Science is an ever-evolving field that shapes our understanding of the world. To effectively communicate scientific ideas, it’s essential to be familiar with specific expressions commonly used in scientific discourse. This blog post explores 20 idioms and phrasal verbs related to science, each with a short meaning and an example sentence.
1. Break Down
Meaning: Decompose
Example: The enzyme breaks down the protein molecules.
2. Carry Out
Meaning: Perform (an experiment)
Example: The team carried out extensive research on the subject.
3. Come Up With
Meaning: Invent or create
Example: She came up with a new theory about black holes.
4. Figure Out
Meaning: Understand
Example: Scientists figured out how to cure the disease.
5. Look Into
Meaning: Investigate
Example: The researchers looked into the causes of climate change.
6. Rule Out
Meaning: Eliminate as a possibility
Example: They ruled out human error as the cause of the failure.
7. Run Out
Meaning: Exhaust supply
Example: The lab ran out of essential chemicals for the test.
8. Set Up
Meaning: Establish
Example: They set up a new laboratory for genetic research.
9. Take Apart
Meaning: Disassemble
Example: The device was taken apart for closer examination.
10. Turn Up
Meaning: Appear
Example: Unexpected results turned up in the final analysis.
11. Boil Down To
Meaning: Simplify to basics
Example: The issue boils down to a lack of funding.
12. Come Across
Meaning: Find by chance
Example: They came across a rare species during the expedition.
13. Lay Out
Meaning: Explain in detail
Example: The professor laid out the principles of quantum mechanics.
14. Bring About
Meaning: Cause to happen
Example: The new policy brought about significant changes in research funding.
15. Wipe Out
Meaning: Eradicate
Example: The vaccine wiped out the disease in a decade.
16. Iron Out
Meaning: Resolve difficulties
Example: They ironed out the problems in the experimental design.
17. Put Forward
Meaning: Suggest
Example: He put forward a novel hypothesis about dark matter.
18. Scale Up
Meaning: Increase in size
Example: The project was scaled up after initial success.
19. Zero In On
Meaning: Focus closely
Example: They zeroed in on the cause of the malfunction.
20. Get Around To
Meaning: Finally do something
Example: The team finally got around to publishing their findings.
