sales of the product have picked up in recent weeks.
• In the first quarter of this year it seems that business has picked up

idiom pick up the pieces when you pick up the pieces, you try to go back to a satisfactory situation after things have gone wrong

pig out [pick out, pig out on something] (junk food, fast food) eat a lot of something

• Whenever she's upset she pigs out on chocolate.
• When everyone goes to bed he pigs out on junk food.

pin down [pick down, pin someone down to something] (answer, date, time, price, problem) force someone to make a decision or to say clearly what their intentions are nail down, peg down

• It was always hard to pin him down to a definite answer.
• He couldn't pin down the problem.

pin on [pin something on someone] blame

• They won't be able to pin anything on me.

pile in [pile in, pile something in] arrive or enter a place in a disorganized way or in large numbers

• The country is now open for business and foreigners are piling in.

pile on [pile on, pile something on] (criticism, pressure, pounds) say or do too much of something

• It's extras like sugar which will make you pile on the pounds.

pile up (insep) (bills, debts, work) increase a lot and be difficult to manage

• The work is piling up.
• His debts were piling up.

piss off 1 (insep) tell someone in a very offensive way to leave you alone bugger off, fuck off, sod off

• I told him to piss off and leave me alone.

2 be annoyed or bored with something

• Don't people who ask stupid questions really piss you off?
• Doesn't it just piss you off when some prick is going slower than you in the fast lane?

pitch in (insep) join others to help in whatever they are doing chip in

• We all pitched in to unload the furniture and boxes.
• If we all pitch in we can make this a reality for the school.
• Everybody pitched in to organise a great Christmas dinner at Camp Baker.

plant out [plant something out] put young plants in the ground where you want them to grow

• It's too cold to plant the seedlings out. Wait until it's warmer.

play down [play something down] (claims, concerns, dangers, fears, report, problem, speculation, talk, worries) try to make something look less important

• The nuclear industry is always anxious to play down the dangers of an accident at a nuclear power station.
• They have tried to play down the problem and restrict it to individual cases.
• The minister tried to play down fears that there would be a repeat of the war.
• The coach has played down speculation that he is set to sign a new contract.

play up [play something up] try to make something look more important than it really is

• The article played up his role in helping to write the state of Missouri's Constitution.

plough ahead (insep) continue with something ignoring any problems or difficulties

• Despite the resistance, they decided to plough ahead.

plough back [plough something back] (profits) reinvest the money earned

• Companies are not generating enough profits to plough them back into fresh investments.

pluck up [pluck something up] (courage) decide to be brave enough to do something

• How did you pluck up the courage to do it?

plug in [plug something in] connect a piece of electrical equipment to the main supply of electricity, or to another piece of electrical equipment

• I don't think the antenna's plugged in right.

plunge in 1 [plunge in, plunge into something] (insep) (studies) start doing something with enthusiasm /i> dive in

• He plunged into his studies and was rewarded with a two-year grant to study abroad.

2 [plunge someone/something into something] (chaos, debt, darkness, depression, uncertainty) suddenly experience an unpleasant situation

• Billions of dollars were lost and America plunged into the Great Depression.
• The city was plunged into darkness after a major power cut hit the area.

point out [point something out] (fact, mistake) draw attention to something

• It's worth pointing out that all complaints, formal or informal, shall be treated in the strictest of confidence.

polish off [polish something off] (meal, cake) eat something completely or you finish it eat up

• We sat at the table and talked as we polished off the bottle of sherry.

polish up [polish something up] (meal, cake) improve, often by practising or revising

• The company is working hard to polish up its image.
• You should polish up your English.

pop round (insep) pay a short informal visit

• She called and said she really needed to talk to me so I said I'd pop round if I could.

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

• I only popped in to say hello.
• Why don't you pop into the office later? There's something I want to show you.

pop up (insep) appear; often unexpectedly

• He has a habit of disappearing for ages and then just popping up out of the blue.
• New bands are popping up everywhere.

prop up [prop something up] support or help in some way

• The country was forced to seek international help to prop up its banks.

pull back (insep) get out of a situation or place

• The firefighters had to pull back for safety reasons.
  

pull out 1 [pull something out] (tooth, nail, plug, gun) extract something

• The victim was still alive when he was pulled out from the rubble by police.

2 ( insep) withdraw

• They've just pulled out. The deal's off. They're not interested any more.

idiom pull out all the stops do everything possible to make something succeed

pull  through [pull through, pull through something, pull someone through] (crisis, illness) manage to recover after dealing with a difficult situation

• She is in intensive care, in a very deep coma and it looks very unlikely that she will pull through.
• He's gonna be alright. He's gonna pull through.

pump in [pump something in] (money, cash, funds, supplies) provide money or resources for something pour in

• Investors are pumping in money, although these young firms face a maze of scientific and commercial obstacles before they mature into commercially successful ventures.

pump up 1 fill [pump something up] (tyre, dinghy, balloon, airbed) fill something with air blow up

• Pump up the tyre to the maximum recommended pressure.

2 increase

• Sound quality is relatively good and you can pump up the bass to a reasonable level.
• Pumping up the volume can result in permanent hearing damage.

push away [push someone/something away] move someone or something to a distance from you

• I tried to kiss her but she pushed me away.

push back delay [push something back] (date, deadline) delay; do at a later date put off

• The project is being pushed back two years by the government.
• The case was been pushed back because officials are still investigating what happened.

push for ask (insep) (ban, reform, wage increase) encourage or persuade authorites to do something press for

• They have been pushing for a wage increase for two years.
• They're launching an advertising campaign pushing for a second referendum.

push in (insep) rudely move in front of other people in a queue who have been waiting longer than you US cut in

• He pushed in at the front of the queue.

push into [push someone into something] try to influence or persuade someone to do something

• The protesters are trying to push the government into reducing fuel tax.

put about/around [put something about, put something around] (news, rumours, stories) spread bad or false news

• Rumours were put about that he had a drug problem.

put across [put something across] (idea, message, views, concept, point, facts, things, oneself) try to make people understand what you're trying to say

• We were trying to put across the message that looking after your heart is important.

put aside 1 [put something aside] (food, money, time) save something so it can be used later set aside

• We should put aside some money in case something unexpected happens.

2 [put something aside] (differences, ego, pride) stop considering it set aside

• During this festive season, let's put aside any pesonal differences we may have and remember what is important.
• Is it hard for you to put aside your silly pride?

put away 1 [put something away] put something where it's usually kept

• After they use something, it’s their responsibility to put it away.

2 send someone to prison lock up

• I hope he gets put away for life.
• Hansen was not jailed for a true crime, she was put away by vested interests who had influence and wanted her out of the way. But she was no criminal.

3 (food, beers) eat or drink a lot of something

• Mick Baker has put away thousands of pints in his 28-year mission to sample every beer in the British Isles.

4 (money, sum) put money in the bank; save put by, lay aside

• He's put away a decent sum of money.
• When I started a Saturday job as a waitress I opened a savings account and started putting about £5 or £10 away each week.

put back [put something back] return something to where it was before

• Put it back when you're finished using it.

put behind forget [put something behind] try to forget it

• It's gonna be such a relief, finally putting all this behind me.
• We all have things that we want to put behind us.

put by save [put something by] (money) put money in the bank put away, lay aside

• Alice thought how she'd scrimped and saved over the years just to have a little money put by for when she retired.

put down 1 lower [put something down] stop holding

• He finished the book and put it down on the table.

2 criticize [put someone down] criticize someone or make them feel stupid

• She's always putting me down in front of other people.
• My friend often puts me down in front of other people.

3 kill [put something down] kill an injured or sick animal

• The dog was in such pain that the vet had to put him down.
• I recently had to put down my 20 year old cat.

idiom put your foot down use your authority to make something happen You have to put your foot down and let her know who's boss.

put down to [put something down to something] (insep) (hard work) think that something is the probable explanation for something

• He puts his success down to hard work.

put forward 1 [put something forward] (idea, plan, proposal, proposition, suggestion) offer something for consideration or discussion

• A new set of proposals were put forward aimed at saving the peace process.
• He put his plan forward so the others could think about it.

2 (clock, watch) change to an earlier time

• In Britain the clocks are put forward at 2am on the last Sunday in March.

put in 1 [put something in] (hard work, effort, hours, time) work hard or spend time doing something

• We still have to put in a lot more work on the project to make it look attractive and viable to the business people.

2 (central heating, lock, window) install something

• We had a whole new system put in because the old one was completely useless.

3 (application, bid, bill, claim, offer, order, request, protest, tender) request something formally

• She immediately quit and put in a claim for worker's compensation.
• She put in an offer on the house.

Idiom Put in an appearence: go somewhere to be seen for a short while, usually because you are expected to go

put off 1 [put someone off] make someone change their mind or stop being interested in something

• I didn't want her to come to the concert so I put her off by saying she wouldn't enjoy it.

2 [put something off] (meeting, visit, decision) do something at a later date be off, call off

• The band had to put the tour off until May because the drummer broke his arm.

put on 1 [put something on] (clothes, weight) wear something get on

• Don't put that tie on. It's completely out of fashion.

2 [put something on] (radio, TV) make something start working so you can use it switch on, turn on

• He put the radio on so that he could listen to the news.
• I'll put the kettle on.

3 [put something on] (exhibition, event, play, show) organize something

• We're going to do our best to put on a good show.

put out 1 [put something out] (fire, flames, cigarette, pipe, light, lamp, candle) stop something burning

• Please put out your cigarette. This is a no-smoking area.
• Firefighters did their best to put out the fire.

2 (press release, story, message, statement, report, call, information, issue, description, warning, word) make something public blow out

• They put the word out that they were looking for sponsors to help fund the project.

put together 1 prepare [put something together] (ideas, plan, proposal, team) prepare something or form a group

• We have put together some ideas for you to consider.
• We have until Monday to put together a plan of action.

2 assemble (kit, machine, model) join the different parts of something

• It took me a long time to put the kit together.

put up 1 [put someone up] give someone a bed for the night

• Don't stay in a hotel. We can put you up for a few days.

2 [put something up] (notice, sign, poster, decorations, plaque, ladder, tent, fence, building) put something on a wall or post so that people can see it or use it stick up

• Do I need a permit to put up a fence?

3 (prices, rent, taxes) increase something

• He said the government would stand by its pledge at the general election in June not to put up income tax or VAT.

4 [put up something] (insep) (fight, struggle, resistance, case, opposition, objections) show a lot of opposition to something

• The enemy is putting up stiff resistance.

put up with [put up with someone, put up with something] (insep) (behaviour, noise, people, rudeness, situation) accept an unpleasant behaviour or situation

• She's so rude to her parents - I don't know how they put up with her.
• I can't put up with his rudeness any more.
• His children play their music so loud - I don't know how he puts up with it.
• I can't believe she puts up with that jerk!

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