Collocations Lists

On this page you can find a few short lists of collocations to give you more of an idea about them. Many good learner's dictionaries show collocations associated with specific words. There are also dictionaries of collocations, though these are more difficult to find.

Some common verbs

have have a bath have a drink have a good time have a haircut have a holiday have a problem have a relationship have a rest have lunch have sympathy take take a break take a chance take a look take a rest take a seat take a taxi take an exam take notes take someone's place take someone's temperature do do business do nothing do someone a favour do the cooking do the housework do the shopping do the washing up do your best do your hair do your homework break break a habit break a leg break a promise break a record break a window break someone's heart break the ice break the law break the news to someone break the rules make make a difference make a mess make a mistake make a noise make an effort make furniture make money make progress make room make trouble

catch catch a ball catch a bus catch a chill catch a cold catch a thief catch fire catch sight of catch someone's attenti catch someone's eye catch the flu

pay pay a fine pay attention pay by credit card pay cash pay interest pay someone a compliment pay someone a visit pay the bill pay the price pay your respects come come close come complete with come direct come early come first come into view come last come late come on time come prepared come right back come second come to a compromise come to a decision come to an agreement come to an end come to a standstill come to terms with come to a total of come under attack

save save electricity save energy save money save one's strength save someone a seat save someone's life save something to a disk save space save time save yourself the trouble go go abroad go astray go bad go bald go bankrupt go blind go crazy go dark go deaf go fishing go mad go missing go on foot go online go out of business go overseas go quiet go sailing go to war go yellow

keep keep a diary keep a promise keep a secret keep an appointment keep calm keep control keep in touch keep quiet keep someone's place keep the change

get get a job get a shock get angry get divorced get drunk get frightened get home get lost get married get nowhere get permission get pregnant get ready get started get the impression get the message get the sack get upset get wet get worried

Miscellaneous
Time bang on time dead on time early 12th century free time from dawn till dusk great deal of time late 20th century make time for next few days past few weeks right on time run out of time save time spare time spend some time take your time tell someone the time time goes by time passes waste time Business English annual turnover bear in mind break off negotiations cease trading chair a meeting close a deal close a meeting come to the point dismiss an offer draw a conclusion draw your attention to launch a new product lay off staff go bankrupt go into partnership make a loss make a profit market forces sales figures take on staff

Fixed Expression
during the day at night in the meantime in the next few+NOUN for the time being a remote chance Its not likely that to quit a job to remember to+INF to forget to+INF for the most part many years ago Its been a long time since In my opinion Under/given the circumstances Im taken aback that To get the bill At full speed To take ones time + gerund To take responsibility for To get/be accustomed/used to For the sake of In order to To hurry up and To speed up To slow down To have money saved up To be bored out of ones mind Out in the open In secret To be sure/certain of Wide open Shut tight The fact that To say the least Watch out (for)! To be in trouble (with sbdy.) Sorry to bother/trouble you, but Would you mind if? To go wrong Go away! Lets get going To be short/missing a Something is missing (from)

In the middle of the night To be mistaken about Lets check it out To make sure that To be taken by surprise To strongly disagree To decide between (2 choices) To make up ones mind (about) To have plans (for) It isnt worth it! Its not worth the trouble (of/to+gerund) To take part in smthg. To have trouble+gerund On the way to To have time for smthg. For free To my amazement To keep in mind that To relate to/with sbdy. To keep smthg.+adj. To have a hunch that I cant help (doing it) To keep sthg up to date To have feelings for To keep sbdy. Informed (of smthg.) To keep under control To keep track of For just a+time word To show up for To show up early/late To have a knack for To be partial to To do away with For example To go over smtg (fig) To manage to To take note of To take notice of To make up for smthg. To put stock in To save up (for) At the time, I (that was)back when Back then, For the record, For as long as I can remember,

To lose sleep over Oh, come on! Im just kidding! For what its worth, To be right/wrong about Tit for tat/an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth To have a strong need for To be nervous about To be jealous of To be in doubt of If I were you, I If I were in your shoes, I It bothers me that To no end To get involved with To meddle in sbdys business/affairs Something else Somewhere else Someone else Something more To be a good deal ($) A good deal of...(part.) To be a good idea To be disgusted with/by To be interested in Enough+noun Enough of+(part.) Adj+enough To worry about smthg. To be concerned with To take smthg into consideration To withhold information To reach an understanding (of) To reach/come to an agreement To come to the conclusion that To strike a compromise To make friends with To stand for To stand up against Once in a while To start to+gerund To stop quit+gerund To be good for+gerund To be qualified to... To go well with To snack on smthg.

To get ready for With all ones might To be afraid of Out of+emotion To lose track of To have a taste for Lack of+NOUN Tendency for/towards/to To sort out Behind sbdys back Without warning For fun To look up to sbdy. To look down on sbdy. To frown upon smthg. To turn on To turn off To get away with smthg. In all honesty, To tell the truth To tell a lie To brag about To talk trash about sbdy. To help out with smthg. To give comfort to To mistake smg/sby for Concrete details To be uncomfortable with smthg. To hint at smthg. To be annoyed by smg. To save the best for last First of all In the future In the past Right now The past few+time word To change ones mind To switch+NOUN+with sbdy. To advise against smthg. To give good/bad advice A detailed explanation I bet that The kind of thing that As an example of An (un)biased opinion about A beautiful view (of)

To turn/hand in... Current events It all happened so suddenly To bring about To catch up with To ask for help To make a sound To be located in/at/etc A change of+NOUN To find out about To leave for+NOUN In memory of Before long To get ripped off (by) To go for a ride To go for a walk Why dont we To get ahead (fig) To get ahead of ones self (fig) To be running ahead/behind (at) I used to+INF To fall apart To fall off In denial To get a second chance One more time/once more To beg for It goes without saying that To hold ones breath Out of breath Youre gonna make it Rest assured that To get hold of smg. To do ones duty In pain To lead astray To have a head/stomach ache Spare change Pocket money To take a break/rest Time to kill To look like+NOUN In mint condition In good/bad condition In power To rise to power

To get a raise ($) The sun comes up/goes down To have/get a flat tire To break up with sbdy. To take off (clothing) To put on Down on ones luck To wake up To fall asleep To have no idea about To talk sbdy out of smg. It makes (no) sense To say goodbye The right/wrong way Its for the best that Some day To be enough/not enough Heres to(toast) To leave behind You had better To pack ones bags To take forever (at) It seems like To take notes To come for a visit To take pictures To make music First things first To run into smthg. To give in (to) To have a hangover Under ones breath To smell like+NOUN To scream/yell at sbdy. Every minute/moment Every day/week/month Once/twice per+TIME Right before ones eyes To act as if To be happy/pleased with/about Otherwise, Off-road To get/turn off (of) To be related to To have a good memory A sense of

Hard/easy to find In jail/in prison To make progress (with) To work on To find ones way To get lost No more/anymore To slip and fall (on) On the weekend To have/take a sick day No time for In/out of touch with To lose control of Out of reach Within reach To spend the+TIME(+doing smg.) To be in luck A table for# To take it easy To feel wronged To come/stop by (at) To pass through (smwr.) A friend of mine/his/etc One of my A little A lot In pieces On the mend To return the favor To do a favor for Within range Out of the area Small town Big city To run up (a bill/tab) To get over+NOUN Few and far between To look into smg. (fig) To feel sorry for To pretend to+INF To let go of smg. (lit/fig) To feel sorry for To have fun+gerund To have a good/bad time Good night! To wish someone well

To set free Let go! Call me+adj. (e.g. crazy) Scared to death To go crazy To have a problem with To take turns (at)or(+gerund) The rest of To go for a hike All night long To try to+INF To be confused about Theres a chance that This is between (you and me)/(him and her) How come To make a fuss over To know about To know how to By any means necessary In debt/indebted to A pile of To make good money All over/around town Out of town To take smg. Seriously At face value By law According to To put up with smg. To deal with To make clear In bed At the table To trust in sbdy. Topic of conversation To have faith in To take effect To sign up for In connection with To come across as To get a point across To be ignorant of In the aftermath of For no reason To crash into To get into an accident

In an emergency To have/get the feeling that To have the courage to A wide variety of To go on a date (with) To be married engaged to Its common sense To keep a secret To be in conflict with Compared to/with To stop for On the side of the road To feel threatened (by) To score a goal (sports) To apply for a job Really? Out for lunch/dinner To fall in love with In alphabetical order To fail at+gerund It sounds good/bad A turn for the worse To make a difference(in) To finish+gerund To succeed at To be kicked out of To be good/bad at To be based on To refrain from In the way of To be ashamed of To be embarrassed by In/out of fashion/style To take over+NOUN In that case, In the event that A long way to go To sing to sbdy. To think about Not quite as+adj.+as In silence In compliance with To take care of To be impressed with/by To take advantage of On a diet

To be homesick Frozen/fresh food On ice On tap To hope for To give credit to To disobey orders As usual To allow sbdy. To To put/place emphasis on For dinner/for breakfast The cause for A strange turn of events To make known that To work as a team To insist on+gerund Plenty of At midnight At noon To be close/nearby To offer a solution To travel the world To check for Thats what I thought To be cut off (from) To be prejudiced toward In favor of More or less Too much+NOUN With care I guess/suppose that Up to#amount(time, $, etc) Its up to you When it comes to, To show weakness/strength To give credit to To take credit for To be aware of To drive sbdy crazy Under stress It doesnt matter that To take offense (at) To have the courage to To come to the rescue of sbdy. On purpose To do the right/wrong thing

To make a decision To see what happens To talk at great length about To raise/lower taxes/prices/etc. To pay attention to For the benefit of In the short/long term In harms way As a matter of fact In demand A shortage of To take the blame for To suffer the consequences for To be attracted to The whole story/picture To be drawn toward/to To give someone the benefit of the doubt To be of assistance (to) With the exception of To take place To take sides (with) For profit To give smg a try You dont get it To go blind To turn a blind eye to To the best of my knowledge, To a certain degree/extent To go bankrupt Without a doubt To believe in smg. To focus on smg. To be crazy about smg. To handle smthg well/badly (emotional) In a bind To put into question To get dressed To put on To take off Paralyzed with fear For the good of For the greater good It will do you some good (to) To be in a rage To get worked up (about) To confused smthg with smthg else

To trip over smthg. In/out of line (with) Sense of decency Right to privacy Under attack To take inventory (of) To make a list (of) To be charged with To be (found) guilty (of) To put in jail/prison To be in charge (of) To take charge (of) To sentence sbdy to Life in prison The death penalty To be acquitted (of) To face facts To be ignorant of... The reality (of the situation) is What about? Who is to blame (for)? At fault (for) At risk (of) To look out over To dream of/about To sympathize with To take a liking to To have a (firm) grasp of Never again To take it easy To take it slow Once again, For lack of better words, To play along with To show ones true colors ,at best, (to put) on the air (radio) to settle a/the matter once and for all to decline an invitation to accept an invitation to refuse to+gerund to live up to smthg. To make smg better/worse To leave smg alone Drop it! (lit&fig)

The damage is done To be in/out of luck Fame and fortune To have high/low expectations (for) Regarding X matter, to put a dent in smthg. to barely/hardly be able to do smthg. To nearly/almost do something To carry smthg out To put into action In effect To draw attention to To admit defeat To save/lose face To keep in touch with sbdy. To be out of touch with reality Qualities in+NOUN (To use an) approach to To fill in the blank(s) To fill up the tank To run on empty Because of+NOUN To have an eye/ear for smthg. To take a shot at smthg. Without regard for Difference of opinion Conflict of interests To be attentive to details For sale For rent In/out of use To feel inferior to At the moment, Living situation At war with What to+INF In/out of focus In need of The ability to To move on (from) Its a matter of+NOUN In/out of shape To stay in shape To be accepted to/at To resist temptation Sometimes I wonder,

To live in fear of Theres no reason that To assert authority To have authority over Its not a big deal if Full-time job Part-time job To interview for a job To be represented by To be a symbol of To compare smthg with To agree on an issue To go on a trip To see the best in To give in to (pressure) Under pressure For the rest of the+TIME To go abroad A change of plans In the military In a good/bad mood To work for+NOUN To get inspiration from To make a recording (of) To end up+gerund To wish/hope for To push for smthg. To face adversity Hearing loss To make smg official Proportionate to To escape unharmed To get away from Over my dead body! To have good standing (in) To get a loan (from) By the time To keep a secret To test ones luck To be available for On guard for At least At the spur of the moment On the spot Disregard for Take-out food

To work through a problem Up for grabs On a (adj.) basis Only on the condition that To put effort into smthg. a+NOUN+like that Not only,but also On its own merit Out with the old, in with the new To be compensated for To spend the night (at) To stay with sbdy. To be such a... To make smg a priority To give a speech (about) To have an impact (on) To render sbdy. speechless A shining example of... To meet in the middle (fig.) Set in ones ways To right a wrong To get even with sbdy. One thing left to do Out of+NOUN (lack) To refresh ones memory To turn up/down the volume A wide variety of You dont belong here! To bring back to life At a high/low point On ones own For personal gain To come to the surface For life For good (final) Banned+NOUN To starve to death Dying of thirst To take an exam To pass a/the test To stay in school Per hour Per day By the week By the month To vanish without a trace

To be prone to Too ADJ+for ones own good To see the point in The point of smthg. A firm believer in To set a good example To set smthg in stone A change of heart To get a foot ones foot in the door (fig.) To feel dizzy To feel drowsy At sea On land To get sea-sick Up in the air To have second thoughts about smthg. To breathe a sigh of relief (about) To gasp for air To take the lead (in) To lead sbdy on To not know any better Right now Just a minute ago as hard as one can to enjoy+GERUND On vacation To be busy doing smg. Its up to you To drive over/under the speed limit To get pulled over by the police To get arrested (by) To not have a penny to ones name To stay awake To stay up late To get up early On time To hold the door (for) In anticipation of What do you make of this? One of lifes lessons One step at a time All at once Little by little At a glance At first glance To make excuses (for)

To show respect (for) In the mail To put to the side On the side To have good/bad manners To mind ones own business (about) A preconceived notion (about) before its too late to see/recognize a pattern/trend to be in chaos to bring order to to trouble sbdy. for smg. To agree to do smthg. To go back on ones word (about) To turn someone in (THE LAW) Law and order To keep the peace To become obvious that To wish smg. on sbdy. To have legal troubles To be held responsible (for) To be a big fan (of) To convince sbdy of In the streets Out in the cold In the sun In the shade In the snow What is going on? In traffic/in a traffic jam To get a ride to(work) Who knows? To get on/off (pub trans) To take time off (work) Leave of absence On call To tie ones shoes All the way to The whole time... To be missing An attempt at+gerund Figure of speech To take pride in To be proud of To manage to do smthg. A good nights sleep

A night of drinking To be up all night A hard days work To find out for ones self (about) To find out that To be far along (with) A bundle of To sympathize with To go shopping (for) To go hunting (for) To go fishing (for) to need a break (from) I cant tell if/whether To be obsessed with The idea/notion that To show ones appreciation (for) To be skilled at/in To be trained for/at To be thankful for To be obedient to (authority) To be confused about To be out of breath To condemn sbdy for To say harsh words to To bite the bullet and A snide remark To increase productivity An unlikely scenario To have free time To surrender to smthg. In memory of To be getting late To be getting cold To warm up To cool down/off To be freezing To have hard feelings about smthg. To breed contempt To have contempt for All things considered To be better off+gerund To commit a crime To swear an oath (to) To keep/break a promise A means to do smthg. To come up with the money (for)

to feel like doing smthg. A misguided effort (to) To keep a clean house To be brutally honest To hurt sbdys feelings Apology accepted! To drag ones feet (fig) Out and about Never mind! To complain about smg. At odds with sbdy. To beat the odds On the coast To go through customs To make drama (about) A healthy environment To protect the environment To calm down (about) To consider every possibility To calm ones nerves To be satisfied with To conduct an interview To take smg for granted To be amused by smthg. to no end Back and forth To no end To let smthg happen To get over smthg. To stand in the way of progress Work in progress In the process of In the middle of To remind sbdy of smthg. A particular place and time To come to the aid/assistance of To come to the rescue To refresh ones memory A lack of common sense Due to To make a good/bad impression on sbdy. Compared to/in comparison with To have an advantage over sbdy. A first impression of To have power over In public

To get in the way (of) To take shots (alcohol) To be certain of smthg. To admit fault To have a fight (with) To hold smthg against sbdy. To treat sbdy/smg like To be different from Thanks to Because of To take a nap On top of to wait in line (for) over and over (again) Its a tie! To have the right of way On the fence (fig) In search/pursuit of In the past In the present day and age To prove a point To prove ones worth Its a case of The right amount It is beyond all understanding why Full of Just in time for To pick sbdy up (from) To hand in (home)work To hand smthg out To do chores To shoot at sbdy/smthg. To be in a hurry To yell/scream at sbdy. Out loud To let out a noise (sigh/laugh/scream/etc) To knock on a door To keep smthg/sbdy in mind A waste of time To know how to+INF To spy on sbdy. To shed light on smthg. (fig.) How often? To demand restitution In court On trial

To lower ones standards A sip of A bite of To repair damage A giant+NOUN To be critical of To go to bed To get up in the morning The answer to (a question) To promise to+INF On display The meaning of smthg. To be mean to sbdy. To treat sbdy with kindness/cruelty To give an explanation (of) To owe sbdy a favor To lock ones self out (of) For the love of To go in the direction of Its your turn! To get rid of smthg. To deprive sbdy of smg. To beg for forgiveness To keep quiet To be upset about smg. To play in a band The/an opportunity to To interact with To inform sbdy about To be allowed to+INF To be eager to+INF To eagerly await smthg. To do nothing but To have good/bad social skills To be knowledgeable about To be skilled at To take sbdy hostage A day off work To sign up for smthg. To make fun of smthg. To run out of time Time is running out To be available for To make comments about In/out of context To make up for lost time

Its nice to.for a change A change of scenery To lose ones train of thought The majority of To make up for lost time To have good/bad intentions To culminate in+NOUN To have (no) patience for To suffer from To kick/punch sbdy in the(body part) To drop sbdy off at In the wild Instead of+gerund To apologize for For the duration of To talk on the phone (with sbdy.) To be angry with sbdy. In good/bad taste To have good taste (in) To say smthg without thinking without giving a thought to To think smthg through To react to smthg/sbdy. On ones knees On foot In good/bad health To go barefoot A sense of decency It is a sign that To be opposed to Back then, In a nutshell, To lay down ones life (for) To be plagued by guilt To be a metaphor for To climb trees To climb up a (specific) tree Land/sea/forest-dwelling animal To jump off a building/bridge To go to a meeting In a war zone The height of smg. The width of smg. The length of smg. X+measurement+high/ wide/long

At the height of+NOUN (an empire/an age/etc) What color is? As punishment To spend money on To have the potential to/for To wreak havoc on To come up with/devise a plan To lift weights To share smg with sbdy. At all/not at all To suffer the consequences (for) Of X heritage (e.g. Scottish) To be honest with ones self To step outside for some fresh air To follow ones instincts To devote ones self to To step aside To dampen sbdys spirits To make a/the prediction that To spend ones life doing smthg. On the verge of+gerund The thing is, It depends on To look forward to At the thought of To pride ones self in/on To lose consciousness To knock sbdy unconscious To lead a (ADJ) life To flip a coin (for) To roll the dice (for) To proceed with caution A stack/pile of A deck of cards To play cards At will At random On command At a loss In a state of In crisis To perform surgery To perform a play A work of art To go on a rampage To throw a party

To throw a temper tantrum I welcome the opportunity to To accept a/the challenge A set of To play pool To play chess To play darts To play X-ball To swim laps (in pool) A jack of all trades By profession To lend ones support to To plan on+gerund To smell like From now on, To get straight to the point (of) To lose focus (of) The main idea (of) To recommend smg to sbdy. To keep on schedule To gain/lose weight To have a preference for I would rather. To dress up as To win a prize To get exercise To make a connection between To mix 2 things together Of special interest (to) To bring smg to a boil To have an air of+QUALITY A wad/clump of Resulting in+EFFECT To set sail (on) The high seas To force sbdy to+INF To be suspected of+gerund To catch sbdy off guard (at/while) In hindsight Well-disciplined To have no discipline In slow motion To be kicked out of/expelled from To get fired (from) To be open/closed-minded To be disappointed by

To take smthg at face value From what I can tell, To be caught in a vicious circle To pollute the environment To contribute to smthg. What kind ofis X? In/out of tune To sing off key To apply for a job A positive/negative environment To be considerate/act considerately toward To care about smthg. The way of the world To play an instrument To strum on To have talent (for) To be mindful of To make a transition to To invite sbdy to To get a flat tire To have a spare/extra+NOUN To step on the accelerator/gas To step on the brakes To fall victim to To watch a movie To look after (children) To mow the lawn/grass To set smg apart from smg else To stand in for sbdy. To find a replacement for To have down-time To pass out while/in the middle of To stay awake for smthg In advance (of) Over time, To have unintended consequences In/with regards to smg. To reduce smg to smg. To turn smg into smg (else) To hold on to To receive preferential treatment (for) Thats (not) my first choice Lend me your ear! It will only take a moment/minute/second In the scheme of things, To scheme/plot to do smthg.

To keep smg as a pet To prevent fires To put out a fire To keep/prevent smthg from happening (to) To happen to sbdy. The moral of the story is To make/lose a bet To declare war To go to church To go to war