Phrasal verbs start with ‘W’ (Phrasal Verbs With W). A Phrasal verb like Wade in, Wade into, Wade through, Wake up, Waltz through, and more.
Phrasal Verbs Starting With W
Wade in
Meaning: Start something or get involved, often without thinking or to forcefully
Example: The job has to be done, so let’s wade in immediately.
Wade into
Meaning: Become embroiled or involved in a situation, without thinking or planning usually
Example: People waded into the water and dropped roses in the surf.
Wade through
Meaning: Get to the end of something with difficulty
Example: We had to wade through pages of legal jargon before we could sign the contract.
Wake up
Meaning: Stop sleeping
Example: Wake up everyday stronger than yesterday, face your fear and wipe your tears.
Waltz through
Meaning: Pass or succeed easily
Example: This is the door the remarkable Mr. Obama is about to waltz through.
Wander off
Meaning: Leave a place, usually without telling other people
Example: A distraction may cause it to wander off into the road, with fatal consequences.
Wander off
Meaning: Stop paying attention
Example: Often, in order to preserve peace, she would wander off in the opposite direction, to keep out of trouble.
Want out
Meaning: Want to leave a relationship or arrangement
Example: You have to know what you want out of a wood working tool.
Ward off
Meaning: Stop something bad or harmful happening
Example: Don’t forget insect repellent to ward off the mosquitoes.
Warm up
Meaning: Do exercises before a sport
Example: If you don’t warm up before taking exercise, you risk injuring yourself.
Waste away
Meaning: Become very thin and weak, usually due to illness
Example: Persons dying from cancer grow thin and visibly waste away.
Watch out
Meaning: Be careful (imperative)
Example: The doctor told her to watch out for symptoms of measles.
Watch out for
Meaning: Be careful of something
Example: Watch out for sharp bends and adjust your speed accordingly.
Watch over
Meaning: Keep an eye on something or someone to check that there’s no trouble
Example: The guards were originally hired to watch over the houses as they were being built.
Water down
Meaning: Make something weaker and less effective
Example: You can water down a glass of wine and make it last twice as long.
Wave aside
Meaning: Ignore or refuse to consider what someone says
Example: The director tried to wave aside these issues as trivial details that could be settled later.
Wave down
Meaning: Make a hand signal to stop a vehicle
Example: He was frustrated by his inability to wave down a taxi.
Wave off
Meaning: Go to a place where someone is leaving to wave goodbye
Example: The officials there closed the airport and waved off all incoming flights to the nearby island.
Wave on
Meaning: Make a hand signal to tell someone to keep moving
Example: The effect of impounded water surface wave on hydrodynamic pressures is discussed and so.
Wean off
Meaning: Slowly stop a dependency on something
Example: We will have to wean him off his obsession.
Wear away
Meaning: Erode, remove gradually
Example: The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.
Wear down
Meaning: Make something weaker
Example: The strategy was designed to wear down the enemy’s resistance.
Wear off
Meaning: Stop having an effect
Example: The effects of the drug naturally wear off within a few hours.
Wear out
Meaning: Use something until it stops working
Example: Moving parts in engines wear out much more quickly than stationary parts.
Weasel out
Meaning: Back out of a commitment
Example: He’s trying to figure out a way to weasel out of the deal.
Weasel out of
Meaning: Back out of a commitment
Example: He’s now trying to weasel out of our agreement.
Weed out
Meaning: Remove, get rid of
Example: Applicants are first interviewed, to weed out the physically weak, violent and unstable.
Weird off on
Meaning: Approach someone or behave in a strange, scary unexpected way
Example: He Weirds off on newcomers.
Weird out
Meaning: Disturb, cause concern or worry
Example: Things are getting very weird out there.
Well up
Meaning: Feel tears starting
Example: Temperatures are well up in the forties.
Well up
Meaning: Feel an emotion strongly
Example: You ought to be well up in children’s diseases as you have studied them for eight years.
Wheel around
Meaning: Turn quickly and face in the opposite direction
Example: Then they were off again wheeling around the perimeter shooting up buildings and yet more aircraft.
Wheel out
Meaning: Use something like an explanation that has been used many times before and has lost its impact
Example: Every time we have this argument you wheel out the same old statistics, and I’m still not convinced!
Wheel round
Meaning: Turn quickly and face in the opposite direction
Example: He wrenched the wheel round and rammed the gate, the bullets now ripping into the air around him.
While away
Meaning: Spend time doing something because you have nothing better to do
Example: While away those dark winter evenings and exercise the grey matter at the same time!
Whisk away
Meaning: Take to another place quickly
Example: The waiter whisked away the plates before we had finished.
Whisk off
Meaning: Take someone to another place, usually unexpectedly
Example: She’s dreaming she’ll be whisked off her feet by a tall, dark handsome stranger.
Whisk off
Meaning: Wipe, remove with a brush
Example: The party was whisked off on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
White out
Meaning: Use correction fluid to cover a mistake in a written text
Example: The white outer area represents activities that are clearly regarded as non-sport in all countries.
Wig out
Meaning: Become excited and lose control
Example: I wouldn”t mind having a pet rat, but I don”t want to make all of my friends wig out, either.
Wiggle out
Meaning: Avoid doing
Example: I took a few minutes to wiggle out of my pantyhose and hunch into my long pants.
Wiggle out of
Meaning: Avoid doing something
Example: I Wiggled out of having to work late.
Wimp out
Meaning: Not be brave enough to do something
Example: I was going to have the hottest curry on the menu, but I wimped out and had a mild lamb Korma instead.
Wind down
Meaning: Relax
Example: You will be able to wind down after this examination.
Wind down
Meaning: Slowly close a business or organisation
Example: I stopped pushing and let the swing wind down to a stop.
Wind on
Meaning: Forward a film or tape to a certain point
Example: You have to wind on after taking a picture, or your negative will be double-exposed.
Wind up
Meaning: Close a company because it’s unprofitable
Example: The President is about to wind up his visit to Somalia.
Wind up
Meaning: Tighten the spring in a watch or clock to make it work
Example: Lawyers were called in to wind up the company.
Winkle out
Meaning: Find or get something that takes a great deal of effort
Example: Government critics were winkled out of their positions of influence.
Winnow down
Meaning: Reduce the size of a group of people or things to have the best
Example: We’ve Winnowed down the applicants to a shortlist of four.
Winnow out
Meaning: Remove the bad or less satisfactory people or things from a group to leave the best
Example: We’ve Winnowed out the weaker candidates.
Wipe out
Meaning: Make someone very tired
Example: They managed to wipe out the entire aboriginal population.
Wipe out
Meaning: Kill all of a population, make extinct
Example: The government is trying to wipe out drug trafficking.
Wipe up
Meaning: Remove a liquid from a surface using a cloth
Example: Don’t bother to wipe up the dishes; just put them on the table.
Wire up
Meaning: Make electrical connections
Example: He was helping wire up the Channel Tunnel last season.
Wise up
Meaning: Stop being stupid
Example: Mr Whittaker will wire up your place to one of his alarms.
Word up
Meaning: Give someone information, advice
Example: I looked the word up in the dictionary to refresh my memory of its exact meaning.
Word up!
Meaning: A phrase that was used a greeting
Example: If you want to know how a word is used, look the word up in the Advanced Learner’s Dictionary.
Wrap around
Meaning: Cover with clothing, usually to keep warm
Example: Cover the sausage completely, then wrap around with a bacon rasher.
Wrap around
Meaning: Cover or encircle with part of your body
Example: Cut out wide strips and wrap around cake and arrange strip of ribbon on board.
Wrap round
Meaning: Cover with clothing, usually to keep warm
Example: He wrapped the cloth round his fingers to keep warm.
Wrap up
Meaning: Cover in paper
Example: We’re hoping to wrap up the negotiations this week.
Wriggle out of
Meaning: Avoid doing something in a way other people don’t like
Example: The Government has tried to wriggle out of any responsibility for providing childcare for working parents.
