order around

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle around

Meanings

1

Continually tell someone what to do

Control

Why “around”? Pressure comes from all sides. A person is pushed around instead of choosing freely.

“He hates being ordered around.”
He hates being continually told what to do.
“The new boss orders everyone around.”
The new boss keeps telling everyone what to do.

Test yourself

“He hates being ordered around.” What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

boss around

Same around pattern: control

Tell someone what to do in an annoying way

mess around

Same around pattern: control

Spend time in a careless or playful way; Treat someone unfairly or unreliably

push around

Same around pattern: control

Treat someone roughly or unfairly

Practice “order around” in Sink In

Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.

App StoreGoogle Play