Phrasal verbs that start with F

Face off

1. to fight or compete with each other

• The candidates faced off in their first presidential debate.

2. American English. to start a game of ice hockey.

Face down

(S) to oppose or defeat someone who is threatening or criticizing you by being brave and confident

• They successfully faced down a big crowd of demonstrators.

Face up to

1. to accept that something is true

• He has to face up to the fact that she will never return home. 

2. to deal with something difficult in a determined way

• You have to face up to your problems and try to solve them. 

Factor in

to include something when doing a calculation or planning something

• Transportation must be factored into your school budget.

Fade in/Fade out

(of a picture, sound) to become gradually clearer or louder/to gradually disappear

• The voices slowly faded out.

Fade away

to slowly become less strong or less important

• The memories are fading away.

Fall

Phrasal verbs with Fall

Fan out

to spread out in different directions from a particular point

• The police and soldiers fanned out across the city to stop the violent demonstrations.

Farm out

1. (S) to give some of the work to another person or company to do

• Some of the work will be farmed out to consultants.

2. informal. (S) to send a child to be looked after by other people

• They farms out their baby to a childminder.

Fasten on/upon

to direct your attention to something

• I fastened my attention on this problem.

Feed off/on

1. If an animal feeds off something, it eats it

• Roof rats usually feed on fruits.

2. to use something in order to exist, increase or succeed

• Fascism feeds on fear and prejudice.

Feed up

to make someone fatter by giving them more food than usual

• He is as thin as rake. Feed him up.

 
Feel for

to have sympathy for someone because you understand how they are suffering

• I know he is suffering a lot from depression, and I really feel for him.

Feel up

informal. (S) to touch someone in a sexual way, especially someone who does not like it

• He tried to feel her up.

Feel up to

to be healthy or strong enough for something or doing something

• I don’t feel up to going to his party.

Fence in

1. (S) to build a fence around something

• The yard was completely fenced in.

2. (S) to restrict or limit someone’s freedom

• We often feel fenced in by rules.

Fence off

(S) to surround an area with a fence in order to prevent someone/something from entering it

• The area was fenced off on all sides.

Fetch up

informal. to arrive at a place that was not planned

• Somehow I fetched up in Calais.

Fiddle about/around

to waste time doing small things instead of doing something useful

• Stop fiddling around, and come and help me.

Fight back

to try to defeat someone using violence when they attack you

Fight off

(S) to stop someone attacking you

• She fought off the her attackers.

Fight out

to end an argument or a disagreement by fighting or arguing

• They had to go to court to fight it out.

Figure out

(S) to understand something or solve a problem by thinking

• We can't figure out how the pump works.

Figure on

to plan something or expect that something will happen

• We hadn't figured on more than ten guests.

Fill in/fill out

1. (S) to write answers on a document, form, etc.

• Please fill in the application carefully.

2. (S) to inform someone about something

• Did he fill you in on the details?

Fill up

(S) to become full, or to make something full

• to fill up a glass with crushed ice

Find out

to learn a fact or piece of information by making an effort or to become aware of something accidentally

• I found out that  they had never been here before.

Finish off

1. (S) to make something end completely

• I want to finish off this report today.

2. to kill or destroy someone/something

Finish up

to be in a particular place or situation after doing something

• You will finish up dead  if you carry on driving like that.

Finish with

1. to end a romantic relationship with someone

• I've decided to finish with him.

2. to no longer use something

• Have you finished with the newspaper?

Fire off

1. (S) to write and send a letter hurriedly, and often angrily

• He fired off an angry letter to his lawyer.

2. (S) to fire a gun or other weapon

• The man fired off two warning shots into the air.

Fire up

to make someone interested in something or excited by it

• She's all fired up about the party.

Fire away

informal. to begin to talk or ask a question

• ‘May I ask you a question?’ ‘Fire away’

Fish for

to try to get something, especially some information or compliments

• Truly, I am not fishing for compliments.

Fish out

1. (S) to pull someone or something out of water

• The boatman fished the body of a man out of the river.

2. (S) to find and take something out of a bag or other container

• She fished a pen out of her bag.

Fit in

1. to be able to do something or see someone, although you are very busy

• If you come after lunch I’ll try to fit you in.

2. to be accepted by other members of a group

• He never really fitted in with his new colleagues.

Fit out

(S) to provide a person or place with the things that are needed for a particular purpose

• They are fitting the room out.

Fix on

to decide on someone or something

• Have you fixed on a place for the party?

Fix up

1. to repair; to make something into good condition again

• I decided to fix up my room.

2. to arrange a date or an engagement for someone

Flake out

informal. to suddenly fall asleep because you are very tired

• He flaked out on my bed.

Flash back

If your thoughts or mind flash back to something in the past, you suddenly think about it

• His mind flashed back to that last evening.

Flash around

informal. (S) to show something to others because you try to impress them

• She was flashing her diamond necklace around.

Flinch from

to avoid doing something because it is difficult or unpleasant

• He has never flinched from difficulties.

Flip through

Synonym. Flick through

to quickly turn over the pages of a book, etc. especially to find the information you need

• He flipped through the catalogue.

Flirt with

to think about an idea or a plan, but not in a very serious way

• I flirted briefly with the idea of living in the countryside.

Float about/around

If an idea or story is floating around, it spreads and becomes known by many people

• The rumours are floating around the town.

 Flow from

formal. to naturally result from something

• Unpleasant consequences flow from the changes in production.

Flunk out

American English. informal. to be dismissed from a school or college because your work is not satisfactory.

• He flunked out of college after one year.

Fly at

to attack someone in a violent and sudden way

• He flew at the man, beating him.

Fold in/into

(S) to gently mix an ingredient into another

• Fold in the dark brown sugar.

Follow up

(S) to try to get more information about something or take action about it

• Investigators followed up all possible leads.

Follow through

to complete something that you have started

• He failed to follow through with his plan.

Fool around

to waste time instead of doing something useful

• The students were fooling around in class.

Foul up

to spoil something by making a stupid mistake or doing something in a careless way

• He fouled the schedule up.

Frighten away/off

to make a person or an animal go away or stay away by making them feel fear

• Sh! You’ll frighten the ducks off.

Frighten into

to make someone do something by frightening them

• They tried to frighten the boy into doing what they wanted.

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