This lesson covers 30 C2 phrasal verbs on Money & Personal 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.
flatten out
if the rate of something flattens out, or if something flattens it out, it stops increasing and decreasing and begins to stay at the same level
House prices flattened out after years of rapid growth.
wring sth out of sb
to force or persuade someone to give you money or information
The lender tried to wring every last payment out of the borrower.
tail off
to decrease in amount or level
Demand tailed off after the holiday season.
come into (being)
to begin
The new payment system came into being after the merger.
break into sth
to start to use an amount of money or food that you have been saving
She had to break into her savings to pay the bill.
set sb back (sth)
informal to cost someone a particular amount of money, usually a large amount of money
The unexpected car repair set her back two hundred euros.
thin out
if a large number of people or things thin out, they become fewer in number
The crowds thinned out after the sales ended.
amount to sth
to become a particular amount
The repair costs amounted to nearly five hundred euros.
cash up
British & Australian to count all the money taken by a shop or business at the end of the day
At the end of the day, the cashier cashed up the till.
run through sth
if you run through money, you spend a lot of it very quickly
He ran through his savings while he was unemployed.
balance out
to make things equal
The extra income balanced out the unexpected expense.
add up (sth) or add (sth) up
to calculate the total of two or more numbers
Add up the receipts before checking your budget.
lay out sth
to spend a particular amount of money on something
She laid out a clear plan for paying off the loan.
settle up
to pay money that you owe, especially a bill or debt
Let us settle up before we leave the restaurant.
pay sth into sth
to put money into a bank account, often to save money for a particular purpose
She paid the rent into the landlord’s account.
put aside sth/sb or push sth/sb
to save money for a particular purpose
She put aside part of every pay cheque for emergencies.
ride on sth
if something important [e.g. reputation, money] rides on something else, it depends on it
The success of the business rides on keeping costs low.
bring in sth or bring sth in
to earn or make a particular amount of money
The new rental property brings in a steady income.
go for sth
if something goes for a particular amount of money, it is sold for that amount
Most of their salary goes for rent and utilities.
come down
if you come down when you are suggesting a price for something, you suggest or agree to a lower price
The price of fuel came down slightly this month.
pick up sth or pick sth up
to buy something cheaply
He picked up the cheque from the bank.
get by
to have just enough money to pay for the things that you need, but nothing more
With careful planning, the family can get by on a modest income.
come down
if a price or level comes down, it becomes lower
Interest rates came down after the central bank announcement.
add up
to increase and become a large number or amount
Small monthly subscriptions can add up quickly.
pick up
to lift something by using a bill (birds)
The economy picked up after the interest-rate cut.
profit from sth/doing sth
to get an advantage from something
The landlord profited from renting the property during the festival.
come into sth
to get money from someone who has died
She came into some money when her aunt died.
roll in
if money or requests for money [e.g. bills] roll in, they arrive in large numbers
The money rolled in after the product went viral.
run up sth
to accumulate a large bill or debt
She ran up a large credit-card bill during the holiday.
fall off
if the amount, rate, or quality of something falls off, it becomes smaller or lower
Sales fell off after the promotional offer ended.