lay off, come to, get by, fall apart, step down: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Phrasal Verbs set 15. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. lay off · phrasal verb

   dismiss from employment; fire

   The giant car producer announced that they will lay off around 1,000 workers at its two factories due to "challenging market conditions”.

   Synonyms: let go, dismiss

2. come to · phrasal verb

   regain consciousness

   When the patient came to after the surgery, he found the pain to be excruciating.

   Synonyms: become conscious, wake up

3. get by · phrasal verb

   succeed or survive

   Without any income from farming, he somehow managed to get by on some small earnings from his grocery store.

   Synonyms: cope, get along, manage

4. fall apart · phrasal verb

   to break down or collapse

   Hannah has many issues going on with her career and, on top of that her marriage is falling apart.

   Synonyms: fall to pieces, break apart

5. step down · phrasal verb

   resign

   Most of us realized that Joe had been much less active in a few of he projects, but none of us was expecting him to step down as lead developer.

   Synonyms: quit, retire, quit