Dictionary: letter S

sail through pass [sail through, sail through something] (insep) (bill, exam, examination, legislation, proposal, test) pass something easily breeze through, sweep through, walk through

• Anti-terror legislation sailed through the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
• When I took the exam the second time, I sailed through.
• The proposal sailed through the Legislature in 2011 with little opposition.

scare away [scare someone away, scare something away] (dog, bird) make someone or something leave using fear frighten away, scare off

• A neighbour with a baseball bat finally scared the dog away.
• They opened fire in the air and scared away the robbers.
• They use traditional ways to scare away the birds that come to eat the crops.

scare off scare away

scratch out [scratch something out] (existence, living, income) try hard to make a living, usually with little money or food eke out

• They're struggling to scratch out a meager existence.
• Aid workers are helping the most vulnerable scratch out a living.
• He's just an ordinary guy trying to scratch out a living.

screw up [screw up, screw something up] spoil or ruin something mess up

• If I screw up, I'm going to be the one who pays for it.
• Have you ever totally screwed up a job interview?
• I completely screwed up during high school.
  

seal off block [seal something off] (area, street) block something cordon off, cut off

• The whole area has been sealed off and de-mining experts have arrived at the scene.
• The police sealed off a street outside the consulate.
• The area was sealed off after a man was found lying in the road with serious injuries.

sell out (concert, tickets) sell something until it's finished

• The shows are sold out. There are no tickets left.
• We are completely sold out for tonight.
• Despite the steep price, tickets sold out within 3 hours of going on sale.

see off 1 [see someone off] go to the airport, station, etc. to say good-bye to someone wave off

• He's going to London tomorrow. I'm going to the airport to see him off.
• A large crowd was present to see them off.
• Mayflower Park is a great place to see off the cruise liners.

2 [see someone off, see something off] (attack, opponent, opposition, challenger) deal with some kind of danger and defeat it

• He believes there is enough quality in the team to see off their rivals.
• United have always been able to see off their rivals and retain their domination of English football.
• She has enough class and talent to see off her opponents and give the team some crucial victories.

see through 1 [see something through] (job, project) make sure something is completed successfully

• This is right. We have to do this. We must see it through.
• I'm here to see the job through.
• I'm sad that I won't be able to see the project through.

2 [see through someone] (insep) be able to clearly see what someone's intentions are and not be deceived

• The judge saw through her lies and awarded in my favour.

send in [send something in] (application, donation, request, entry, coupon, article, report, order) send something somewhere so that it's dealt with it officially

• Send in your donations.
• The officer on duty explained that I needed to send in a written request.
  

serve out [serve something out] (sentence, term) do something until the end of a fixed period

• Do you believe John Howard will serve out his term if re-elected? Vote now.
• Mr. Wahid has denied any wrong-doing and has vowed to serve out the rest of his term.
• Following his last trial, Kallinger was returned to Huntington to serve out his sentence.

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

• We set aside a certain amount of money each month.
• Set aside time to completely focus on family or friends.
• I'm trying to set a little something aside for retirement.

2 [set something aside] (differences, ego, pride) stop considering something put 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?
• Sometimes you just have to set your ego aside.

set back 1 cost [set someone back] cost a certain amount of money knock back

• It must have set you back a bit.
• This looks good. I bet it set you back a few quid.

2 hinder [set someone back] delay progress in what you're doing hold back

• This weather is setting us back again.

set in (insep) (darkness, dispair, fear, infection, panick, rain, reality, winter) start and continue for some time

• As darkness set in the mosquitoes arrived.
• Three to four weeks after the infection has set in, it may be visible on X-rays.
• Heavy rain set in during the early hours of Monday morning, making driving extremely difficult.

set off (insep) start a journey set out

• Another scientific expedition has set off from Krasnoyarsk in Eastern Siberia to the place where in its time the Tunguska meteorite fell.

set out (insep) set off

• Drivers are advised to listen to traffic bulletins and plan journeys before setting out.

set up [set something up] (committee, commission, investigation, public enquiry, fund, business, company, organization, system) start something

• A manhunt for the suspects is under way and roadblocks have been set up, but by late yesterday no one had been arrested yet.
• A commission has been set up to investigate the incident.

idiom set up house when you set up house, you start your own home. idiom set up shop When you set up shop, you start a business

settle down (insep) behave responsibly and live in a regular way, especially when you get married

• He says the last thing a man needs to do is settle down and get married.
• The singer has finally settled down.

settle in (insep) (home, job, office, school, routine) move into a new home, job, and start feeling confortable there

• Babies may take some time to settle into their new routines.
  

sex up [sex something up] make something look more interesting or exciting spice up

• The BBC admitted Dr David Kelly was the source for its claims that Downing Street sexed up an Iraqui weapons dossier.

shake off 1 [shake something off] (cold, fever, illness, image, habbit, depression) get rid of something

• I can't seem to shake this cold off.
• I wish I could shake this fever off!
• What I think I need advice on is how I can shake off this depression and start focusing on my life.

2 [shake someone off] (the police, photographers, pursuers) scape from someone

• We kept trying to shake off the press.
  

shake up 1 [shake something up] mix something by shaking

• Juice some fresh pineapple and chili peppers and then shake it up with a couple of shots of tequila.
  

2 (department, industry, cabinet, system) reorganize something completely

• The new European Commission led by President Romano Prodi has announced a major shake up of the Brussels bureaucracy.
• The new coach is planning to shake things up.

3 [shake someone up] be shocked

• The loss really shook me up.
  

shoot across/off/out/up (insep) move fast or leave in a hurry

• The consultant had to shoot off to an important meeting.

shoot up (insep) (prices) increase very quickly

• The cost of natural gas has shot up nationwide in recent months.

shop around (insep) visit different shops in order to find the cheapest price

• Shop around for your insurance cover - but look at the quality of the product and the insurer's reputation for service, as well as value for money.

shore up [shore something up] (building, wall, argument, case, confidence, image, support) do something to support or make something stronger

• They had to shore up the building to make it safe.
  

show up (insep) arrive turn up

• After he failed to show up for a hearing, a warrant for his arrest was issued.
• She showed up in shorts and a white top.

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

• Legal action will be taken to shut down sites that fail to comply with the law.

shut up 1 [shut up, shut someone up] stop talking clam up

• At first I thought I was going to have to do all the talking because he seemed really quiet. But after a while I couldn't shut him up.

2 [shut something up] close a place lock up

• All the guethouses appeared to be shut up for the night.

sift through [sift through something] (insep) (evidence, documents, papers, rubble, wreckage) examine every part of something in order to find something

• She sifted through the rubbish bin looking for the letter from the bank that she'd lost.

single out [single something out, single someone out] choose someone from a group for special treatment pick out

• What I didn't like was being singled out because of my political views.
• People are singled out every day for being different.

sink in understand or realize the effect of something, usually something unpleasant

• I don’t think it’s properly sunk in yet.
• It's early days and what has happened hasn't really sunk in for him.

siphon off [siphon something off] dishonestly take money from an organization and use it for a different purpose

• The total amount siphoned off from the social security trust fund to date is $2.4 trillion.
• An accountant who siphoned off more than £60,000 from a city firm has been jailed for a year.
• £3 billion in pension cash have been siphoned off by fund managers.

sit down move into a sitting position

• Why don't you sit down and have a drink?
• Come and sit down. We've got a lot to talk about.

sit up sit properly so that your back is straight

• At work, adjust your chair height and work station so you can sit up close to your work.

skive off (insep) spend time doing nothing, esp. avoiding work goof off

• I don't feel like working today. I'm going to skive off and spend the day at the beach.

slag off [slag someone off] criticize someone, especially when they're not there

• Stop slagging him off all the time!

slave away work hard continously

• She's been slaving away at this for weeks.
• After hours of slaving away, I have finally finished it.

slim down lose weight

• Drinking more water each day can help you slim down.
• Regular exercise can help you slim down.
• Exercise and getting enough sleep are part of a healthy cycle that can help you slim down and maintain a healthy weight.

slip out (insep) (secret, remark, word) say without intention

• I didn't mean to say that. I just slipped out.

slip up (insep) make a mistake

• We want to hear from you when we are doing well, and even if we have slipped up somewhere.

slow down (insep) move or do something more slowly

• You are driving too fast. Please slow down.

smooth over [smooth something over] (differences, difficulties, problems, things, dispute) deal with problems or difficulties

• They need to find a way to smooth things over between them.
• Officials have worked over the weekend to smooth over the differences.

snap up [snap something up] (bargain, offer) buy something quickly before other people do, because it is cheap

• This unique offer won't last forever so snap it up right away.

sneak away/in/off/out (insep) go somewhere quietly to avoid being seen

• I sneaked in without anyone noticing.
• They sneaked in without paying.
• I managed to sneak in through the back door.

soldier on (insep) continue doing something even though it might be difficult

• We have no choice but to soldier on.

sort out [sort something out] find a solution for something

• There's nothing more you can do. You should let the lawyers sort it out.
• We have to talk. We have to sort this out.
• I hope this can be sorted out.

spark off [spark something off] (alarm, explosion, fight, war, vilence, incident, illness) when something sparks off something else, it makes it happen set off, trigger off

• The report of the arrest sparked off clashes between supporters of Khan and forces loyal to the governor.

speak up 1 (insep) speak in a louder voice

• I'm sorry, I can't hear you very well. Could you speak up?
• Speak up so everyone can hear you.

2 defend (insep) express an opinion, especially to support someone or an idea

• Speak up for nature to help save the places we love.
• Who will speak up for those who can't?
• Everybody who cares passionately about this should speak up in its defence.

spell out [spell something out] explain something very clearly or in detail

• I did spell it out to them that tomorrow would be too late.

spew out [spew something out] (smoke, water, lava, curses) produce a lot of something; usually something bad

• The nearby volcano has been rumbling for weeks, spewing out lava and hot gases.

splash out (insep) spend a lot of money, perhaps too much, on something

• I urge parents to think twice before splashing out on expensive computer games for their kids.

split up (insep) finish a relationship break up

• That's why they split up. He had another woman.

spruce up [spruce up, spruce someone up] make yourself look neat and attractive smarten up

• He needed time to spruce himself up.
• He visited the camp in Karkaria which is being spruced up for the prime minister's visit tomorrow.
  

squeeze in [squeeze someone in] (insep) have or find time to see someone fit in

• She told me if I could wait an hour, she would squeeze me in.
• We really appreciate you squeezing us in on such short notice.

stand by 1 (insep) be ready for action

• Fire crews were standing by to extinguish any possible blaze.

2 support [stand by someone] (insep) support someone when they need you

• If she loves him enough, surely she will stand by him.

stand down resign (insep) leave your job to someone else stand aside, step aside, step down

• The minister has decided to stand down because of the scandal.
• He has been under intense pressure to resign. But he has made it clear he has no intention of standing down.

stand in for [stand in for someone] (insep) do someone's job temporarily because they can't cover for, fill in for, sit in for

• My good old friend Mike Hancock asked me to stand in for him in this debate.

stand out (insep) be clearly noticeable stick out

• One of the things that stand out about this country pub is the truly welcoming and hospitable atmosphere.

stand up 1 (insep) rise to your feet so you're not sitting or lying anymore

• He stood up and went to the bathroom.
  

2 [stand someone up] arrange to meet someone and you don't go (usually in a romantic relationship)

• I haven't heard from her since she stood me up.
• It looks like we've been stood up.

start out (insep) take the first steps or actions in a business, career or situation

• The company started out with relatively small ambitions.
• What started out as a hobby for us soon evolved into a promising business venture.

stave off [stave something off] (cold, crisis, hunger, effects, war) stop something bad happening

• The company tried to stave off the scandal.
• The reforms came too late to stave off the financial crisis.

stay away avoid [stay away from someone, stay away from a place] avoid someone or something

• Tourists stayed away, frightened by more than a year of violence.
• Record numbers of people have so far stayed away from polling stations in the first round of the French presidential election.
• I think you should mind your own business and stay away.

stay in (insep) not go out

• All her friends went to the disco but she had to stay in to study.

step down (insep) leave your job to someone else stand down

• I think he should step down as chairman and let someone younger take over.

step up [step something up] (efforts, production) increase the speed or amount of something

• The president has directed law enforcement agencies to step up their efforts.

stick about/around (insep) stay in the same place

• I hope that you enjoy it here and that you stick around a bit!

stick out (insep) be clearly noticeable stand out

• What sticks out in my mind about this trip was how we were treated.

stir up [stir something up] (trouble, hatred, anger, opposition, discontent, dissent, violence, the past, things, memories, passions, unrest, rebellion, revolt) cause bad feeling intentionally

• He loves stirring up trouble.
• He was accused of stirring up racial hatred.
• Sometimes I wonder if you say what you do because you enjoy stirring things up.

stop off (insep) interrupt your journey for a while

• We stopped off at a service station and I bought myself some Smarties.

stop by (insep) pay someone a short visit drop by

• She stopped by to say hello.
• Whenever he was in the area, he stopped by to eat with her.
• We're so glad you stopped by to visit our online store.

strike up (insep) [strike up something] (conversation, friendship, relationship) start to talk to be friendly to someone

• I sat next to her once in the bus and we struck up a conversation.
• We had a nice lunch together and struck up a friendship.

stumble across [stumble across someone/something] find something by chance come across, bump into

• I stumbled across your webpage and was really impressed.
• I stumbled across him a couple of weeks ago.
• He was walking in a field when he stumbled across some gold coins.

stump up (insep) pay for something when you don't want to cough up

• The company will stump up $5 million in compensation to customers.

sum up repeat the main ideas in a few words

• If you had to sum up your experience with them, what would you say?
  

suss out [suss someone out] discover what someone is really like

• He first considered denying it, but he could tell that would be pointless since she quite obviously had sussed him out.

sweep away destroy [sweep through something] (insep) (dreams) destroy something

• The war swept away his dreams.

sweep through spread fast [sweep through, Sweep through something] (fear, fire, news, panic, waves, winds) move quickly and with force

• Great waves swept through, flooding the town.
• A large fire swept through the Marina Torch Tower.
• Fear swept through the crowd.
• The news swept through the town like wildfire.

sweep up [sweep something up] clean something with a groom

• Get a broom and sweep up that mess.

switch off 1 [switch something off] (radio, TV, engine) make something start turn off

• What's the point of having a mobile if you're going to switch it off.

2 (insep) stop paying attention

• They usually switch off when they hear the word politics.

switch on [switch something on] (radio, TV, engine) make something start turn on

• He switched the machine on and it started to vibrate and make a strange noise.

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