Learn English Phrasal Verbs:Work
These verbs show up in everyday job talk: meetings that get cancelled, offers you accept or refuse, and work you still need to finish.
call off
cancel
They had to call off the meeting when half the team was out sick.
They had to cancel the meeting when half the team was out sick.
🚀 Ready to practice?
put off
postpone
We’ll need to put off the presentation until next week.
We’ll need to postpone the presentation until next week.
🚀 Ready to practice?
turn down
reject
They had to turn down the job offer because the pay was too low.
They had to reject the job offer because the pay was too low.
🚀 Ready to practice?
take up
accept
I decided to take up their offer to join the product team.
I decided to accept their offer to join the product team.
🚀 Ready to practice?
show up
arrive
Only six people showed up for the 8 a.m. standup.
Only six people arrived for the 8 a.m. standup.
🚀 Ready to practice?
take over
assume control
A larger firm plans to take over the smaller competitor.
A larger firm plans to assume control of the smaller competitor.
🚀 Ready to practice?
lay off
dismiss
The factory laid off fifty workers after the contract ended.
The factory dismissed fifty workers after the contract ended.
🚀 Ready to practice?
come up with
think of
We need to come up with a cheaper way to ship the orders.
We need to think of a cheaper way to ship the orders.
🚀 Ready to practice?
catch up on
get up to date with
I need to catch up on emails after two days of meetings.
I need to get up to date with emails after two days of meetings.
🚀 Ready to practice?
wind up
finish
Let’s wind up the meeting by listing the next steps.
Let’s finish the meeting by listing the next steps.
🚀 Ready to practice?
work up
gather
He finally worked up the courage to ask for a raise.
He finally gathered the courage to ask for a raise.
🚀 Ready to practice?
mess up
ruin
One wrong number in the spreadsheet messed up the whole budget.
One wrong number in the spreadsheet ruined the whole budget.
🚀 Ready to practice?
put up with
tolerate
I can put up with long hours if the project has a clear end date.
I can tolerate long hours if the project has a clear end date.
🚀 Ready to practice?
About this set
Use them in emails and standups, not only in formal writing.
A few are strong workplace words — lay off and take over — so the examples keep them in a company context.
Usage notes
- put off. Separable. Put the meeting off until Friday or put it off. It means postpone, not cancel.
- call off. Separable. Call off the meeting means cancel it, not move it.
- put up with. Three-word and inseparable. You put up with long hours; you cannot put long hours up with.
- show up. Informal for arrive. In a meeting invite, show up just means be there.
- lay off. Used for dismissing staff, often because there is less work. It is not the same as fire for misconduct.
Common questions
Should I say put off or call off if a meeting moves?
Put off means postpone to a later time. Call off means cancel. If the meeting is still happening next week, put it off. If it is not happening at all, call it off.
What does take up mean with a job offer?
In this set, take up an offer means accept it. Elsewhere take up can mean start a hobby. The object tells you which meaning you want: take up their offer versus take up yoga.