fall out (with)
Meaning: To have an argument and stop being friends. Examples: “They fell out over money.” “She fell out with her brother and didn’t speak to him for years.”
split up / break up
Meaning: To end a romantic relationship. Examples: “They split up after five years together.” “When did you and Mark break up?”
make up (with)
Meaning: To become friends again after an argument. Examples: “They kissed and made up.” “Have you made up with your sister yet?”
grow apart
Meaning: To gradually become less close to someone. Examples: “We were best friends, but we grew apart over the years.”
settle down
Meaning: To start living a stable life (get married, have a routine). Examples: “After traveling for years, he finally settled down in London.” “Are you ready to settle down and have kids?”
open up (to)
Meaning: To start talking honestly about your feelings. Examples: “He finds it difficult to open up to people.” “She finally opened up about her problems.”
stand by (someone)
Meaning: To support or remain loyal to someone. Examples: “Her friends stood by her during the difficult times.” “I will always stand by you.”
count on / rely on
Meaning: To depend on someone. Examples: “You can count on me to help.” “She is someone you can rely on.”
drift apart
Meaning: To gradually become less close to someone. Examples: “After university, we just drifted apart.” “Married couples sometimes drift apart over the years.”
tell apart
Meaning: To see the difference between two similar things or people. Examples: “The twins are so similar; I can’t tell them apart.” “Can you tell apart the original and the copy?”
go out with
Meaning: To have a romantic relationship with someone. Examples: “She’s going out with my cousin.” “How long have they been going out?”
ask out
Meaning: To invite someone to go on a date. Examples: “He finally asked her out.” “I was too shy to ask him out.”
stand up (someone)
Meaning: To fail to meet someone you had arranged to meet. Examples: “I waited for an hour, but she stood me up.” “Don’t stand him up again!”
move in / move out
Meaning: To start living in a new place / to leave a place you live. Examples: “They’re moving in next week.” “He moved out of his parents’ house.”
stick together
Meaning: To stay together and support each other. Examples: “Families should stick together.” “If we stick together, we’ll be OK.”
take in
Meaning: To provide a home for someone who needs it. Examples: “They took in a homeless family.” “She takes in stray cats.”
look out for
Meaning: To take care of someone and protect them. Examples: “He always looked out for his little sister.” “You should look out for yourself.”
fall for
Meaning: 1. To fall in love with someone. 2. To be tricked/believe a lie. Examples: “They fell for each other instantly.” “I can’t believe you fell for that old trick!”
put down
Meaning: To criticize or make someone feel stupid. Examples: “Her husband is always putting her down.” “Don’t put yourself down so much.”
warm to/towards
Meaning: To begin to like someone. Examples: “I didn’t like him at first, but I warmed to him eventually.”
hit it off
Meaning: To like each other immediately when you first meet. Examples: “We hit it off right away.” “I didn’t really hit it off with her boyfriend.”
click with
Meaning: To immediately have a good relationship/understanding. Examples: “We just clicked from the moment we met.” “I didn’t click with the interviewer.”
take to
Meaning: To start liking someone or something. Examples: “The children took to their new teacher immediately.” “I didn’t take to his sense of humour.”
cotton on to
Meaning: To begin to understand or realize something. Examples: “He soon cottoned on to what she was doing.” “The kids cottoned on quickly.”
