back off »
To become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act.
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balls-up »
Something which becomes muddled or botched in some way.
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be taken ill »
To become ill.
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blanket term »
A word or phrase that is used to describe multiple groups of related things. The degree of relation may vary. Blanket terms often trade specificity for ease-of-use; in other words, a blanket term by itself gives little detail about the things that it describes or the relationships between them, but is easy to say and remember. Blanket terms often originate as slang, and eventually become integrated into the general vocabulary.
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blimp out »
To become fat or fatter, especially as a result of excessive eating.
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blow a fuse »
To lose one's temper; to become enraged.
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blow a gasket »
To become very angry or upset.
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blow up »
To become popular very quickly.
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break down »
To become unstable, mentally or otherwise.
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brighten up »
To become brighter.
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buckle down »
To put forth the needed effort; to focus; become serious; apply oneself.
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catch a buzz »
To become slightly inebriated, but not yet be drunk.
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catch a cold »
To become infected with cold.
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catch fire »
Become engulfed with flames.
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catch on »
To become popular; to become commonplace; to become the standard.
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change hands »
To become the property of someone else; to be bought or sold.
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cheer up »
To become happy.
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clam up »
To become silent; to stop talking, to shut up.
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clean up »
To become clean, handsome, smart in appearance, e.g. for a special occasion, especially when it is out of character to be seen as such.
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clear up »
Of stormy weather, to dissipate, to become calm.
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cloud up »
To become cloudy.
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collect one's thoughts »
To become mentally composed, especially after being distressed, surprised, or disoriented; to become calm or organized in one's emotional state or thinking, as in preparation for a conversation, speech, decision, etc.
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come of age »
To mature, or become fully developed.
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come off »
To become detached.
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come online »
To enter service or become active.
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come out in the wash »
Of problems or difficulties, to work out, resolve, or become understood eventually and naturally.
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come out of one's shell »
To become a naturist. To convert to naturism.
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come unhinged »
To become angered or crazy; to lose control of one's senses or sanity.
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come up »
To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly; to come to attention, present itself.
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cool down »
To become cooler, to be reduced in temperature.
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cool down »
To become less agitated.
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cool down »
To cause to become less agitated.
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cool one's jets »
To become less excited, intense, or active.
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crack up »
To become insane; to suffer a mental breakdown.
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cradle robber »
A person who marries or becomes romantically involved with someone who is much younger or who employs or otherwise engages a young person for a purpose inappropriate for his or her age.
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day in, day out »
Every day; daily; constantly or continuously; especially, of something that has become routine or monotonous.
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dead as a dodo »
That has become out of date.
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desperate times call for desperate measures »
In adverse circumstances actions that might have been rejected under other circumstances may become the best choice.
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die »
To stop living; to become dead; to undergo death.
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die down »
To become less virulent.
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die out »
To become extinct.
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dumb down »
To become simpler in expression or content; to become unacceptably simplistic.
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fall off »
To become detached or to drop from.
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familiarity breeds contempt »
The more acquainted one becomes with a person, the more one knows about his or her shortcomings and, hence, the easier it is to dislike that person.1894, H. Rider Haggard, The People Of The Mist, ch. 25:This was the beginning of evil, for if no man is a hero to his valet de chambre, much less can he remain a god for long in the eyes of a curious woman. Here, as in other matters, familiarity breeds contempt.
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fill up »
To become full.
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fly off the handle »
To become very angry or enraged; to throw a fit or go crazy.
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fold up »
To make or become more compact by folding.
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fools rush in where angels fear to tread »
A person who does not plan ahead and think matters through becomes involved in risky or unfavorable situations which prudent people avoid.
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force of habit »
An act that has been repeated to the point where the performance of the act becomes automatic.
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get a grip »
To relax; to calm down; to stop being angry; to come to one's senses or become more rational.
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get bent out of shape »
To take offense; to become angry, agitated or upset.
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get carried away »
To become excessively involved, to take something too far.
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get cold feet »
To become nervous or anxious and reconsider a decision about an upcoming event.
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get down to business »
To become involved with something work-related.
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get into one's stride »
To become familiar with something recently learnt.
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get into trouble »
To become pregnant.
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get into trouble »
To perform an action which is illegal, prohibited, forbidden or proscribed and to become subject to punishment for such action.
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get off »
To become sexually aroused.
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get one's act together »
To become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.
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get one's back up »
To become angry, defensive, or irritable.
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get one's knickers in a twist »
To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.
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get someone's nose out of joint »
To become angry; to take offense or take exception.
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get stuck into »
Get busy with; become occupied with; become immersed in.
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go ballistic »
To become very angry and irrational.
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go batshit »
To become completely irrational; to react in an irrationally extreme manner.
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go by the wayside »
To become obsolete or outmoded.
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go from zero to hero »
To become very popular after being unpopular.
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go mad »
To become insane.
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go native »
To adopt the lifestyle or outlook of local inhabitants, especially when dwelling in a colonial region; to become less refined under the influence of a less cultured, more primitive, or simpler social environment.
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go off »
To explode metaphorically; to become very angry.
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go off »
To putrefy or become inedible.
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go off the boil »
To become less successful.
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go off the boil »
To become of diminished intensity or urgency.
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go out »
To become extinct, to expire.
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go out with »
Often in hopes that the relationship will become more longterm as in definition 1.
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go red »
To become sunburnt.
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go south »
To become unfavorable; to decrease; to take a turn for the worse.
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go the way of the dinosaurs »
To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go off the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.
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go the way of the dodo »
To go extinct or become obsolete; to fall out of common use or practice; to go out of the firsthand market; to become a thing of the past.
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go west »
To die; to become destroyed.
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grow cold »
To wane; to lose interest or enthusiasm for something or someone; to become disenchanted or to fall out of love with someone.
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grow on »
To become more likeable to someone.
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grow out of »
To become too physically large for something, especially clothes.
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grow out of »
To become too mature for something.
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grow up »
To mature and become an adult.
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harden »
To become hard.
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harden »
To become or make a thing resistant or less sensitive.
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have a fit »
To become suddenly enraged.
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have had it up to here »
To have become very frustrated or angry; to have reached the limit of one's patience or forbearance.
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head south »
Alternative form of go south; to decrease or become unfavorable; to take a turn for the worse.
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heat up »
To heat, to cause to become hotter.
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hit the big time »
To become successful and widely known.
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hot up »
To become more heated.
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hunger is a good sauce »
(dated) Being hungry makes one less concerned about the taste of one's food.1854, Mark Lemon, Henry Mayhew, Tom Taylor, Shirley Brooks, Francis Cowley Burnand, Owen Seaman, Punch, Vol. XXVI, Punch Publications Ltd., page 74:His bread and cheese were somewhat dry, to be sure; his ale had become flat, and considerably warmer than was desirable; but hunger is a good sauce, and thirst is not particular.
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ice over »
To become covered in ice, usually of a body of water.
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ice up »
To become clogged with ice, usually of a mechanical device.
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jump »
To propel oneself rapidly upward such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.
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knock up »
To become exhausted or worn out; to fail of strength; to become wearied, as with labor; to give out.
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light up »
To become light, to brighten.
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lighten up »
To become less serious and more cheerful or casual; to relax.
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lose one's cool »
To become upset or disconcerted; to lose one's temper.
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lose one's mind »
To become mad, insane.
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make it »
To become famous and successful.
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make it big »
To become famous and successful.
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many a mickle makes a muckle »
(UK) a lot of small amounts together, become a large amount.
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melt into »
To become a liquid by melting.
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orange up »
To become more orange.
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pay off »
To become worthwhile after a lapse.
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power up »
To become ready for operation as a result of the provision of electrical power.
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puff up »
To become proud.
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pull oneself together »
To become mentally focused after a period of being unfocused.
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put on airs »
To become haughty, to assume a haughty manner.
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quiet down »
To become quieter.
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quiet down »
To make someone or something become quieter.
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quieten down »
To become quieter.
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quieten down »
To make someone or something become quieter.
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rex-pat »
A repeat expatriate, one who becomes ex-patriated a second time.
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rob the cradle »
To marry or become romantically involved with a much younger person.
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run afoul of »
To become entangled in; to run aground on.
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set in »
become established
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shake the pagoda tree »
To find a source of easy enrichment; to become absurdly rich in a short time.
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shape up »
To take shape; to transform into or become.
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sink in »
Become clear in one's mind.
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sink one's teeth into »
To become involved in; particularly in an enthusiastic manner.
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sober up »
To become sober.
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spread out »
Become further apart.
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suck in »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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suck into »
To cause someone to become slowly more and more involved in a business or situation that is often not to that person's liking.
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take a seat »
To sit down; to become seated.
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take against »
To stop liking someone. Become unfriendly.
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take effect »
To become active; to become effective.
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take ill »
To become ill.
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take off »
To become successful, to flourish.
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take over »
To become more successful than someone or something else.
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take the lead »
To become the leader, to advance into first place.
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taper off »
To diminish or lessen gradually; to become smaller, slower, quieter, etc.
|
thin out »
To make or become sparse.
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throw a fit »
To become angry, enraged, or upset; to act or react with an outburst, as by shouting, swearing, etc.
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trip out »
To have a fit, to become enraged.
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turn a hair »
To become afraid or visibly upset.
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turn into »
To transform into; become.
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turn to stone »
To become completely still, not moving.
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turn to stone »
To cause something to become stone.
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up-and-comer »
Someone who is up-and-coming, who has begun to be successful in some field and is likely to become even more successful in the future.
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wack out »
To become deranged.
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warm up »
To become warmer.
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waste away »
To lose energy and become weak and feeble.
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wax lyrical »
To become, or tend to become lyrical.
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wear out »
To cause to become damaged, useless, or ineffective through continued use, especially hard, heavy, or careless use.
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wear out »
To deteriorate or become unusable or ineffective due to continued use, exposure, or strain.
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wear out »
To become exhausted, tired, fatigued, or weary, as by continued strain or exertion.
|
wind down »
To slow; to become calmer or less busy.
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