This lesson covers 30 C2 phrasal verbs on Success, Failure & Achievement. 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.
open up (sth) or open (sth) up
to create a new opportunity or possibility
The training opened up new career opportunities.
hang on to/onto sth/sb
to keep someone or something
The company hung on to its best staff during the crisis.
pull (sb) through (sth)
to succeed in dealing with a difficult period of your life, or to help someone else to do this
Support from friends pulled him through the difficult period.
shake off sb or shake sb off
to succeed in escaping from someone who is following you
The cyclist shook off the competitor who was following her.
shore up sth or shore sth up
to strengthen or improve an organisation, agreement, or system that is not working effectively or that is likely to fail
The new funding shored up the struggling organisation.
break up (sth) or break (sth) up
if an occasion when people meet [e.g. meeting, party] breaks up, or if someone breaks it up, it ends and people start to leave
The awards ceremony broke up after the final prize was announced.
scrape through (sth)
to manage with a lot of difficulty to succeed in something [e.g. exam]
She scraped through the test after weeks of revision.
carry out sth or carry sth out
to complete a task
The team carried out the plan exactly as promised.
resort to sth/doing sth
to do something bad in order to achieve what you want, often because it is the only thing you can do to achieve it
They resorted to emergency funding when all other options failed.
get away with sth/doing sth
to succeed in not being criticised or punished for something wrong that you have done
He thought he could get away with missing the deadline.
whittle away sth or whittle sth away or whittle away at sth
to gradually reduce the size or importance of something until it does not exist any more
The budget cuts slowly whittled away the team’s resources.
sail through (sth)
to succeed very easily, especially in a test, examination etc.
He sailed through the final exam with ease.
rebound on sb
if a negative action rebounds on someone, it has a bad effect on the person who did it and they do not achieve what they were trying to achieve
The rushed decision rebounded on the manager.
wrap up sth or wrap sth up
to complete an activity, especially successfully
The team wrapped up the project ahead of schedule.
get across sth or get sth across
to successfully communicate an idea to other people
The presenter got the main idea across to the audience.
lose out to
to be less successful than
The smaller firm lost out to a larger competitor.
spur on sb or spur sb on
to encourage someone to try harder in order to achieve something
Her coach spurred her on to train harder.
attribute sth to sth
slightly formal to believe or say that something is the result of something else
The team attributed its success to careful preparation.
pack in sth or pack sth in
informal to manage to do a lot of activities in a period of time
She packed in several meetings before the deadline.
wind up (sth) or wind (sth) up
to finish an activity
The chair wound up the meeting with a clear action plan.
win back sb/sth or win sb/sth back
to persuade customers to return to using your company rather than competing companies because your company has improved
The company won back customers by improving its service.
carry off sth or carry sth off
to succeed in doing or achieving something difficult
The presenter carried off the difficult role with confidence.
block up sth or block sth up
to fill a hole so that nothing can pass through it
The builders blocked up the gap that was delaying the project.
sprout up
if a large number of things sprout up, they suddenly appear or begin to exist
Small technology firms sprouted up across the region.
hold back sb/sth or hold sb/sth back
to prevent something from working effectively, or to prevent someone or something from making progress
Poor communication held the project back.
spring up
if something springs up, it suddenly appears or begins to exist
New opportunities sprang up after the policy changed.
stand-off n
when two groups fail to reach an agreement in talks
The stand-off between the finalists delayed the decision.
call on sth
formal to use something, especially a quality that you have, in order to achieve something
The athlete called on all her courage in the final race.
leave behind sb or leave sb behind
to make progress much faster than someone else
The new company left its competitors behind.
magic away sth or magic sth away
to make something disappear so quickly that it seems as if you have used magic
The new system magicked away hours of repetitive work.