If you’re trying to learn English for work, phrasal verbs can be one of the more difficult parts of business English.
You may understand words such as begin, investigate and resolve, but in meetings and project updates you will often hear people say kick off, look into and sort out instead.
These business English phrasal verbs are common when people discuss projects, deadlines, problems, decisions and next steps. Learning them will help you understand your colleagues more easily and make your own spoken English sound more natural at work.
In this lesson, you’ll learn 20 phrasal verbs for business English meetings and project updates, with clear meanings, workplace examples and important differences between expressions that are easy to confuse.
- What phrasal verbs are and why they matter at work
- Starting a meeting or giving an update
- Talking about progress and action
- Explaining problems, delays and changing dates
- Talking about next steps and closing a meeting
- How to give a clear project update in English
- Practise using the phrasal verbs in your own work
- FAQ
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is usually a verb together with one or two short words which create a particular meaning.
For example:
- look + into = investigate
- sort + out = resolve
- push + back = arrange for something to happen later
Trying to understand each individual word will not always help. It is much easier to learn the whole expression and then practise it in a complete sentence.
Compare these two project updates:
“We encountered a problem with the supplier. This delayed the project, so we have postponed the launch. I am investigating the additional cost and will contact you tomorrow.”
“We ran into a problem with the supplier, and that held us up for a few days. We’ve had to push the launch back, but I’m looking into the extra cost and I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
Both versions are correct. The second one is simply closer to the English you are likely to hear in everyday meetings and project conversations.
Starting an updatePhrasal verbs for starting a meeting or giving an update
These four phrasal verbs are useful when you begin a meeting, introduce a subject or help somebody understand what has already happened.
1Kick off
Meaning: to start something. You can use it for a meeting, project, event or new stage of work.
ExamplesLet’s kick off with a quick review of the actions from last week.
We’re kicking the project off on Monday with a call involving all three suppliers.
- kick off the meeting
- kick the meeting off
- kick it off
- kick off it
With a pronoun, put it in the middle: Shall we kick it off? You may also see kick-off with a hyphen before a noun: We have a kick-off meeting on Monday.
2Bring up
Meaning: to introduce a subject because you want people to discuss it. Perhaps everyone is discussing delivery dates, but nobody has mentioned the budget.
ExamplesCan I just bring up one point about the budget?
Nobody brought up the budget until the last ten minutes of the meeting.
With a pronoun: I didn’t want to bring it up during the client call. In a formal report you might use raise an issue, but in normal spoken business English, bring up is very natural.
3Go over
Meaning: to review something or look at it again. You might go over figures before a decision, go over an agenda at the start of a meeting or go over a proposal before sending it to a client.
ExamplesCan we go over the figures once more before we make a decision?
I’ll go over the three main risks first, and then we can discuss what to do about them.
If somebody says Can we go over that again?, they want you to review or explain the point one more time.
4Fill someone in
Meaning: to give someone information they have missed — perhaps they were not at the meeting, did not join a client call or have only recently joined the project.
ExamplesSorry, I couldn’t make the call yesterday. Can you fill me in on what was agreed?
I’ll fill Sarah in on the latest changes before Friday’s meeting.
The structurefill + person + in + on + subject — Can you fill me in on what happened? / I’ll fill him in on the new deadline.
This is different from fill in a form or fill in for somebody. Here, you are giving somebody the information they missed.
If your main problem is finding a way to enter the discussion, ask questions or check decisions, English Phrases for Meetings covers the language you need through the whole meeting.
Listen to the lesson
This lesson is also available as Episode 606 of Speak Better English with Harry. In this episode, Harry explains all 20 phrasal verbs and shows you how they sound in complete workplace situations.
Phrasal verbs for progress and action
A project has started. Decisions have been made. Now people need to discuss what is happening, who needs to do something and whether the work is ready for the next stage.
5Move forward with
Meaning: to be ready to continue with a plan — perhaps you were waiting for approval or for a problem to be resolved.
ExamplesNow that finance has approved the budget, we can move forward with the pilot.
We can’t move forward with the rollout until the legal team has checked the contract.
The plan already exists. The question is whether you are now ready to continue with it.
6Follow up on
Meaning: to go back to something because it still needs to be checked, confirmed or found out.
ExamplesI’ll follow up on the quotation this afternoon.
Can you follow up on those two actions and let me know where we are?
You can also follow up with somebody. Compare: I’ll follow up on the quotation (the thing you’re checking) and I’ll follow up with the supplier (the person or company you’re contacting).
7Put together
Meaning: to prepare or assemble something. At work, you can put together a report, proposal, presentation, schedule or team.
ExamplesI’ll put together a short summary before tomorrow’s meeting.
Can you put the revised timeline together by Thursday?
We need to put together a small team from finance, operations and marketing.
You are taking different pieces of information or different people and creating something that is ready to use.
8Follow through on
Meaning: to actually do what you said you would do. This is easy to confuse with follow up on, but it is not the same.
ExamplesWe’re still waiting for the quotation. I’ll follow up on it this afternoon.
We promised the client the revised plan by Friday, so we need to follow through on that.
If you follow up on something, you check what is happening.
If you follow through on something, you actually do what you said you would do.
Think of it this way: follow up = check, follow through = do what you promised.
9Roll out
Meaning: to introduce something new to more people or a wider part of the organisation. It could be a new system, product, process or training programme.
ExamplesWe’re rolling the new system out to the sales team first.
If the pilot goes well, we’ll roll it out across Europe.
A rollout often happens in stages. You test something with one group first and then introduce it more widely.
If you want to continue building this part of your vocabulary, 22 Phrasal Verbs for Business covers another set of phrasal verbs used at work.
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Find the right words more quickly in meetings
You may understand the discussion and know what you want to say, but still need more time to put the sentence together in English.
Speak Up in Meetings gives you useful phrases for the situations that come up regularly at work: joining the discussion, asking for clarification, giving your opinion, disagreeing carefully and checking what has been agreed.
See Speak Up in Meetings →Phrasal verbs for problems, delays and changing dates
This is where phrasal verbs become especially useful. Project updates often involve an unexpected problem, a delay, a changed date and somebody trying to fix the situation.
10Run into
Meaning: to meet an unexpected difficulty. Everything may have been progressing normally until something went wrong.
ExamplesWe ran into a problem when we tried to connect the two systems.
The team has run into some difficulty getting the information from the client.
You can also run into a person: I ran into Michael at the airport means you met him unexpectedly. At work, though, you’ll very often hear run into a problem, run into difficulty or run into an issue.
11Hold up
Meaning: when something holds up the work, it delays it.
ExamplesWe’re still waiting for the final figures, and that’s holding up the report.
The traffic held me up, so I arrived twenty minutes late.
You may also hear hold-up as a noun: There’s been a hold-up with the delivery. The work itself may be ready to continue, but something else is preventing it.
12Push back
Meaning: if you push something back, you arrange for it to happen later.
ExamplesWe’ve had to push the launch back by two weeks.
Can we push the meeting back until three?
The meeting or launch is still happening. Only the time or date has changed. If somebody says We’ll have to push it back, it could mean the meeting, deadline or launch already discussed.
13Bring forward
Meaning: the opposite of push back. When you bring something forward, you arrange for it to happen earlier.
ExamplesThe client has asked us to bring the meeting forward from Thursday to Tuesday.
We may be able to bring the launch forward by a week.
Learn these two as a pair: push back = later, bring forward = earlier.
When dates matter, give the original and new date: The meeting has been brought forward from Thursday to Tuesday. That removes any possible doubt.
14Look into
Meaning: to investigate something. Use this when you know there is a problem, but you do not yet know exactly what caused it or what the answer is.
ExamplesI’m looking into the difference between the two estimates.
Could you look into why the customer hasn’t received the order?
A very common workplace reply is I’ll look into it and get back to you. You are not promising that you already know the solution. You are promising to investigate.
15Sort out
Meaning: to deal with a problem and resolve it.
ExamplesWe need to sort out the access problem before the training begins.
I spoke to the supplier this morning and they’ve sorted it out.
I’ll look into it. I will investigate and find out what happened.
I’ll sort it out. I will deal with the problem and try to resolve it.
If you do not yet know what caused the problem, look into it is usually the safer expression. Once you know what has gone wrong and what needs to be done, you can sort it out.
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Phrasal verbs for next steps and closing a meeting
The final five are useful when a meeting is coming to an end and people need to organise what happens afterwards.
16Wrap up
Meaning: to finish something or bring it to an end. You can also wrap up a discussion, a piece of work or a stage of a project.
ExamplesOkay, I think we should wrap up now.
We need to wrap up the meeting in the next five minutes.
We’re wrapping up the final testing this week.
In a meeting you may simply hear Okay, let’s wrap it up.
17Set up
Meaning: to arrange or organise something so that it is ready. You can set up a meeting, call, system, account or process.
ExamplesI’ll set up another call with the supplier for Thursday.
Can you set up the new user accounts before the training session?
If somebody says I’ll set it up, the meaning depends on what you were already discussing.
18Hand over
Meaning: when you hand something over, responsibility passes from one person or team to another.
ExamplesI’ll hand the project over to Marta before I go on leave.
The development team will hand the finished system over to operations next month.
This normally includes explaining what has already been done, what still needs attention, what the next deadlines are and anything the new person needs to know. You will also hear handover as a noun: Can we arrange the handover for Thursday?
19Get back to
Meaning: when you get back to somebody, you contact them again later because you need to check something first.
ExamplesI don’t have the final figure with me, but I’ll get back to you this afternoon.
Can you speak to your team and get back to us by Friday?
Where possible, say when: I’ll get back to you tomorrow morning is more useful than I’ll get back to you.
20Sign off on
Meaning: when somebody signs off on something, they give final approval. You can sign off on a budget, proposal, design, contract or another piece of work.
ExamplesFinance needs to sign off on the revised budget before we place the order.
Has the client signed off on the final design?
Be careful with another meaning. To sign off an email means to finish it with something such as Best regards and your name. To sign off on a proposal means to approve it.
How to give a clear project update in English
You do not need all 20 phrasal verbs in one update. In fact, trying to use too many would sound unnatural. Instead, choose the expressions that help you explain the sequence clearly:
- Where things stand.“Let me fill you in on where we are.”
- What happened.“We ran into a problem with the supplier.”
- What effect it had.“That held us up for two days.”
- What has been done.“We’ve sorted it out now.”
- What happens next.“So we can move forward with the testing.”
- What you still need to check.“I’m still looking into the extra cost.”
- When people will hear from you again.“I’ll get back to you by Thursday.”
Put together, it sounds like this:
“Let me fill you in on where we are. We ran into a problem with the supplier, and that held us up for two days. We’ve sorted it out now, so we can move forward with the testing. I’m still looking into the extra cost, and I’ll get back to you by Thursday.”
That gives the other people in the meeting exactly what they need: the problem, its effect, what has been done and what still needs to happen.
Word orderWord order with business English phrasal verbs
You do not need to learn a long grammar rule before using these expressions, but there are a few patterns worth noticing. Some can be separated, and with these the pronoun normally goes in the middle:
Separable
kick off
- Let’s kick off the meeting.
- Let’s kick the meeting off.
- Let’s kick it off.
bring up
- She brought up the budget.
- She brought the budget up.
- She brought it up.
put together
- I’ve put together a report.
- I’ve put the report together.
- I’ve put it together.
push back
- We pushed back the meeting.
- We pushed the meeting back.
- We pushed it back.
Other expressions stay together:
- go over the figures
- look into the problem
- follow up on the quotation
- move forward with the plan
- get back to the client
- sign off on the budget
Do not spend too much time trying to memorise labels such as separable and inseparable. Learn the expression inside a complete sentence you could genuinely use at work.
Practise the phrasal verbs in your own work situations
Do not try to force all 20 into one conversation. Choose four or five that fit the work you actually do and practise them aloud. Try these situations without looking for a prepared answer:
- A supplier problem has delayed your project. Give your manager a short update: explain the unexpected problem, the effect on the schedule, what you are doing about it and when you will provide more information.
- You are starting a project meeting. Begin the meeting, review the important dates and introduce one budget question that nobody has discussed yet.
- You missed yesterday’s client call. Ask a colleague to tell you what happened and what was agreed.
- Your team promised a revised proposal by Friday. Explain the difference between checking what is happening and actually completing what you promised.
- The launch date needs to change. Explain clearly whether it is moving earlier or later and give both dates.
- A problem has appeared in two sets of figures. You do not know the cause yet. Explain what you will do first, then what you hope to do once you know the cause.
- You are closing a meeting. Finish the discussion, arrange another call, say who will take responsibility for the project while you are away and explain which decision still needs final approval.
Say your answer aloud. The important part is not whether you use five phrasal verbs. It is whether the update sounds clear and natural.
You also need the words to speak up in the meeting
If you regularly have meetings in English, you may need more than vocabulary. You also need simple phrases you can use when you want to speak, ask a question, disagree or check the next step.
Speak Up in Meetings includes ready-to-use phrases for these situations, with examples and notes on when to use them.
Get Speak Up in Meetings →Frequently asked questions about business English phrasal verbs
What is the difference between “follow up on” and “follow through on”?
Follow up on means to check something or take further action to find out what is happening.
I’ll follow up on the quotation this afternoon.
Follow through on means to do what you promised or agreed to do.
We promised to send the revised plan by Friday, so we need to follow through on that.
What is the difference between “look into” and “sort out”?
Use look into when you need to investigate a problem.
I’ll look into why the figures are different.
Use sort out when you deal with the problem and resolve it.
We’ve sorted out the problem with the figures.
Very often, you look into a problem before you can sort it out.
What is the difference between “push back” and “bring forward”?
When you push a meeting or deadline back, you move it to a later time or date.
We’ve pushed the meeting back from Tuesday to Thursday.
When you bring it forward, you move it to an earlier time or date.
We’ve brought the meeting forward from Thursday to Tuesday.
This is one of the distinctions worth learning as a pair.
Can “push back” also mean disagree or resist something?
Yes. In business English, push back can also mean to resist a suggestion, request or decision.
The team pushed back against the proposed deadline.
That is different from push a meeting back, which means to arrange it for a later time. Learners will encounter both meanings at work.
Can I use “kick off” with clients?
Yes. Kick off is common workplace English and sounds natural in many normal client meetings.
Let’s kick off with a quick review of the project.
If the situation is very formal, start or begin may be more suitable.
Which phrasal verbs are useful when giving a project update?
A useful combination is:
- fill someone in — to introduce the update
- run into — to explain an unexpected problem
- hold up — to explain a delay
- sort out — to explain what has been resolved
- move forward with — to explain what can continue
- look into — to explain what still needs investigation
- get back to — to say when you will provide more information
Related Business English lessons
If this lesson was useful, these will help you sound clearer and more natural in meetings at work.
- English Phrases for Meetings Use this when you need language for joining a discussion, giving your opinion, asking for clarification, buying time and checking decisions.
- Must-Have English Phrases for Online Meetings Use this when your meetings are on Teams, Zoom or Google Meet and you need English for joining the call, technical problems, interrupting, clarifying and closing the meeting.
- How to Interrupt Politely in English at Work Use this when you know what you want to say but find it difficult to enter a fast discussion without sounding rude.
- 22 Phrasal Verbs for Business Use this when you want to continue learning natural phrasal verbs that appear in everyday business English.
- How to Agree and Disagree in English Use this when you need to respond to other people’s ideas, agree partly or explain a different view without sounding unnecessarily direct.