to make out: to do, to succeed, to progress Examples of TO MAKE OUT The bank robbers were hoping to make out with a lot more money than they got. I’m not able to make out exactly what you mean.

to stand out: to be easily visible or noticeable (also: to stick out) Examples of TO STAND OUT So job seekers are trying to stand out to catch the eye of a potential employer. The clams were plentiful, but the dish didn’t stand out, lacking strong flavors.

to cut short: to make shorter, to interrupt Examples of TO CUT SHORT The moderator asked the speaker to cut short his talk because there wasn’t much time remaining for questions from the audience. We were very unfortunate when we received bad news from home that forced us to cut our trip short.

to tear down: to destroy by making flat, to demolish Examples of  TO TEAR DOWN The reviewer tried to tear down the movie, but the review was so badly written that the reviewer just looked dumb. We need the savings, but it sure feels like we’re using them to tear the house down.

to put out: extinguish, to cause to stop functioning Examples of PUT OUT I decided to put out the light and go to sleep. We hope to put out a deluxe edition of the award-winning novel later this year.

to put down: to suppress, to quell; to criticize unfairly Examples of TO PUT DOWN The troops easily put down the rebellion. The police arrived just in time to put down the disturbance before it got very serious.