FlipVerbs
FlipVerbs · Clusters
💼 Work

When work takes over
and you take it back

Phrasal verbs for the pressure, the deadlines, and the moments you choose to push or step away.

6 pairs to explore B1 – B2 Real-life English
Most used in this cluster

Start with the essentials

The three pairs you'll hear most when work is the theme.

a lone office worker surrounded by towering stacks of paper and files
fall behind
when deadlines start winning
a runner far behind the pack on an empty track at night
slack off
when focus slowly disappears
an hourglass almost empty on a desk with blurred city lights behind
take on
when you say yes to too much
One verb, many opposites

fall behind — it depends on the situation

The same phrasal verb has different opposites depending on what's slipping. Choose your context.

two cyclists on a long road, one catching up to the other
fall behind
⭐ most used pair
↔ catch up
a runner far behind the pack on an empty track at night
fall behind
complementary
↔ keep up
a runner far behind the pack on an empty track at night
fall behind
complementary
↔ press on

Go deeper  ·  Discover what work really sounds like

Work · pair
slack off
↔buckle down Flip it →
↔knuckle down Flip it →
Work · pair
take on
↔hand off Flip it →
↔step back Flip it →
Work · pair
step up
↔back down Flip it →
↔stand aside Flip it →
Work · pair
press on
↔call it off Flip it →
↔wind down Flip it →