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6 Must-Know Business English Phrasal Verbs for Meetings and Professional Communication
- Erin West
- Feb 20, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Dec 13, 2025
In this article, you’ll learn business English phrasal verbs that professionals use in meetings, discussions, and everyday work situations. These phrases can be confusing because their meaning often depends on context. You’ll see how they’re used in real workplace conversations and practice choosing the most natural option — so you can follow discussions more easily and sound more confident at work.
Today’s Challenge:
Imagine this situation.
You’re in a short team meeting. A colleague gives a quick update and explains a problem that came up earlier. The meeting moves on fast, and no one asks questions.
Later that day, you’re thinking about what he said. You realize you’re still not fully sure what actually happened. The explanation sounded fine at the time — but now something feels missing.
When you mention it to a coworker, you say:
I wasn’t completely sure what happened. He did explain the issue but _____ some important details.
A) went through
B) left out
C) put off
D) handed out
Choose the option that sounds most natural in this situation.
Let’s take a closer look at what these phrasal verbs mean and how to use them naturally at work.
GO THROUGH
phrasal verb
to carefully examine something
Before we actually decide on anything, we'd better go through the contract again.
The manager will go through the report to check for any errors.
We should go through the data before presenting it to the client.
She always goes through her emails first thing in the morning.
I’ll need to go through these documents before the meeting.
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LEAVE OUT
phrasal verb
to not include something
Don’t leave out any details when explaining the project to the team.
She accidentally left out her contact details in the email.
The manager felt something was left out in the proposal, which delayed the decision.
The instructions were unclear because they left out several critical steps.
Want more practice? Check out 10 Common Business English Phrasal Verbs with “Out” That Professionals Actually Use (With Fun Quiz)
PUT OFF
phrasal verb
to delay doing something
Let’s put off the decision until we have the final numbers.
They decided to put off the meeting because several people were unavailable.
We had to put off the launch due to technical issues.
The manager suggested putting off the discussion until next week.
They put off signing the contract while legal reviewed the terms.
HAND OUT
phrasal verb
to distribute something to a group of people
The team leader will hand out the new project guidelines during the meeting.
The assistant handed out the brochures at the conference.
Please hand out the materials before the workshop begins.
The manager asked the receptionist to hand out the name tags to the attendees.
They handed out surveys to gather feedback after the seminar.
That's right! The correct answer is B) left out.
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Learn More Business English Phrasal Verbs for Professional Communication
Great job on the quiz!
Below are more Business English phrasal verbs commonly used in meetings and professional communication. In the next section, you’ll practice them in two steps: first by matching each verb with its meaning, and then by completing short gaps in context.
Step 1. Match the phrasal verbs to the definitions.
1. bring up | a) to review something carefully |
2. point out | b) to make someone understand what you mean |
3. get a message/ point across | c) to not include something or someone |
4. follow up | d) to start talking about a topic, idea, or problem |
5. go over | e) to mention or show something important so others notice it |
6. leave out | f) to contact someone again after an earlier action or message |
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Step 2. Read the phrasal verbs and their definitions.
BRING something UP
phrasal verb
to start talking about a topic, idea, or problem
I’ll bring this up in tomorrow’s meeting.
She brought up a good question about the new policy.
Let’s bring it up with the client next week.
POINT something OUT
phrasal verb
to mention or show something important so others notice it
Thanks for pointing out that error in the report.
He pointed out some areas we need to improve.
I just wanted to point out that the deadline is next Friday.
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GET a message/ point ACROSS
phrasal verb to make someone understand what you mean
We need to get our main message across clearly.
She’s good at getting her ideas across to the team.
I hope I got my point across during the presentation.
FOLLOW UP (with, on something)
phrasal verb
to contact someone again after an earlier action or message
I’ll follow up with you after the meeting.
Can you follow up on that email from the client?
She always follows up to make sure everyone is on track.
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GO OVER something
phrasal verb
to review something carefully
Let’s go over the plan one more time.
We need to go over the budget before we submit it.
The manager went over the new guidelines with us.
LEAVE something OUT
phrasal verb
to not include something or someone
Please don’t leave out any important details.
I think you left out a few numbers in this report.
They left out some key points in the presentation.
Step 3. Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.
1.
I sent the proposal last week, so I’ll _____ tomorrow to see if they have any feedback.
A) bring up
B) follow up
C) point out
D) leave out
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2.
I didn’t want to _____ the budget issues during lunch, so I waited until the meeting.
A) follow up
B) leave out
C) bring up
D) get across
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3.
During the presentation, Mika _____ that our sales numbers were higher than expected this quarter.
A) went over
B) followed up
C) got across
D) pointed out
For more Business English practice, check out the articles below: Essential Business English Phrases for Work: Bound to, Projected to, and More (Holiday Edition + Quiz) 20+ Business English Vocabulary Words: Key Adjectives for Work Business English Pricing Vocabulary (Quiz + Examples) 15 Phrasal Verbs to Improve Your Business English and Sound More Natural at Work
4.
It took a few tries, but he finally _____ his concerns _____ to upper management.
A) got ... across
B) went ... over
C) left ... out
D) followed .... up
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5.
Before we sign the contract, our lawyer wants to _____ every detail of it.
A) follow up
B) go over
C) get across
D) leave out
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6.
When you send the summary to the client, make sure you include the delivery timeline. Don’t _____.
A) go over it
B) leave it out
C) bring it up
D) get it across
Step 4. Leave us a comment! Write a sentence with one of the phrasal verbs and drop it in the comments below.
Download the Practice PDF: Business English Phrasal Verbs for Meetings
ANSWER KEY - STEPS
Step 1.
1d
2e
3b
4f
5a
6c
Step 3.
1. I sent the proposal last week, so I’ll follow up tomorrow to see if they have any feedback.
2. I didn’t want to bring up the budget issues during lunch, so I waited until the meeting.
3. During the presentation, Mika pointed out that our sales numbers were higher than expected this quarter.
4. It took a few tries, but he finally got his concerns across to upper management.
5. Before we sign the contract, our lawyer wants to go over every detail of it.
6. When you send the summary to the client, make sure you include the delivery timeline. Don’t leave it out.
Ready for more practice? Click the image below to try another quiz, or explore the whole section here.
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.
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