Hello English learners! In this lesson, you will learn 18 useful phrasal verbs for time and schedules, together with their meanings, usage notes and natural examples.
Have you ever had to put off a meeting, fit in an appointment or catch up on work because you were running behind schedule?
English is full of useful phrasal verbs for talking about time, schedules, appointments, deadlines and workload. You will hear them at work, at university and in everyday conversations, and many are particularly useful for learners preparing for B2 First and C1 Advanced.
Phrasal Verbs for Arranging and Changing Plans
1. Put off
Meaning: to postpone something until a later time or date.
- We had to put off the meeting until next week.
Common combinations: put off a meeting, decision, appointment, task
Note: Put off is extremely common in both everyday and workplace English.
2. Bring forward
Meaning: to move something to an earlier time or date.
- The exam has been brought forward from Friday to Wednesday.
Common combinations: bring forward a meeting, appointment, deadline, date
3. Push back
Meaning: to move an event, appointment or deadline to a later time.
- The conference has been pushed back by two weeks.
Common combinations: push back a meeting, deadline, launch, date
Compare:
- bring forward → make earlier
- push back → make later
4. Set up
Meaning: to arrange or organise something.
- I’ve set up a meeting with the new client for Monday.
Common combinations: set up a meeting, appointment, interview, call
5. Pencil in
Meaning: to arrange something provisionally, knowing that the time or date may change.
- We’ve pencilled in a meeting for the end of the month.
This expression originally referred to writing an appointment in pencil because it might need to be erased and changed.
Common combinations: pencil in a meeting, appointment, date, call
6. Fit in
Meaning: to find enough time in a busy schedule for something or someone.
- Despite her busy schedule, she always manages to fit in some exercise.
You can also say:
- Can you fit me in sometime this week?
This means Can you find a free appointment for me?
7. Slot in
Meaning: to find a suitable time for something in a schedule.
- We should be able to slot in a short meeting after lunch.
Fit in and slot in are similar, although slot in often suggests finding a particular space in an organised timetable.
Phrasal Verbs for Delays and Time Problems
8. Hold up
Meaning: to delay someone or something.
- Heavy traffic held us up on the way to the airport.
Common combinations: hold up traffic, work, a project, progress
You may also hear:
- Sorry I’m late. I got held up at work.
9. Run out of time
Meaning: to reach the point where there is no time left.
- We ran out of time before we could discuss the final question.
This is an extremely useful expression for exams:
- I ran out of time and couldn’t finish the writing task.
10. Fall behind
Meaning: to fail to make progress as quickly as expected.
- I missed two classes and fell behind with my coursework.
Common combinations: fall behind schedule, fall behind with work, fall behind with payments
11. Catch up on
Meaning: to do work or other activities that you did not have time to do earlier.
- I need the weekend to catch up on some work.
You can also catch up on sleep, reading or housework.
Compare:
- fall behind → become late with your work
- catch up → reach the expected point again
12. Drag on
Meaning: to continue for longer than expected or wanted.
- The meeting dragged on for nearly three hours.
Drag on usually has a negative meaning and suggests that something feels unnecessarily long.
Phrasal Verbs for Managing Your Time
13. Free up
Meaning: to make some time available by changing or cancelling other commitments.
- I’ve cancelled my morning meeting, which should free up some time.
Common combinations: free up time, space, resources
This is particularly useful in workplace English.
Improve Your English for Work
If you use English at work, learning phrasal verbs is only one part of communicating naturally and confidently. My English at Work series helps you practise useful vocabulary and expressions for meetings, emails, conversations, workplace situations and professional communication.
The series includes four practical ebooks designed for intermediate and upper-intermediate learners, with clear explanations, examples and exercises.
14. Work around
Meaning: to organise something so that a difficulty or conflicting commitment does not cause a problem.
- I’ll have to work around several appointments next week.
It can also mean finding a practical solution to a problem:
- They found a way to work around the technical difficulties.
15. Break up
Meaning: to divide a period of time into smaller sections.
- The day was broken up into lectures, workshops and group activities.
Breaking up a long task can make it feel more manageable.
16. Keep up with
Meaning: to manage to continue doing something at the necessary speed or level.
- I’m struggling to keep up with all these deadlines.
17. Squeeze in
Meaning: to manage to find time for something despite having a very busy schedule.
- I might be able to squeeze in a quick coffee before my next lesson.
Squeeze in is more informal than fit in and emphasises how little free time is available.
18. Wrap up
Meaning: to finish or complete something.
- We should wrap things up soon because everyone has another appointment.
This is particularly common when talking about meetings, discussions and presentations.
Commonly Confused Phrasal Verbs
Put off vs Push back
Both can mean postponing something.
- We put off the meeting until next week.
- We pushed back the meeting until next week.
However, put off often focuses on the decision to postpone something, while push back is frequently used when changing a scheduled time or deadline.
Fit in vs Squeeze in
Both mean finding time for something.
- I can fit in an appointment at three.
- I can squeeze in an appointment at three.
Squeeze in suggests that your schedule is already very full.
Fall behind vs Catch up
These describe opposite situations.
- I’ve fallen behind with my work.
- I’m working late to catch up.
If you fall behind, you are not progressing quickly enough. If you catch up, you do the work necessary to reach the expected point again.
Conclusion
Try learning these expressions in complete phrases and situations rather than memorising the verb and particle separately. The more often you notice and use them in context, the more naturally they will become part of your English.
Quiz
Related posts:
- 35 Phrasal Verbs and Their One-Word Alternatives
- Common Phrasal Verbs for B2 First
- Vocabulary Related to Meetings
- 15 Idioms for Routines, Schedules and Deadlines
- Vocabulary Related to Study Habits
- How to Learn 10 Phrasal Verbs a Week
- B2 First Use of English
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