Talking about money is a key part of daily life, whether you’re discussing a personal budget, negotiating a salary, or managing business expenses. Understanding and using phrasal verbs for talking about money can help you communicate more naturally, confidently, and clearly. These phrasal verbs are used to describe different financial situations, actions, and decisions that are often encountered in both personal and professional settings.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most common phrasal verbs related to money. With their meanings, examples, and contexts, you’ll be able to incorporate them into your conversations and become more fluent when talking about money.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and prepositions (or adverbs) that, together, take on a unique meaning different from the individual words. For example, “save up” means to accumulate money for something specific, and “pay off” means to fully repay a debt.
These expressions are essential for fluency because they make communication sound more natural, especially in informal settings. Using phrasal verbs in conversations about money can help you sound more like a native English speaker.
Phrasal Verbs for Saving and Spending Money
Managing money involves saving, spending, and investing wisely. Here are some key phrasal verbs related to saving and spending.
1. Save up
Meaning: To accumulate money over time for a specific purpose, often through regular savings.
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Example: “I’m saving up for a new car.”
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Example: “We need to save up if we want to go on holiday next year.”
2. Fork out
Meaning: To spend money on something, often reluctantly or unwillingly.
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Example: “I had to fork out £200 to fix my car.”
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Example: “They forked out a lot of money on their wedding.”
3. Cut back on
Meaning: To reduce or decrease spending, especially on non-essential items.
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Example: “We’ve decided to cut back on eating out to save money.”
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Example: “You need to cut back on unnecessary expenses.”
4. Splash out on
Meaning: To spend a lot of money on something enjoyable but unnecessary.
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Example: “They splashed out on a fancy dinner for their anniversary.”
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Example: “I decided to splash out on a new laptop.”
5. Shell out
Meaning: To spend a significant amount of money, often unexpectedly or reluctantly.
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Example: “We had to shell out a fortune for the repairs.”
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Example: “They shelled out for front-row concert tickets.”
6. Throw money at
Meaning: To spend a large amount of money on something in an attempt to solve a problem, often ineffectively.
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Example: “The company keeps throwing money at their advertising campaign, but it’s not working.”
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Example: “You can’t just throw money at a problem and expect it to go away.”
Phrasal Verbs for Borrowing and Lending Money
Borrowing and lending money are common financial actions that require certain expressions. Here are some phrasal verbs related to lending and borrowing.
7. Take out
Meaning: To borrow money from a bank, often in the form of a loan or mortgage.
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Example: “We took out a loan to renovate the house.”
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Example: “She’s thinking of taking out a mortgage.”
8. Pay off
Meaning: To fully repay money that is owed, such as a loan or debt.
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Example: “She finally paid off her student loans.”
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Example: “It will take years to pay off the mortgage.”
9. Pay back
Meaning: To return money that you have borrowed.
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Example: “Can you pay me back the money I lent you last week?”
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Example: “He’ll pay back the loan in small installments.”
10. Bail out
Meaning: To help someone by providing money to get them out of a financial difficulty.
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Example: “The government bailed out the struggling bank.”
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Example: “He had to bail out his brother after he lost his job.”
Phrasal Verbs for Managing Financial Resources
Managing money wisely is a vital skill, and these phrasal verbs help you express how you control and use your resources.
11. Get by
Meaning: To manage with limited resources, especially financially.
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Example: “It’s not easy to get by on a student budget.”
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Example: “They’re getting by with just one income at the moment.”
12. Put aside
Meaning: To save money for a specific purpose, usually for future use.
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Example: “I’m putting aside a bit of money each month for emergencies.”
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Example: “You should put aside some savings for your retirement.”
13. Dip into
Meaning: To use some of your savings or reserved money, often for an unplanned expense.
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Example: “I had to dip into my savings to pay for the repairs.”
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Example: “They dipped into their emergency fund to cover the bills.”
14. Get ahead
Meaning: To make progress financially or achieve financial success.
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Example: “If you manage your savings well, you’ll get ahead in life.”
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Example: “He’s been getting ahead by investing his money wisely.”
15. Chip in
Meaning: To contribute money towards something as part of a group.
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Example: “We all chipped in to buy a gift for our boss.”
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Example: “If everyone chips in, we can cover the cost of the meal.”
Phrasal Verbs for Financial Problems
Sometimes, financial issues arise, and these phrasal verbs describe the actions taken during such situations.
16. Run out of
Meaning: To use up all of something and have none left, especially money.
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Example: “We ran out of money before the end of the trip.”
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Example: “I can’t buy the tickets because I’ve run out of cash.”
17. Break even
Meaning: To neither make a profit nor a loss, especially in a business context.
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Example: “The business finally broke even after three years.”
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Example: “We’ll need to sell 50 tickets just to break even.”
18. Settle up
Meaning: To pay the money you owe, usually at the end of a transaction or agreement.
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Example: “Let’s settle up the bill before we leave.”
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Example: “I’ll settle up with you after the meal.”
Phrasal Verbs for Business Transactions
When dealing with business transactions, you may need to discuss contracts, payments, profits, and losses. These phrasal verbs are perfect for expressing such actions in a concise and clear way.
1. Take on
Meaning: To accept a responsibility or work, especially regarding money or business.
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Example: “Our company is taking on more clients this year.”
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Example: “I had to take on a new project to increase my income.”
2. Cash in on
Meaning: To make a profit from something, especially something that has become popular or successful.
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Example: “She cashed in on the booming tech market by selling her startup.”
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Example: “The company is looking to cash in on the popularity of its new product.”
3. Set up
Meaning: To establish something, such as a business, account, or fund.
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Example: “We need to set up a payment plan for the new clients.”
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Example: “She’s planning to set up a savings account for her children’s education.”
4. Turn over
Meaning: To generate income or sales, especially on a regular basis.
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Example: “This quarter, our business turned over a substantial amount in sales.”
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Example: “The store has a high turnover of products, making it a profitable business.”
5. Buy into
Meaning: To agree with or invest in an idea, business, or plan.
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Example: “The investors were hesitant to buy into the new venture.”
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Example: “He didn’t fully buy into the new company policies.”
6. Write off
Meaning: To cancel or disregard a debt, especially because it’s unlikely to be paid.
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Example: “The company had to write off a large portion of unpaid invoices.”
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Example: “I had to write off the loan as bad debt.”
Phrasal Verbs for Managing Financial Setbacks
Financial setbacks are inevitable, and how you handle them is crucial to your financial health. These phrasal verbs can help you express how you deal with financial difficulties and recover from them.
7. Fall behind
Meaning: To not keep up with a schedule or payments, often leading to overdue amounts.
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Example: “She fell behind on her mortgage payments after losing her job.”
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Example: “If you fall behind on the rent, you could face penalties.”
8. Cut down on
Meaning: To reduce spending or consumption of something, especially in times of financial difficulty.
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Example: “We need to cut down on unnecessary expenses to save money.”
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Example: “They had to cut down on their luxury purchases after the financial crisis.”
9. Dig yourself into a hole
Meaning: To get into a difficult or worse financial situation, often due to bad decisions.
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Example: “I’ve really dug myself into a hole with all these credit card debts.”
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Example: “He dug himself into a hole by investing in risky stocks.”
10. Pull through
Meaning: To recover from a financial or difficult situation.
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Example: “The business is struggling now, but we hope it will pull through.”
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Example: “After a few months of loss, the company pulled through and started making a profit again.”
11. Bounce back
Meaning: To recover quickly from a financial setback or loss.
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Example: “Despite the recession, they managed to bounce back and grow their market share.”
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Example: “It took a while, but I was able to bounce back from the financial difficulties.”
Phrasal Verbs for Handling Investments
Investments are crucial to long-term financial growth. Knowing how to talk about investments effectively using the right phrasal verbs can help you sound knowledgeable and confident in these discussions.
12. Cash out
Meaning: To sell an investment and take the money, often for a profit.
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Example: “He cashed out his stocks at the right time and made a substantial profit.”
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Example: “She decided to cash out her shares after the company’s IPO.”
13. Take over
Meaning: To acquire control of a company or investment.
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Example: “The company was taken over by a larger competitor last year.”
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Example: “The investors are planning to take over the smaller startup.”
14. Invest in
Meaning: To put money into something (e.g., a business, stock, property) with the hope of making a profit.
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Example: “He decided to invest in real estate to secure his financial future.”
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Example: “The company is looking to invest in emerging technologies.”
15. Hold on to
Meaning: To keep an investment rather than selling or trading it.
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Example: “I decided to hold on to my stocks, hoping they will increase in value.”
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Example: “Despite the market’s volatility, I’m going to hold on to my investments.”
16. Settle for
Meaning: To accept something less than what was expected or desired, often in financial terms.
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Example: “He had to settle for a smaller return on his investment.”
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Example: “She wasn’t happy with the deal, but she settled for it.”
FAQs on Phrasal Verbs for Talking About Money
What is a phrasal verb related to money?
A phrasal verb related to money is a verb combined with a preposition or adverb that expresses a financial action. For example, “pay off” means to completely repay a debt, and “cash in on” means to make a profit from something. These expressions are commonly used in both personal and business financial contexts.
What is the phrasal verb for spending money?
A common phrasal verb for spending money is “fork out”. It means to spend money, especially reluctantly or unexpectedly. For example, “I had to fork out a lot of money to fix the car.”
What is the phrasal verb for saving money?
A typical phrasal verb for saving money is “save up”. This means to accumulate money over time for a specific goal. For example, “I’m saving up for a new car.”
What verb to use with money?
Common verbs used with money include “spend,” “save,” “invest,” “earn,” and “borrow”. Each verb can be used with various phrasal verbs to express specific financial actions. For instance, you can “save up” money or “spend” money wisely.
What is the idiom for saved money?
An idiom for saved money is “put aside”. This expression refers to saving money for a specific purpose, such as a future need or emergency. For example, “I’ve put aside some money for a rainy day.”
Conclusion On phrasal verbs for talking about money
Using phrasal verbs for talking about money will not only help improve your financial vocabulary but also make your English sound more natural and fluent. These expressions are commonly used in daily life and business discussions, so incorporating them into your conversations will allow you to navigate financial topics more confidently.
To truly master these phrasal verbs, try practicing them in sentences, using them during real-life financial discussions, and paying attention to how native speakers incorporate them into their conversations. By familiarizing yourself with these phrasal verbs, you will be able to communicate more effectively about money, whether you’re managing your budget, negotiating with others, or discussing financial issues.