boil down to
To be reduced to the most important point or basic fact
All of his complaints boil down to one simple problem: he wants more money.
bottle up
To keep feelings or emotions inside and not express them
She bottled up her anger for months before finally talking to her friend about it.
branch out
To start doing something new or different from what you normally do
The small bakery decided to branch out and start selling sandwiches and coffee.
brush off
To refuse to listen to someone or to treat something as unimportant
She brushed off her coworker's concerns about the project deadline.
buckle down
To start working seriously and with full effort on something
If you want to pass your exams, you need to buckle down and study every day.
chalk up to
To explain or accept something as being caused by a particular reason
He chalked up his poor performance to lack of sleep the night before.
churn out
To produce something quickly and in large quantities, often without much care for quality
The factory churns out hundreds of cars every single day.
clamp down on
To take strong action to stop or control something, especially something illegal or unwanted
The government decided to clamp down on drivers who use their phones while driving.
conjure up
To bring an image, memory, or feeling into your mind, or to create something as if by magic
The smell of fresh bread always conjures up memories of my grandmother's kitchen.
dawn on
To slowly become clear or understood by someone for the first time
It finally dawned on him that he had left his passport at home when he reached the airport.
dish out
To give or distribute something to many people, often carelessly or in large amounts
The teacher dished out extra homework to the students who were talking in class.
egg on
To encourage someone to do something, usually something foolish or dangerous
His friends egged him on to jump into the cold lake even though he didn't want to.
fall back on
To use something or someone for support when other options have failed
When she lost her job, she fell back on her savings to pay her rent.
fend off
To defend yourself against an attack, criticism, or something unwanted
The company struggled to fend off criticism after its product was found to be unsafe.
fizzle out
To gradually become weaker and then end, often in a disappointing way
Their relationship started very strong, but it slowly fizzled out after a few months.
hammer out
To reach an agreement or solution after a long and difficult discussion
The two companies finally hammered out a deal after weeks of difficult negotiations.
hinge on
To depend completely on something as the most important factor
Whether we go on the trip or not hinges on how much money we can save this month.
jot down
To write something quickly as a short note so you don't forget it
Let me jot down your phone number so I can call you tomorrow.
lash out
To suddenly attack someone physically or with angry and critical words
He lashed out at his colleagues when he heard that he didn't get the promotion.
latch onto
To become very interested in an idea or to attach yourself closely to a person or group
She latched onto the new study method and used it for all of her exams.
Match the vocabulary word with its correct definition.
| # | Ans. | Word | Definition |
|---|
Complete each sentence with the correct word from the word bank.
Synonyms are word pairs whose meanings are the same or nearly the same. Big and large are synonyms. From each group of four words below, click the two that are synonyms.