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10+ Business English Phrasal Verbs for Meetings and Teamwork (With Quiz and Practice)
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
In this article:
When you’re in a meeting, it’s hard to speak smoothly in a second language. You’re thinking about what you want to say, the grammar, the right Business English phrasal verb - all at the same time. That’s why practice should feel like a real meeting. So we’ll start with a short work scenario and a quick challenge. After that, you’ll learn a set of common Business English phrasal verbs people actually use in meetings.
Let's begin.
Today's Challenge
It’s the end of the day, and a big order has to go out before the carrier leaves. Boxes are everywhere, labels aren’t printed yet, and the pickup time is in ten minutes.
Your coworker looks stressed and says:
I can’t do this alone – everyone has to ____.
A) back out
B) pitch in
C) step back
D) hold off
Choose the option that sounds most natural in this situation.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the options.
back out
phrasal verb
to decide not to do something you already agreed or promised to do
I can’t back out now. I already told them I’d do it.
She backed out of the trip because she couldn’t get time off.
They were ready to sign, but the client backed out.
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pitch in
phrasal verb
to help with work, effort, or money so the group can finish something
Can you pitch in for a few minutes and help me move these boxes?
Everyone pitched in to get it done before the deadline.
We’re short-staffed today, so I’m going to pitch in.
step back
phrasal verb
1) to move a little farther away (physically);
2) to stop for a moment so you can think more clearly or see the bigger picture
Step back a bit - I can’t see the screen.
Let’s step back and look at what’s really causing the problem.
I need to step back for a day and clear my head.
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hold off
phrasal verb
to delay doing something until later
Let’s hold off on sending that email until we confirm the numbers.
Can we hold off until Monday?
I’m going to hold off buying it for now.
That's right! The correct answer is B) pitch in.
Learn more Business English phrasal verbs for meetings and teamwork
Let’s learn a few more Business English phrasal verbs that come up constantly in meetings and team communication.
help out
phrasal verb
to help someone for a short time
Thanks for helping out today—things got crazy after lunch.
I can help out, but I have a deadline at 3.
If you’re free, could you help out with the front desk?
jump in
phrasal verb
to start speaking or doing something immediately
Can I jump in for a second?
I’ll jump in here - what we’re really deciding is timeline vs cost.
Before we move on, let me jump in with one quick point.
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take on
phrasal verb
to agree to accept responsibility for a task, role, or project
I can take that on this week if it’s not urgent.
He keeps taking on too much and then gets overwhelmed.
I’m happy to take it on - just tell me what you need by when.
hand off
phrasal verb
to pass responsibility for a task to someone else
I just handed it off to Alex - he’ll take it from here.
Once you approve it, I’ll hand it off to the team.
I’m going to hand this off to you. Let me know if you need anything.
pick up
phrasal verb
1) continue something that’s already in progress
Let’s pick this up after the meeting.
I’ll pick it up where we left off.
2) to take care of something that someone else would normally do
I can pick that up. Just forward me the email chain so I have the context.
Can you pick up that task?
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step in
phrasal verb
to get involved to help or fix a situation
If she can’t make it, I can step in and take the morning shift.
Can you step in and talk to them? They’re not listening to me.
Our manager stepped in and cleared it up fast.
back up
phrasal verb
1) to support someone;
2) to make a copy of the data
Can you back me up on this? That’s not what we agreed to.
I’ll back you up in the meeting if it gets tense.
Did you back up the files before you changed anything?
follow up
phrasal verb
to check again later or take the next step after a message, meeting, or request
I’m just following up on the invoice from last week.
Can you follow up with them today? We still don’t have an answer.
I’ll follow up after the meeting and send the notes.
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wrap up
phrasal verb
to finish something
I’m wrapping up the report now and I’ll send it over.
We can wrap this up in five minutes.
Wrap up your notes and drop them in the folder.
Practice the Business English phrasal verbs you just learned
Read the scenario, choose the best response.
Checkout failure
It’s a busy afternoon at a large online retailer. Customer service has a lot of calls coming in. Many customers can’t place an order. Some customers also see a pending charge on their card, even though the order didn’t go through.
Mia, the manager on duty, walks over to Jordan’s desk. He’s an engineer on the checkout and payments team. She says:
A) Jordan, I’m going to hand this off to you - stay on it until checkout’s back to normal. Text me every ten minutes with an update. B) Jordan, customer service is getting crushed - can you swing by and help them catch up on calls for a bit? C) Jordan, can you roll back that last checkout change so people can place orders again? We’ll deal with the pending charges tomorrow.
Listen to the correct answer:
CHECK HERE
The correct answer is A. This sounds real because she gives him the problem to handle, says what needs to happen (checkout working again), and asks for quick updates.
The full dialogue and additional professional scenarios are available in Pro Vocabulary Lab. Link below.
Erin West is a Business English educator, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons, quizzes, and learning materials that help professionals use clear, natural, and confident English at work - with just the right amount of fun.
