English Phrasal Verbs





Phrasal Verbs are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs and prepositions to make new verbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. They are widely used in both written and spoken English, and new ones are formed all the time as they are a flexible way of creating new terms.

A reference page of 2,570 current English Phrasal Verbs (also called multi-word verbs) with definitions and examples is here.

Phrasal Verbs beginning with N :



Naff off : Get lost, go away (used as imperative)

He was making a fuss, so I told him to NAFF OFF.


Nag at : Repeatedly criticize someone verbally

My boss is always NAGGING AT me about my arriving a few minutes late for work.


Nail down :

1. Succeed in getting, achieve

They are having trouble NAILING DOWN the contract.


2. Understand fully

I can not NAIL DOWN what is wrong with their idea, but I am sure it would not work.


3. Get full information from someone

I can not NAIL them DOWN about when they are going to finish the project.


4. Succeed or achieve something

I NAILED the job DOWN in the first interview.


Name after : Give someone a name to remember another person

I was NAMED AFTER my uncle who died in the war.


Nip off : Go somewhere quickly

I'm NIPPING OFF to get some milk.


Nip out : Go somewhere quickly

She'll be back in a minute- she's just NIPPED OUT to the shops.


Nod off : Fall asleep

I NODDED OFF during the speech.


Nose about : Look for something hidden or secret

The police are NOSING ABOUT to see if they can find anything against the gang.


Nose around : Look around for evidence

The boss keeps NOSING AROUND our office when we are out at lunch.


Note down : Write something short like a phone number for future reference.

She NOTED DOWN my fax number so that she could send me the documents when she got to the office.


Nut out : Find an answer to a problem

The management and unions had a meeting to NUT things OUT.

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