Nonseparable, two-word, intransitive

Stick ROUND

Float ROUND

Nonseparable, two-word, transitive

STICK to STAND for

STICK around

FLOAT round

Nonseparable, three-word, transitive

Lead UP to

Separable, two-word, transitive

Take BACK

Do OVER

Separable, three-word, transitive put UP to

1. do ... over p.v. When youdo somethingover, you do it again in order to improve it or to correct mistakes.

This is all wrong — it'll have to bedone over.

I got a bad grade on my paper, but the teacher said I coulddo itover.

1. float around p.v. [usually continuous] When somethingis floating around a

place, it is there somewhere, though you are not sure exactly where.

/ don't know where the stapler is, but it'sfloating around here somewhere. The new schedule wasfloating around the office yesterday.

2. float around p.v. When a rumor or some information isfloating around, it is

being repeated and discussed among a group of people or within a place.

There's a rumorfloating around that the factory's going to be closed. Something about a change of management has beenfloating around lately. Have you heard anything?

Lead up to

lead up to & leads up to leading up to led up to led up to

1. lead up to p.v. When one or more actions, events, or situationslead up to a final action, event, or situation, they precede and cause or partially cause it.

Several minor battlesled up to a full-scale war. The detective said, "Jake didn't shoot Hank for no reason — somethingled up to it."

2. lead up to p.v. When youlead up to something when you are speaking or writ­ing, you gradually move toward an important point by saying or writing information that will support that point.

In his speech, the President didn't immediately announce that he would run for a second term; heled up to it by recalling the accomplishments of his first term.

I've been listening to you talk for thirty minutes. What's your point? What are you leading up to?

Put up to

put up to & puts up to putting up to put up to put up to

1. put... up to p.v. When you persuade or pressure people to do something that is illegal, dangerous, foolish, or unwise, youput themup to it.

/ didn't think it was a good idea to demand a raise, but my wifeput meup to it.

When Jake was arrested for shooting Hank, he said Raquel had put himup to it by threatening to tell the police about his other crimes.

Stand for

stand for & stands for standing for stood for stood for

1. stand for p.v. When abbreviations, acronyms, or symbols represent longer words or groups of words, theystand for them.

The "DC" in Washington, DC,stands for "District of Columbia."

"Scuba" standsfor "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus."

2. stand for p.v. When people or objects support, represent, or are identified with ideas, values, or beliefs, theystand for them.

This flagstands for freedom. He was a great man whostood for equal rights and opportunity for all people.

3. stand for p.v. When you will notstand for something that you think is illegal, improper, or unjust, you will not tolerate it or allow it to happen.

Cruelty to animals is one thing I willnever stand for.

I told my son I wouldn'tstand for that kind of language in this house.

1. stick around p.v. [informal] When youstick around, you stay where you are.

Can youstick around? We're going to have lunch in an hour.

Don't go yet —stick around until Sarah gets here; she'd love to see you.

Stick to

stick to & sticks to sticking to stuck to stuck to

1. stick to p.v. When one thingsticks to another, it remains attached to it.

The magnet sticksto the chalkboard because there's metal underneath.

I used the wrong glue, and the tiles didn'tstick to the floor.

2. stick to p.v. When you are speaking or writing and youstick to a certain subject, you talk or write about that subject only.

The teacher said, "Do this paper over andstick to the point — don't talk about 100 other things that aren't important."

In his news conference, the Presidentstuck to the new tax legislation, but the reporters kept asking about the latest scandal.

3. stick to p.v. When youstick to a certain belief, claim, policy, habit, plan, type of work, and so on, you continue as before, without change.Stick with is similar tostick to.

Jake claimed he was innocent of Hank's murder. Hestuck to his alibi that he had been at the racetrack when the murder occurred.

After the audition, the director told me I was a terrible actor and that I should stick to singing.

4. stick... to p.v. [informal] When you stick it to people, you deliberately try to tease, annoy, or embarrass them with an accusation, provocative statement, or difficult question.

Sam thinks the new manager is an idiot, and he likes tostick itto him.

One woman at the shareholders' meeting reallystuck itto the president of the company.

She asked why he deserved a $19 million bonus even though the company had lost money that year and 4,000 workers had been laid off.

1. take... back (to) p.v. When youtake somethingback ortake somethingback to a place, you take it to where it was before.

If you're finished working on the car, don't leave your tools here;take themback to the garage.

Do you usuallytake the shopping cartsback after you've put your groceries in your car?

2. take... back (to) p.v. When you take something that you have bought to the place where you bought it and ask to have it repaired, to exchange it for something else, or for the money you paid for it, youtake itback ortake itback to the place where you bought it.

/ have totake back these pants that I bought yesterday because the zipper's already broken.

That new TV that Nancy bought was a piece of junk; shetook itback to the store and demanded her money back.

3. take... back (from) p.v. When youtake somethingback ortake somethingbackfrom someone else, you accept it from the person you gave, sold, or lent it to.

The guy at the store said he wouldn'ttake my answering machineback because I had bought it on sale.

The lady I bought this Persian rug from said she would be happy totake itback from me if I changed my mind.

4. take ... back (to) p.v. When youtake back something that you have borrowed ortake back something that you have borrowed to the person or place that you borrowed it from, you return it.

Lydia borrowed this book from the library six months ago, and she still hasn'ttakenitback.

I need totake Jim's lawn mowerback to him.

5. take... back (to) p.v. When youtake peopleback ortake peopleback to a place where they were before, you go with them to that place.

Our son was home from college for the summer, and we'retaking him back tomorrow.

Mike got sick again, so wetook himback to the hospital.

6. take ... back p.v. When youtake back something that you have said, you admit that what you said was untrue, unfair, or rude.

That's not true! Youtake thatback right now!

I'm sorry, that was very rude of me. Itake itback.

7. take ... back (to) p.v. When something reminds you of a place where you were in the past or of something you experienced in the past, ittakes youback ortakes you back to a time in the past.

Looking through my high school year book suretakes meback.

My grandfather found his old uniform in the attic, and he said ittook himback to when he was stationed in England during the war.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 723