Go Phrasal Verbs

Go about

1. to continue doing something that you usually do:

• Despite the threat of terrorism, most people are going about their business as usual.

2. to start dealing with something:

• I want to fix the problem, but I just don't know how to go about it.

Go after

to follow or chase someone or something to try to catch them:

• Police went after them.

Go against

1. If a decision or vote goes against you, they do not produce the result you want:

• The verdict went against him.

2. to oppose someone or something: to disagree with someone's wishes, beliefs, or expectations:

• She cannot go against her father's wishes.

Go ahead

1. to begin to do something, especially after receiving permission to do it:

• He told me to go ahead.

2. to happen or be carried out:

• The party is going ahead as planned.

Go along

1. to continue doing a job or activity:

• He explained the rule as he went along.

2. to happen or develop:

• Everything is going along fairly well.

Go along with

to agree with someone's idea:

• I don't go along with your plan.

Go at

1. attack someone:

• Two boys went at each other viciously.

2. to make a lot of effort to do something:

• The young man went at the job with great enthusiasm.

Go away

1. to leave a place:

• Go away now and leave me alone.

2. to leave your home to spend a period of time somewhere:

• I am going away on holiday.

3. to disappear, or to stop existing:

• The smell went away completely.

Go back

1. to return to a place that you have been to before:

• We want to go back to Berlin.

2. to be made or started at a particular time in the past:

• Our friendship goes back to the 1950s.

Go back on

to not do what you promised:

• I have never gone back on my promise.

Go beyond

to do or be more than something:

• The final cost should not go beyond $3,000.
• He went beyond all our expectations.

Go by

1. When time goes by, it passes:

• Last week went by quickly.

2. to accept and act according to a set of rules:

• You'll have to go by the rules.

Go down

1. to become lower in level, amount or value:

• The temperature went down after dark.
• House prices are going down.

2. to fall to the ground:

• The plane went down in flames.

3. (of a ship) to sink:

• The cargo ship went down.

4. (of sun/moon) to move down in the sky and disappear below the horizon:

• We sat and watched the sun go down.

5. to be defeated in a match or contest:

• They went down to Germany 3-1.

6. (of food/drink) to be swallowed:

• The cough syrup went down easily.

7. to be remembered or recorded in something:

• The project will go down in history.

8. (of a computer) to stop working for a short time:

• The network is going down in a few minutes.

Go down with

to get an infectious disease:

• He has gone down with the flu.

Go for

1. informal. to choose a particular thing:

• I always go for fried potatoes.

2. to try to get or achieve something:

• She is going for the gold medal in the 100 meters.

3. to attack someone:

• She cried out as the man went for her.

4. informal. to like or be attracted by someone or something:

• I really go for gangster films.
• She tends to go for tall men.

5. to be sold for a particular price:
The house went for $350,000.

Go in for

to enjoy or be interested in an activity:

• They go in for sports.

Go into

1. to start a career in something:

• He is planning to go into the Army.

2. to discuss or examine, or explain something fully:

• I don't want to go into detail here.

3. (of a vehicle) to hit:

• The car had gone into the wall.

Go off

1. to explode, to fire:

• The bomb went off today, injuring several people.
• His gun suddenly went off.

2. (of an alarm) to start to make a sudden loud noise:

• The car alarm went off again.

3. British English. If food or drink goes off, it is too bad to eat or drink because it is no longer fresh:

• Don't eat that! It's gone off.

4. (of a light, the electricity) to stop working:

• Suddenly all the lights went off.

5. to happen in a particular way:

• The party went off smoothly.

Go on

1. to happen:

• I don't know what's going on here.

2. to continue:

• I can't go on living like this anymore.

3. to continue talking after a pause:

• Go on, it is interesting to hear your stories.

4.If a light, the electricity, etc. goes on, it starts working:

• The lights go on automatically at night.

5. used to persuade or encourage someone to do something:

• Go on, it's really good.

Go out

1. to leave your home to do something enjoyable:

• I am going out for a meal.

2. to have a regular romantic relationship with someone:

• They have been going out for two weeks.

3. to stop shining or burning:

• The fire went out again.

Go over

to examine something carefully:

• He was going over the report.

Go round/go around

1. to spin

• The CD is going round.

2. to be enough for everyone in a group of people:

• There is not enough food to go around.

3. to visit someone at their house:

• I am just going round to my brother's.

4. to behave or dress in a particular way:

• You can't go around treating people like that.
• Why does she always go around with bare feet?

Go through

1. If a law, proposal, etc. go through, it is officially approved:

• The contract failed to go through.

2. to search or examine something carefully:

• She went through all the drawers, looking for the letters.

3. to experience something unpleasant or difficult:

• He's going through a bad divorce.

4. to use all of a supply of something:

• She went through all her money in three weeks.

Go under

1. to sink below the surface of water:

• The crew abandoned ship and she went under.

2. informal. If a business goes under, it fails completely:

• During the last three months, most of the companies here went under.

Go up

1. to be built

• Several new buildings are now going up.

2. to become higher or greater:

• The price of gas went up.
• Salaries will continue to go up.

3. to explode or start to burn suddenly:

• Everything went up in flames.

Go with

1. to accept someone's plan or offer:

• We decided to go with his proposal.

2. to look attractive together:

• Does this shirt go with these shorts?

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