keep up with

To stay informed about someone or something

Do you keep up with the news? Why or why not?

break down

To go out of order, cease to function To lose control of one’s emotions

Tell me about a time when something of yours (a machine, car, etc) broke down.

add up

To make sense, seem reasonable; To take the sum of many small things

What small purchases add up, making it hard for you to save money?

burn out

become exhausted from over-working

Have you ever been close to burning out? What do you do to avoid burning out?

account for

To explain, give a reason

Have you ever had to account for a discrepancy in your expense reports?

fill out

To complete (a form/an application)

Do you hate filling out forms? Which are the worst ones?

get rid of

To eliminate

How often do you get rid of clothes you don't wear anymore?

get off

To leave (bus, train, plane)

Have you ever forgotten to get off a train or bus at the stop you wanted?

take after

To resemble, in appearance or character

Which of your parents do you take after the most?

look up to

To admire

Who did you look up to when you were younger? What about now?

get up

To rise, leave bed

How long does it take for you to get up after waking up?

leave out

To omit, not mention; to exclude

What information do you (now, or when you were younger) usually leave out when talking to your parents?

drop off

To deliver someone or something

Do you still have to drop your kids off at school?

put off

To postpone, arrange a later date

What types of tasks do you usually put off?

crack down on

To act strictly to prevent something

Something you think the government or police should crack down on.

throw away

To discard or put in the rubbish

What do you think about throwing away food?

rack up

To gradually accumulate a large amount of something

Did you know that Americans rack up a huge amount of credit card debt? Why do you think this happens?

hit it off (with)

To have a good relationship from the first moment of meeting someone

Someone you hit it off with, and someone who you think you would hit it off with

check out

To investigate (also, to pay the bill and leave a hotel)

A new restaurant or activity you'd love to check out

count on

To rely or depend on (for help)

Someone you really count on

show up

To appear/arrive

Agree or disagree: it's important to show up on time, always.

use up

To finish a product (so that there’s none left)

In your house, what happens when the toilet paper is used up?

end up

To finally reach a state, place or action, usually by surprise or accident

A person who you ended up becoming friends with, who you didn't expect.

run into

To meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)

I’m so glad I ran into you. I need to ask you something.

get away

To escape

Your favorite place to get away for a weekend

point out

To indicate/direct attention to something

A mistake you pointed out, or that somebody else pointed out to you

check off

To mark an item on a list to show that it has been done

A task in your to-do list that you're looking forward to checking off

check in

To register at a hotel or airport

Tell me about a negative experience you had when checking in - either to a hotel or a flight.

pick up

To collect somebody

Do you share responsibilities with your partner for picking up your kids?

pass away

To die

How many years ago did your grandparents pass away?

find out

To discover or obtain information

Have you found out anything interesting about a neighbor or colleague?

back up

To give support or encouragement To make a copy of (file, program, etc.)

A time when you needed someone to back you up

follow through (on)

To carry a promise or intention to completion; pursue fully.

Agree or disagree: You must always follow through on the things that you start.

hold back

To prevent someone from doing something

What is holding you back from achieving success?

get (something) over with

To finish an unpleasant task

Tell me about a task (medical, or work) you need to get over with.

watch out

To be careful

Things to watch out for when traveling abroad

pass out

To faint

Have you ever passed out or almost passed out?

run away

To escape from a place or suddenly leave

If you ran away from home, where would you go?

go through

To experience

A tough situation you went through in the last year

show off

deliberately display abilities or accomplishments in order to impress people

Have you ever met or seen someone who loved to show off?

put up with

To tolerate or condone

What types of attitudes or behaviors do you refuse to put up with?

iron out

To remove problems or find solutions

Some issues your company needs to iron out

move out

To leave your home/office for another one.

Do you think you'll ever move out of your house?

wear out

To become unusable To become very tired

What types of activities wear you out?

break up

To come to an end (marriage, relationship)

Tell me about a person you broke up with, and why.

drag on

To last longer than expected

Tell me about a recent meeting that dragged on.

give in

To cease opposition; yield

Do you think parents give in too easily to their children's demands?

hang up

To end a phone conversation

What's the first thing you're going to do after we hang up today?

drop out

To leave school without finishing

Do you know anyone who dropped out of school or university? What are they doing now?

cut down on

To reduce in frequency or number

Something you always say you're going to cut down on

run out of

To finish and have no more of something

Something in your kitchen that you're running out of, and who's going to buy more

do without

To manage without

Something you had to do without when you first started your career or lived on your own.

make up

To invent (excuse, story)

Have you ever made up an excuse as to why you arrived somewhere late?

call back

To return a phone call

How often do you have to call people back during a normal day?

put out

To extinguish; to deal with urgent matters

True or false: my job involves putting out fires.

break out

To start or appear suddenly

Has your skin ever broken out? How did you heal it?

abide by

To respect or obey a decision, a law or a rule

What are some rules you have to abide by at work?

put on

To put a piece of clothing on your body; to apply makeup to one's face

Did you need to put on a coat or jacket this morning? How often do you put on makeup?

get on (well) with (somebody)

To have a good relationship with

A group of people you get on well with

shop around

To compare prices

What products do you shop around for?

hang out

To spend time in a particular place or with a group of friends

Where is your favorite place to hang out?

get over

To recover from (illness, disappointment)

The last time you got over an illness

bring up

To introduce a topic of conversation

What's a really hard topic for you to bring up?

calm down

To become more relaxed, less angry or upset

Which member of your family do you help to calm down the most?

turn down

To refuse; to decrease the volume

An opportunity you turned down, and do you regret it?

move in/into

To arrive in a new home or office

When did you move into your current house?

apply for

To make a formal request for something (job, permit, loan etc.)

What advice would you give someone who's applying for a job at your company?

work out

To do physical exercise; to end well

Are you a person who usually thinks that things will work out in the end?

get in/into

To enter into a situation

How much trouble did you get into as a kid?

wash up

To clean the dishes

Who does the washing up in your house?

do away with

To eliminate, terminate or end

An activity or task you'd prefer to do away with

talk someone into

To convince someone to do something

Tell me about a time someone talked you into doing something you didn't really want to do.

fall through

To fail; when a plan doesn’t happen

Tell me about a time when your travel plans fell through.

get out of

To avoid doing something

A time when you tried to get out of a meeting or responsibility

bump into

To meet by chance or unexpectedly

How often do you bump into acquaintances or friends?

get by

To be able to live or deal with a situation by having very little of something you need, such as money

How long do you think you could get by without a job?

look after

To take care of

Do you need to look after older family members? Do you have any help with this?

look down on

To consider as inferior

What do you think about people who look down on others? Can you give me an example?

get along (with)

To be on good terms; work well with

A person who you really get along with, and a person you don't get along with

let down

To disappoint

A time when you felt let down

try on

To wear something to see if it suits or fits

Do you try on clothes in the shop or do you wait until you get home?

rule out

To exclude, eliminate or make impossible

Some countries you've ruled out for your travel plans

sneak in/sneak out

To enter or leave a place quietly and secretly

Have you ever snuck into an event that you weren't invited to? Did you ever try to sneak out of your house as a teenager?

call off

To cancel

A meeting or event that was called off... and were you secretly glad it was called off?

look for

To try to find something

Are you looking for anything new for your house?

dress up

wear elegant clothes or a costume

When was the last time you dressed up? What did you wear?

look forward to

To await or anticipate with pleasure

An event or situation you are looking forward to

grow up

To spend one’s childhood; develop; become an adult

Agree or disagree: Women grow up faster than men.

deal with

To handle, take care of (problem, situation)

What are some ways you deal with stress?

block off

To separate (time, space) so it cannot be used by others

Do you block off time in your calendar for specific tasks?

make fun of

To laugh at/ make jokes about

Agree or disagree: It’s not nice to make fun of people.

break into

To enter by force

Has your house ever been broken into?

take off

To leave the ground; to remove (clothing); to start to be very successful

Do you think your company's newest products will take off?

put away

To put an object in the place where it is stored after using it

How long does it take you to put your clothes away after doing the laundry?

get together

To meet each other

Does your entire family get together very often?

cut out

To completely stop doing something

Do you think humans should cut out meat consumption?

come across

To find by chance To appear, seem, make an impression

Have you ever come across old photos or objects while cleaning your house?

screen out

To remove (someone or something that is not suitable for a particular purpose) from a group that is being examined.

Which qualities would you screen out in potential job candidates?

come over

When people who don't live with you come to visit you at home

When your friends come over, who helps you clean up afterward?

kick off

To begin, start

Use 'kick off' to talk about your work.

give up

To stop doing something; to surrender

A habit you gave up or you want to give up

talk someone out of

To convince someone not to do something

Tell me about a time someone talked you out of doing something you were thinking about doing.

hurry up

To be quick, act speedily

How often do you have to tell your kids or family to hurry up?

blow up

To explode or to get angry

A time when you blew up at someone and then regretted it

pay off

To yield profits or benefits following an investment (of time, money, energy, etc.).

A habit or investment that has really paid off

think over

To consider

Something you need to think over before you make up your mind

brush up on

To improve, refresh one’s knowledge of something

A skill you'd like to brush up on this year

figure out

To understand, find the answer

Something your kids/family figured out much faster than you

stand up

To rise from a sitting position

How often do you stand up from your desk during the day?