This lesson covers 31 C2 phrasal verbs on Finance. At Proficiency you must distinguish particles that change meaning subtly and match register across formal and informal contexts. Complete the runner, then use the glossary below to consolidate each verb. Detailed explanations appear in Review mode once you finish the set.
come into
to get money from someone who has died
She unexpectedly _____ a substantial fortune from a distant relative.
break into
to start to use an amount of money or food that you have been saving
The company had to _____ its emergency reserves to cover the unexpected costs.
put aside
to save money for a particular purpose
The company decided to _____ a substantial sum for future research and development.
eat into
to use or take away a large part of something valuable [e.g. savings, profits, leisure time, business]
Unexpected legal fees are beginning to _____ the project's carefully allocated budget.
spill over
if a bad situation or problem spills over, it begins to have an unpleasant effect on another situation or group of people
The economic crisis in one sector quickly began to _____ into the entire industry.
chatter away
to talk continuously
The two analysts continued to _____ about market trends for over an hour.
bail out
to help a person or organisation by giving them money
The central bank had to _____ the failing investment bank to prevent a market collapse.
factor in
to include something when making a calculation or when trying to understand something
When calculating the final costs we must carefully _____ potential currency fluctuations.
do out of
to stop someone from getting or keeping something, in a dishonest or unfair way
The fraudulent scheme managed to _____ dozens of investors _____ their life savings.
turn over
if a business or a company turns over an amount of money, it makes that amount in a particular period of time
The innovative app is already expected to _____ more than $2 million per month in revenue.
average out at
to have as the average number
The company's quarterly profits _____ around 8.5 percent over the last two years.
buy up
to quickly buy a lot of something, often all that is available
Investors rushed to _____ all available shares in the promising biotech startup.
round down
to decrease a number to the nearest whole amount
The accountants decided to _____ the final figures to the nearest thousand.
round up
to increase a number to the nearest whole amount
The accountants decided to _____ the final figures to the nearest thousand.
gobble up
to use a lot of something, especially money
The new project is expected to _____ most of the remaining research budget.
square up
to pay someone the money you owe them
The department still needs to _____ with the external supplier for last month's equipment.
shore up
to strengthen or improve an organisation, agreement, or system that is not working effectively or that is likely to fail
The government decided to _____ the struggling economy with emergency funding.
go into
to start an activity, or start to be in a particular state or condition
The country is expected to _____ recession later this year.
hold down
to limit the freedom of a group of people
The government is struggling to _____ inflation at acceptable levels.
bottom out
if a situation, level, or rate that is getting worse bottoms out, it reaches the lowest point and remains at that level or amount, usually before improving
Analysts predict that house prices will soon _____ and then begin to recover.
pay into
to put money into a bank account, often to save money for a particular purpose
Employees are encouraged to regularly _____ their pension accounts.
size up
to carefully examine a situation or person in order to make a judgement
The experienced investor quickly managed to _____ the potential of the new startup.
put by
to save an amount of money in order to use it later
The department has managed to _____ a small emergency fund for unexpected equipment repairs.
bounce off
to tell someone about an idea or plan in order to find out what they think of it
I wanted to _____ my new investment idea _____ a few colleagues before the board meeting.
carry forward
to include an amount of money in a later set of calculations
We can _____ the unused budget _____ into next year's research and development plan.
magic away
to make something disappear so quickly that it seems as if you have used magic
The accountant seemed to _____ the budget deficit with a few clever adjustments.
go with
to accept a plan or an idea, or to support the person whose ideas you agree with
The board decided to _____ the more conservative financial forecast.
sound out
to talk to someone in order to discover what they think about an idea or plan
The CEO decided to quietly _____ a few key investors before making the final decision.
buoy up
to support something and help to make it more successful
Positive economic data helped to _____ investor confidence _____ during the uncertain period.
bear out
to prove that something that someone has said or written [e.g. claim, theory] is true, or to say that someone is telling the truth
The latest data fully _____ the economist's controversial prediction about inflation.
account for
to explain the reason for something or the cause of something
The CEO had to _____ the sharp drop in quarterly revenue during the board meeting.