Below are five swaps from Lucy's new Single-Word Swap Sheet. The first verb in each pair is a bit flatter and slightly more academic, and it's probably the one you gravitate towards when you speak English. Next to it, you'll see the phrasal verb a fluent speaker would use instead.
defend → stick up for
"Thanks for sticking up for me in that meeting. I owe you one."
yield → give in
"The kids kept begging for a dog, and in the end we gave in."
disappoint → let down
"He promised to help me move, then let me down at the last minute."
excuse → let off
"The parking attendant let me off 'cos I was only two minutes late."
exhaust → wear out
"Three hours in IKEA has completely worn me out."
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