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What to Say When a Meeting Goes in Circles: Business English Phrasal Verbs Professionals Use
- Erin West
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 10 hours ago
In this article: come back to
When a meeting goes in circles, it usually sounds like this: the same points come up again, people start repeating themselves, and no one makes a decision.
In real meetings, someone has to pull the conversation back. They do it with one short line — they name the real issue, cut the options, or pause the wrong topic so the group can move on.
That’s what this list is. These Business English phrasal verbs aren't random. They're the ones professionals say when a meeting is stuck, and you need to get it back on track.
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Here are the phrasal verbs that come up most when meetings go in circles.
COME BACK TO
phrasal verb
to talk about something again later, after you finish what you are doing now
- Look, we've been talking about this for a while. Are we paying this invoice, or what?
- Not yet. Let's come back to that after we confirm the contract terms. Right now, we don't have all the details.
Best for: when the meeting is getting stuck on one point and you want to park it and move on.
Listen to the example sentence:
Use the audio like this:
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Audio for the other phrasal verbs on this page is in the Members' Library.
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BOIL DOWN TO
phrasal verb
to be mainly about one thing
- They keep saying, Let's see how the first delivery goes, then we'll decide.
- Yeah. We've been going back and forth on this. It boils down to trust - new clients don't feel comfortable committing until they see that first delivery go smoothly.
Best for: when the meeting turns into everyone blaming something different, and you want to name the real issue in one sentence.
PIN DOWN
phrasal verb
to find the exact answer
- The totals in this report don't match what we sent the client. The Q1 number's off by almost $18K.
- Okay, we need to pin down where the mismatch is. And fast. Do you think it's the spreadsheet?
Best for: when something doesn’t match and you need to figure out exactly where it went wrong.
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NARROW DOWN
phrasal verb
to reduce the number of choices so you can decide more easily
- We've got three vendors on the list.
- Let's narrow it down to two.
Best for: when there are too many options on the table and you need fewer choices so you can decide.
PUT OFF
phrasal verb
to delay something until later
Look, we keep talking about it, but nothing's changing. I'm not sure we should post it today. Let's put it off until Friday. If we publish it like this, customers might misunderstand it.
Best for: when you don’t want to do it yet because it’s not ready and doing it now could cause trouble.
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HOLD OFF
phrasal verb
to wait and do something later
- Hey, I’m ready to send the announcement to everyone.
- Let’s hold off for now. HR still hasn’t confirmed the start date.
Best for: when you’re about to do something, but one key detail isn’t confirmed so you have to wait.
Practice Business English phrasal verbs: when meetings go in circles
Read the situation, then read what Person A says, reply using the phrasal verb. Click What would you say? button and listen to the example.
What's causing the delay
Your team keeps missing a deadline. Everyone has a different theory—people say it’s the client, the schedule, or the work itself. After the meeting, you ask a coworker what’s really causing it.
So what’s actually going wrong?
What would you say? Use *boil down to
Well, it boils down to communication. You see, people aren’t sharing updates, so we keep finding problems at the last minute.
Want more? The full practice set is in the Members' Library.
Takeaway
When a meeting goes in circles, these phrasal verbs help you move it forward:
boil down to: Use this phrasal verb to say what the main issue is.
pin down: Use this phrasal verb to find the exact reason or exact place where the problem is.
come back to: Use "come back" to leave this for now and talk about it later.
narrow down: Use this phrasal verb to reduce the choices so you and your team can make a decision.
put off: Use "put off" to delay a decision or action until later.
hold off: Use "hold off" to pause because you’re still waiting for one detail or approval.
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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