Phrasal verbs are an important feature of the English language. The meaning of a phrasal verb often bears no relation to the meaning of either the verb or the particle which is used with it. Many phrasal verbs have several different meanings.
Whittle down (to gradually reduce the size of something or the number of people in a group)
The company received 600 applications for 60 vacancies and the numbers had to be whittled down to 60.
Wimp out (to decide not to do something because you are too frightened)
Rex was going to do a parachute jump but he wimped out at the last moment.
Win over (to persuade someone to support you or to agree to do something, often when they did not agree with you before)
I was not keen on the idea to join his company, but he won me over in the end.
Win out (if a particular emotion wins out it is stronger than other emotions)
In most novels true love always wins out in the end.
Win through (to finally succeed after trying hard to achieve something)
I was confident that my daughter will win through in the end.
Wind down (if a company winds down, the amount of work it does is gradually reduced until it closes down)
The board of directors decided to wind down the branch office in Kandy.
Wind up (be finally in a particular place, especially without having planned it)
You will wind up bankrupt if you are not careful.
Winkle out (to find or get someone or something when they are difficult to find or get)
The police managed to winkle the truth out of the suspect eventually.
Wipe down (to clean the surface of something with a cloth)
Every morning she wiped the kitchen table down before the children got up.
Wipe out (to destroy or get rid of something)
All the shanties were wiped out in the flood.
Wipe up (to remove a substance, usually a liquid, with a cloth)
Can you wipe up the mess on the kitchen floor?
Wire up (to connect something or someone to a piece of electrical equipment by using wires)
He was wired up to a machine to measure his brain activity.
Wish away (to want something unpleasant to disappear without doing anything to make it disappear)
You simply cannot wish your problems away.
Wish on (if you say that you would not wish something unpleasant on someone, you mean that you would not like it to happen to them)
I wouldn’t wish this deadly disease on my worst enemy.
Wolf down (to eat something very quickly because you are very hungry)
I gave the beggar a plate of rice and curry and he wolfed it down.
Work against (to cause problems for somebody or something especially by making it harder for them to achieve what they want)
Inexperience and lack of qualifications can work against somebody who is looking for a job.
Work at (to try hard to achieve something)
You have to work at increasing your writing speed.
Work in (to include something in a piece of writing or speech)
The author worked in criticisms of the government in his latest novel.
Work into (to include something in a piece of writing or speech)
I managed to work a couple of meetings into my schedule.
Work off (to get rid of an unpleasant feeling)
Brisk walking will help you to work off your anger.
Work on (to spend time working in order to produce or repair something)
Dudley loves to work on old furniture.
Work out (to do a calculation to get an answer to a mathematical question)
Can you work out the total cost of the project?
Work through (to deal with a problem)
I will help you to work through your problem.
Work towards (to try hard to achieve something)
Diane is working towards a teaching qualification.
Work up (to gradually produce something)
Let’s go for a walk to work up our appetite.