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10 Common Business English Phrasal Verbs with “Out” That Professionals Actually Use (With Fun Quiz)
- Erin West
- Jul 24
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 4
Welcome to the Business English Phrasal Verbs Quiz!
Today’s Focus:
We're diving into some of the most useful “out” phrasal verbs you’ll hear in meetings, presentations, and team chats. These expressions help you describe situations clearly and sound more fluent at work.
Today’s Challenge:
Your marketing team has just launched a new campaign targeting a younger audience. It’s a bold move — something you’ve never tried before. Now, everyone’s waiting to see the results. You say:
Let’s see if this idea ______.
A) pans out B) tries out C) pays out D) leaves out
Choose the best answer and listen to the sentence!
Did you get it right?
PAN OUT
phrasal verb
to turn out well or have a good result
We weren’t sure about the new strategy, but luckily, it panned out better than expected.
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TRY OUT
phrasal verb
to test something to see if it works
Let’s try out this new app before we give it to the whole team.
PAY OUT
phrasal verb
to give a large amount of money
The insurance company paid out over $2 million after the cyberattack.
phrasal verb
to not include someone or something
Don’t leave out any details in the email — it’s important.
That's right! The correct answer is A) pans out.
Learn More Business English Phrasal Verbs with “Out”
There are many useful Business English phrasal verbs with “out” that people use every day at work. These phrases can help you sound more natural in meetings, emails, and presentations. Let’s look at a few more that are common and easy to use.
FIND OUT
phrasal verb
to learn something you didn’t know before
I just found out the meeting was moved to 2 PM.
Let me find out what the client needs before we respond.
She found out that the report had a small error.
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HAND OUT
phrasal verb
to give something to a group of people
Can you hand out the flyers before the presentation starts?
The manager handed out bonus checks at the end of the year.
They handed out laptops to all new employees.
RULE OUT
phrasal verb
to decide something is not possible or not a good option
We’ve ruled out hiring another agency — it’s too expensive.
That idea sounds good, but let’s not rule it out just yet.
The doctor ruled out a serious illness.
FIGURE OUT
phrasal verb
to understand something or find a solution
We need to figure out why the website keeps crashing.
I finally figured out how to use this new tool.
Let’s sit down and figure this out together.
POINT OUT
phrasal verb
to show or mention something important
She pointed out a mistake in the budget.
I just want to point out that we’re behind schedule.
He pointed out a great idea during the meeting.
CARRY OUT
phrasal verb
to complete something (a task, plan)
They carried out a customer survey last week.
We’ll carry out the plan after we get approval.
He carried out the changes quickly and professionally.
phrasal verb
to have no more of something
We ran out of coffee again!
The printer ran out of paper during the presentation.
Time’s running out — we need to decide today.
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TURN OUT
phrasal verb
to end in a certain way
The project turned out better than expected.
It turned out the client wasn’t ready to sign.
Things didn’t turn out the way we hoped.
SINGLE OUT
phrasal verb
to choose one person or thing from a group for special attention
The manager singled out Maya for doing a great job.
He felt uncomfortable being singled out.
Let’s single out one product to test first.
Take the Quiz and Practice Business English Phrasal Verbs with “Out”
Choose the best option to complete each sentence.
Keep practicing: More Business English quizzes.
KEY
1. At the meeting, the CEO _____ a few key risks we hadn’t considered.
A) ran out
B) turned out
C) handed out
D) pointed out
2. Can you help me _____ why our sales dropped last quarter?
A) figure out
B) pay out
C) turn out
D) hand out
3. We should _____ that option — it’s too risky for this market.
A) carry out
B) pan out
C) rule out
D) try out
4. The team _____ the new guidelines during the staff meeting.
A) turned out
B) handed out
C) singled out
D) figured out
5. We’ve _____ of time — we need to wrap this up now.
A) panned out
B) ruled out
C) run out
D) turned out
6. Our developers are ready to _____ testing once they get approval.
A) carry out
B) figure out
C) leave out
D) point out
7. It _____ that the supplier had already shipped the wrong items.
A) ran out
B) singled out
C) turned out
D) found out
8. During the presentation, the manager _____ Lisa for her outstanding work.
A) figured out
B) singled out
C) pointed out
D) handed out
9. The team just launched a completely new product line. Now everyone’s watching to see if it really _____.
A) figures out
B) pans out
C) runs out
D) rules out
10. We can’t move forward with the proposal until we _____ exactly how much they’re willing to spend.
A) carry out
B) hand out
C) find out
D) point out
You're doing great! Click the image below to try another Business English Vocabulary Quiz!
FAQ: Business English Phrasal Verbs with "out"
What does "pan out" mean in Business English?
It means to have a good or successful result.
We weren’t sure about the new strategy, but it really panned out in the end.
"Figure out" vs "find out" — what’s the difference?
Figure out = to understand something or find a solution to a problem.
Find out = to learn new information, often from a source.
Example:
Let’s figure out why sign-ups dropped, then find out what competitors changed.
"Turn out" vs "pan out" — which should I use?
"Turn out" describes the actual result, whether good, bad, or neutral.
The meeting turned out shorter than we expected.
It turned out the client wasn’t ready to sign.
"Pan out" is used when the result is successful or positive.
The risky investment panned out and doubled our profits.
We weren’t sure about the new strategy, but it panned out well.
If the outcome is simply the way things ended (good or bad), use "turn out". If you want to emphasize that it was a success, use "pan out".
Can I use "rule out" in a business email?
Yes, you can use “rule out” in a business email. It is common, professional, and clear in both spoken and written business English.
"Rule out" means to exclude something as an option or possibility.
We can rule out that supplier due to high costs.
At this stage, we cannot rule out delays in delivery.
The team has ruled out expanding into that region for now.
What does “single out” mean at work?
“Single out” means choosing one person or thing from a group for special attention. This can be positive (praise) or negative (criticism).
The manager singled out Jane for her outstanding work.
He felt uncomfortable being singled out for criticism.
Be careful: while it often highlights good performance, it can also sound critical depending on tone and context.
Is “hand out” too casual for business writing?
No. “Hand out” is neutral and is widely used in workplaces to mean “give something to a group of people.”
The HR team handed out training materials before the session.
Managers handed out bonuses at the end of the year.
In very formal reports, you might prefer distribute, but in emails, presentations, or meetings, hand out is completely fine.
Can I use “run out” without ‘of’?
Yes, but meaning changes slightly.
We ran out of time = we no longer had any time.
Time ran out = time ended.
Both are correct, but when you mention the resource directly, use run out of.
This article is brought to you by RealBusinessEnglish.com, where learning Business English is practical, professional, and just the right amount of fun.
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