Here is the last post in our series of colourful compounds. Just adding another element to a one-word verb, such as an adverb, as in break down, or a preposition, as in see to, can change the sense of the verb drastically.
So wallow in the rich meaning of these compound verbs!
Wade in/into
To join or get involved quickly; to plunge
Example: Although she was no expert in English, the math teacher waded in, criticizing the sentence structure.
Wait up
To stay up late; to wait for someone/something to catch up
Example: I won’t be home from the theatre before midnight, but wait up for me.
Walk out
To abandon, leave; to refuse to work
Example: The movie was so bad that we walked out before the intermission.
Wallow in
To indulge, revel, take pleasure; to roll lazily
Example: Carmen takes tea at the Ritz to wallow in a luxurious setting.
Waltz through
To accomplish or succeed easily
Example: I waltzed through the driving test.
Want out
To desire to leave
Example: David wanted out of the relationship.
Wash over
To be felt deeply; to appear suddenly
Example: A strong feeling of embarrassment washed over me.
Waste away
To become thin and weak, to wither; to dissipate
Example: They lived on welfare after wasting all their money away.
Water down
To dilute, weaken or reduce
Example: Don’t water down the report – readers need to understand the unfavourable situation.
Wave down
To signal to stop
Example: Mary waved down the bus but it sailed on past her.
Wave aside
To ignore or dismiss
Example: My father waved aside Kevin’s explanation and sent him to his room.
Weasel out
To evade, achieve by deceit
Example: The boys tried every trick they knew to weasel out of going to school – but it didn’t work.
Weigh in
To join, offer an opinion or argument
Example: He weighed in with a warning that the consequences would be extremely unpleasant if no agreement were reached.
Weigh up
To assess, judge
Example: We weighed up going to the movies or reading, and decided to compromise by watching “Downton Abbey” on TV.
While away
To pass time without boredom
Example: I whiled away the days by painting.
Whip off
To snatch, pull, remove or produce quickly
Example: I whipped off the report in no time.
Whip up
To excite or stir up; to prepare or put together quickly
Example: The candidate’s campaign speech whipped up anti-immigrant sentiment.
Winnow out
To separate, select, sort or rid; to find or identify
Example: We’re trying to winnow out the truth despite the conflicting messages.
Wise up
To become aware, informed; to realize, accept; to instruct, give important information
Example: Wise up! Do you really think he will loan you his car without a favour in return?
Wrestle with
To grapple or struggle
Example: He wrestled with the problem for weeks before he found the solution.
X out
To eliminate or cross out
Example: She x-ed out her name and address from the list.
Yank around
To pull or tug, harass
Example: Stop yanking me around!
Yield to
To surrender, give in
Example: Forgetting his diet, he yielded to temptation and ate the chips.
Zero in
To aim or direct attention, concentrate; to move towards
Example: Claudia was able to zero in and deal with the setback.
Zip around
To move quickly
Example: She zipped around in her new sports car.
Zip up
To keep quiet
Example: We told them to zip up about last night’s party.
Zoom in
To focus
Example: The commission zoomed in on the budget cuts.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *