Phrasal verb
Phase out
What does 'phase out' mean?
'Phase out' means to stop producing, using, or providing something gradually through planned stages. The council will phase out petrol buses over three years. Use 'phase out' for a planned, permanent ending, not a temporary pause or an immediate emergency stop. Object pronouns go between 'phase' and 'out': 'phase it out'.
Key points
- 'Phase out' describes a planned, gradual, permanent ending.
- Full noun objects can follow 'out' or separate the verb.
- Object pronouns must come between 'phase' and 'out'.
- Passive forms focus attention on the item being withdrawn.
Can you use "Phase out" yourself?
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
The full explanation
Phase out means to stop producing, using, or providing something gradually through planned stages until it is completely gone.
Our clinic will phase out paper forms before July.
Why it works: The clinic removes the forms across several months instead of stopping them overnight.
2 more examples
-
The old security keycards are insecure, so building staff will phase them out.
The pronoun sits between phase and them because pronouns cannot follow out in this verb phrase.
-
Diesel vans are being phased out across the municipal fleet.
The passive voice highlights the ongoing gradual transition rather than the city managers.
Read the full guide
Decide Between a Gradual Transition and an Immediate Stop
When you want to describe an ending, consider the timeline. Verbs such as cancel, eliminate, or stop often suggest a sudden action that takes effect immediately. In contrast, phase out communicates a scheduled reduction that unfolds in planned stages over weeks, months, or years until the item or process is completely retired.
-
The city council plans to phase out plastic bags over twelve months.
Why it works: Stores reduce bag supplies gradually over a year instead of stopping distribution on a single day.
-
The bank will cancel expired debit cards tomorrow morning.
Why it works: Cancel indicates an immediate action happening on one specific date.
Your turn
Which situation calls for the verb phase out rather than stop?
Answer: A software company reduces support for an old operating system over two years.
Show the answer
Answer: A software company reduces support for an old operating system over two years.
Two years of planned, gradual withdrawal represents a phased transition rather than an immediate halt.
Identify Situations Where Organizations Use Phased Endings
Workplaces and government bodies rely on phase out when an immediate stop would cause confusion, disruption, or financial loss. Typical situations include replacing software platforms, retiring outdated machinery, withdrawing old paper forms, or introducing environmental regulations. Announcing a phased plan gives employees, customers, and partners sufficient time to adapt to new procedures.
-
Our university will phase out physical parking permits as digital camera scans begin.
Why it works: Permits disappear gradually as drivers register license plates into the digital database.
-
The warehouse will phase out gas forklifts as electric units arrive.
Why it works: The replacement happens machine by machine as new equipment becomes available.
This also comes up in Work out and Get out of something.
Your turn
Why do companies usually announce that they will phase out old tools?
Answer: They want to give staff and customers time to adapt without sudden disruption.
Show the answer
Answer: They want to give staff and customers time to adapt without sudden disruption.
Phasing out tools gives users an orderly transition period to adopt the new replacement.
Choose Where to Place Full Noun Objects
Because phase out is separable, you have two correct choices when your direct object is a full noun phrase. You may keep the verb together and place the noun phrase after out, or you may separate the verb and place the noun phrase in the middle. Both patterns are natural, although longer noun phrases usually follow out to maintain clear sentence rhythm.
-
The company will phase out desktop computers by winter.
Why it works: The noun phrase desktop computers sits naturally after the particle out.
-
The company will phase desktop computers out by winter.
Why it works: Placing the noun phrase between phase and out is equally grammatical.
Your turn
Which sentence shows an incorrect placement for the full noun phrase?
Answer: The hospital will phase out by December paper charts.
Show the answer
Answer: The hospital will phase out by December paper charts.
Time phrases like by December should not interrupt the verb and its direct object.
Lock Object Pronouns Between the Verb and Particle
English phrasal verbs have a strict rule regarding object pronouns such as it, them, or this. When the object of phase out is a pronoun, you must place that pronoun between phase and out. Placing an unstressed pronoun after out violates English word order rules and sounds ungrammatical to native speakers.
-
This login method is insecure, so the IT team will phase it out.
Why it works: The pronoun it sits strictly between phase and out.
-
We have five legacy servers left, and administrators plan to phase them out.
Why it works: The plural pronoun them divides the verb and particle correctly.
Your turn
Which sentence follows correct English pronoun word order?
Answer: Our department found the old badge obsolete and decided to phase it out.
Show the answer
Answer: Our department found the old badge obsolete and decided to phase it out.
Object pronouns must sit inside the verb phrase, creating phase it out.
Use Passive Constructions When the Deciding Agent Is Unimportant
In workplace memos, policy documents, and news reports, the people who made the decision are often obvious or unimportant. Writers therefore use passive forms such as is being phased out, was phased out, or will be phased out. This structure places the primary focus on the product or procedure that is disappearing.
-
Single-use plastic cutlery is being phased out across all hospital cafeterias.
Why it works: The present continuous passive emphasizes an active, ongoing reduction without naming the hospital board.
-
Old login cards will be phased out before the autumn semester.
Why it works: The modal passive keeps attention on the cards and the transition deadline.
Your turn
Why do corporate announcements frequently say 'the old portal is being phased out'?
Answer: To center the message on the portal rather than on the managers who approved the change.
Show the answer
Answer: To center the message on the portal rather than on the managers who approved the change.
Passive voice allows the writer to emphasize the service being retired rather than the administrators.
Differentiate Intentional Planning from Accidental Depletion
Learners sometimes confuse phase out with run out or phase down. Run out means a supply is completely exhausted, often unexpectedly or unintentionally. Phase down means reducing the volume or intensity of something without necessarily stopping it forever. Phase out always implies a deliberate strategy aimed at a permanent, complete end.
-
The print shop ran out of heavy cardstock yesterday afternoon.
Why it works: Ran out indicates zero inventory remained, which was an inventory issue rather than a planned retirement.
-
The print shop will phase out solvent ink by December.
Why it works: Phase out describes an intentional policy decision to stop using solvent ink permanently.
Your turn
Choose the sentence where an item ran out rather than being phased out.
Answer: The office kitchen had no coffee beans left because delivery arrived late.
Show the answer
Answer: The office kitchen had no coffee beans left because delivery arrived late.
Having no coffee beans left is an unplanned supply depletion, which matches run out.
Catch Connected Speech Cues in Spoken English
In natural speech, the final sound of phase links directly into the vowel of out. Because phase ends in a voiced /z/ sound, speakers pronounce the combination as /feɪ.zaʊt/. Notice also that the particle out receives strong sentence stress, whereas pronouns placed between the words remain unstressed and spoken quickly.
-
Managers want to phase it out before September.
Why it works: The pronoun it is unstressed and short, linking phase and out smoothly.
-
We should phase out all paper billing.
Why it works: The /z/ sound in phase connects directly to out, producing a smooth transition.
Your turn
How do native speakers typically pronounce the phrase 'phase it out' in fast speech?
Answer: They link the words smoothly, keeping 'it' weak and stressing 'out'.
Show the answer
Answer: They link the words smoothly, keeping 'it' weak and stressing 'out'.
Unstressed pronouns link rapidly between the verb stem and the stressed particle.
Combine Phase Out with Clear Timeframes in Writing
Professional emails and transition notices pair phase out with prepositional phrases that clarify the schedule. Use prepositions such as over, by, across, or in stages to give readers concrete expectations. Omitting the timeframe leaves your audience uncertain about when the old item will disappear and when the new system becomes mandatory.
-
The logistics hub will phase out manual manifests over the next quarter.
Why it works: The phrase over the next quarter defines the exact window of the transition.
-
We are phasing out plastic badges by the end of November.
Why it works: The preposition by sets a clear completion deadline for the phase-out.
Your turn
Which sentence provides the clearest timeframe for a workplace transition?
Answer: The payroll office will phase out paper checks over the next four months.
Show the answer
Answer: The payroll office will phase out paper checks over the next four months.
Specifying 'over the next four months' gives readers an exact and realistic timeline.
Common mistakes with "phase out"
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
-
Not this:
The company will phase out it next spring.Say: The company will phase it out next spring.
Object pronouns must come between 'phase' and 'out'.
-
Not this:
The museum will phase the old tickets.Say: The museum will phase out the old tickets.
The phrasal verb needs the particle 'out'.
-
Not this:
The school will phase old computers by winter.Say: The school will phase out old computers by winter.
'Phase out' needs both words when a full noun is its object.
Use it naturally
How people really use “phase out”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- phase out plasticMany cafés plan to phase out plastic packaging.
- phase out old equipmentThe factory will phase out old equipment over two years.
- phase out paper formsOur school plans to phase out paper forms by September.
- in stagesWe will phase out the old system in stages.
What people also say
- “phase them out” instead of “phase out them”Put the object pronoun between phase and out.
Questions about "Phase out"
What is the difference between stop and phase out?
Stop can describe an abrupt halt that takes place immediately or without warning. Phase out always indicates an organized, gradual withdrawal carried out in planned stages over an extended period. If an office stops using paper forms today, no forms are allowed tomorrow. If an office phases them out, workers continue using remaining supplies while moving toward digital alternatives.
The factory stopped the assembly line immediately after the alarm sounded.
The factory will phase out old machinery over the next two quarters.
Can phase-out be used as a noun?
Yes. When used as a noun, phase-out is written with a hyphen or as a single compound word, and it is countable. It refers to the entire policy or period of gradual elimination. The two-word form without a hyphen functions as the verb phrase.
Management announced a six-month phase-out for older laptops.
The gradual phase-out of coal power plants began last spring.
Can I say 'we are phasing out it'?
No. English grammar requires object pronouns such as it, them, and this to sit between the verb and the particle in separable phrasal verbs. You must say phasing it out or phase them out. Full nouns can sit either between the words or after out, but pronouns cannot follow out.
The old software has many bugs, so we are phasing it out.
Those old printer models break often, so the shop will phase them out.
What is the opposite of phase out?
The opposite expression is phase in. To phase in something means to introduce a new system, tool, or policy gradually in stages rather than launching it all at once. Organizations frequently phase out an older system while simultaneously phasing in its replacement.
The hospital will phase in electronic patient badges starting next month.
We are phasing in new security measures across every branch.
Before you go
Remember this
Select phase out when an ending happens gradually across a timeline. Keep pronouns inside the verb phrase, and listen for the linking sound between the consonant in phase and the vowel in out.
Stage 2 of 5
Listen
Hear it in real sentences, from short to long, and write what you hear.
0 of 4 done
Listening 1 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- The old security keycards are insecure, so building staff will phase them out.
- Diesel vans are being phased out across the municipal fleet.
Read the transcript
We will phase out all paper invoices.
The speaker uses phase out with a following vowel sound to announce that paper invoices will end gradually.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In out all, listen for ou-tall. The final t connects to all.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In out all, listen for ou-tall. The final t connects to all.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- The old security keycards are insecure, so building staff will phase them out.
- Diesel vans are being phased out across the municipal fleet.
Read the transcript
Our team will phase them out early.
The object pronoun them must stay between phase and out, followed by the time adverb early.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
- In out early, listen for ou-tearly. The final t connects to early.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
- In out early, listen for ou-tearly. The final t connects to early.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
- A small word like this is said quickly and softly, not as written.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
0:00
- The old security keycards are insecure, so building staff will phase them out.
- Diesel vans are being phased out across the municipal fleet.
Read the transcript
Engineers plan to phase out oil heaters across every workshop before winter arrives, because cleaner electric units save energy and lower heating expenses.
Phase out describes the scheduled removal of oil heaters across several workshops ahead of winter.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In out oil, listen for ou-toil. The final t connects to oil.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In out oil, listen for ou-toil. The final t connects to oil.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- In out oil, listen for ou-toil. The final t connects to oil.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
0:00
- The old security keycards are insecure, so building staff will phase them out.
- Diesel vans are being phased out across the municipal fleet.
Read the transcript
Our clinic will phase out all plastic badges over six months. Nurses should phase them out in stages as each ward receives new digital wristbands. Supervisors began this transition on Monday, and technical trainers will visit every station to answer questions. Please remind patients that their medical records remain safe during this upgrade.
The speaker explains the six-month hospital timeline for replacing plastic badges with digital wristbands.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
- In out in, listen for ou-tin. The final t connects to in.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- In them out, listen for the-mout. The m connects directly to out.
- In out in, listen for ou-tin. The final t connects to in.
Practice complete
You listened closely.
Your result is saved in this browser.
Keep your progress. Your practice is saved on this device only. Create a free account to keep it everywhere.
Create a free accountThat was today's free lesson. Tomorrow you get another one. Want more today? See membership.
Create a free SubLearn account to keep this progress across devices.
Save my progressStage 3 of 5
Speak
Say it with the speaker, then use it in your own answer.
Shadow
Say it along with the speaker
We will phase out all paper invoices.
Play the line slowly, then speak at the same time as the speaker. Copy the rhythm, not just the words.
Your turn
Say it your way
Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory. You run a small beach café and plan to stop using plastic cups gradually. Explain your schedule, what customers will use instead, and how you will help them adjust.
Use: phase out phase them out
Think for ten seconds, then answer out loud for as long as the task above asks, without looking at the lesson. Nothing is sent unless you ask for feedback.
0:00
Hear how someone else might say it
At our beach café, we want to phase out plastic cups over three months. We use hundreds every week, and many end up on the beach. We will phase them out in stages. First, we will give customers a small discount if they bring their own cups. Next, we will offer cups that customers can borrow and return. During the last month, we will stop ordering plastic cups. We will put a sign by the door and explain the plan when people order drinks.
Try once more and answer this: What will you offer customers who forget their own cups?
Stage 4 of 5
Write
Write about your own day or week using it, then write a message.
Write
Put it in your own words
- I used “phase out”.
- It is about my life, not the lesson’s example.
- I read it once aloud to check it sounds right.
Write your own response
Choose a situation and write 30–50 words in your own wording. This is separate from typing the exact words in a recording.
Check your own writing
Read one possible response
Use these checks to revise your message. Grammar and meaning are not automatically graded. Each task keeps its own draft in this browser tab.
You finished the free part of this lesson
- Understand
- Listen
- Speak
- Write
- CheckPart of membership
Worth another look
With a free account, the lessons you finish come back for review to help you remember them.Create a free account
Stage 5 of 5 · Part of membership
Check
New clips without hints.
Listening tests are included with membership. Try the free dictation first, then decide whether to continue.
Listening 1 of 2 Part of membership
Listening 2 of 2 Part of membership
Follow MicroEnglish
New lessons, short videos and quick quizzes every day. Pick the app you already use.
Questions & comments
Ask about this lesson, share an example, or help another learner.
Example
Memory tip
Goes with
Related forms
Not to be confused with
In this lesson
This word isn't in our dictionary. Check the spelling, or try another form of the word.
We couldn't load this word. Try again.
