English Help Online's Blog

Today,  I have another phrasal verb for you: chase down. This means to go and find a thing or person for someone else. This is often used in office situations. For example:

I can’t find Bruce anywhere, and I need to talk to him. Could you chase him down for me?

A: We need another copy of the report.

B: Ok, I’ll chase one down for you.

With this phrasal verb, the person who does the “chasing down”  is of lower status. So, a person of high status can ask a person of lower status to chase something or someone down for them, but a person of lower status can never ask that of a more important person. So please don’t ask your boss to chase anything or anyone down for you; he or she will not be happy with you!