This is a list of about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning. As well as learning their meanings, you need to learn how to use phrasal verbs properly. Some phrasal verbs require a direct object (someone/something), while others do not. Some phrasal verbs can be separated by the object, while others cannot. Review the grammar lesson on phrasal verbs from time to time so that you don't forget the rules!
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
| ask someoneout | invite on a date | Brian asked Judy out to dinner
and a movie. |
| ask around | ask many people the same question | I asked around but nobody has seen my
wallet. |
| add up tosomething | equal | Your purchases add up to $205.32. |
| back somethingup | reverse | You'll have to back up your car so that
I can get out. |
| back someoneup | support | My wife backed me up over my
decision to quit my job. |
| blow up | explode | The racing car blew up after it crashed
into the fence. |
| blow somethingup | add air | We have to blow 50 balloons up
for the party. |
| break down | stop functioning (vehicle, machine) | Our car broke down at the side of the
highway in the snowstorm. |
| break down | get upset | The woman broke down when the police
told her that her son had died. |
| break somethingdown | divide into smaller parts | Our teacher broke the final project
down into three separate parts. |
| break in | force entry to a building | Somebody broke in last night and stole
our stereo. |
| break intosomething | enter forcibly | The firemen had to break into the room
to rescue the children. |
| break somethingin | wear something a few times so that it doesn't
look/feel new | I need to break these shoes in
before we run next week. |
| break in | interrupt | The TV station broke in to report the
news of the president's death. |
| break up | end a relationship | My boyfriend and I broke up before I
moved to America. |
| break up | start laughing (informal) | The kids just broke up as soon as the
clown started talking. |
| break out | escape | The prisoners broke out of jail when
the guards weren't looking. |
| break out insomething | develop a skin condition | I broke out in a rash after our camping
trip. |
| bring someonedown | make unhappy | This sad music is bringing me
down. |
| bring someoneup | raise a child | My grandparents brought me up
after my parents died. |
| bring somethingup | start talking about a subject | My mother walks out of the room when my father
brings up sports. |
| bring something
up | vomit | He drank so much that he brought his
dinner up in the toilet. |
| call around | phone many different places/people | We called around but we weren't able to
find the car part we needed. |
| call someone
back | return a phone call | I called the company back but
the offices were closed for the weekend. |
| call somethingoff | cancel | Jason called the wedding off
because he wasn't in love with his fiancé. |
| call on someone | ask for an answer or opinion | The professor called on me for question
1. |
| call on someone | visit someone | We called on you last night but you
weren't home. |
| call someoneup | phone | Give me your phone number and I will
call you up when we are in town. |
| calm down | relax after being angry | You are still mad. You need to calm
down before you drive the car. |
| not care forsomeone/something | not like (formal) | I don't care for his behaviour. |
| catch up | get to the same point as someone else | You'll have to run faster than that if you
want to catch up with Marty. |
| check in | arrive and register at a hotel or airport | We will get the hotel keys when we check
in. |
| check out | leave a hotel | You have to check out of the hotel
before 11:00 AM. |
| checksomeone/something out | look at carefully, investigate | The company checks out all new
employees. |
| check outsomeone/something | look at (informal) | Check out the crazy hair on that guy! |
| cheer up | become happier | She cheered up when she heard the good
news. |
| cheer someoneup | make happier | I brought you some flowers to cheer you
up. |
| chip in | help | If everyone chips in we can get the
kitchen painted by noon. |
| clean somethingup | tidy, clean | Please clean up your bedroom before you
go outside. |
| come acrosssomething | find unexpectedly | I came across these old photos when I
was tidying the closet. |
| come apart | separate | The top and bottom come apart if you
pull hard enough. |
| come down withsomething | become sick | My nephew came down with chicken pox
this weekend. |
| come forward | volunteer for a task or to give evidence | The woman came forward with her
husband's finger prints. |
| come from somewhere | originate in | The art of origami comes from
Asia. |
| count onsomeone/something | rely on | I am counting on you to make dinner
while I am out. |
| cross somethingout | draw a line through | Please cross out your old address and
write your new one. |
| cut back onsomething | consume less | My doctor wants me to cut back on
sweets and fatty foods. |
| cut somethingdown | make something fall to the ground | We had to cut the old tree in our yard
down after the storm. |
| cut in | interrupt | Your father cut in while I was dancing
with your uncle. |
| cut in | pull in too closely in front of another
vehicle | The bus driver got angry when that car cut
in. |
| cut in | start operating (of an engine or electrical
device) | The air conditioner cuts in when the
temperature gets to 22ºC. |
| cut somethingoff | remove with something sharp | The doctors cut off his leg because it
was severely injured. |
| cut somethingoff | stop providing | The phone company cut off our phone
because we didn't pay the bill. |
| cut someoneoff | take out of a will | My grandparents cut my father
off when he remarried. |
| cut somethingout | remove part of something (usually with
scissors and paper) | I cut this ad out of the
newspaper. |
| do someone/somethingover | beat up, ransack (Br.E., informal) | He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done
over by a street gang. |
| do somethingover | do again (N.Amer.) | My teacher wants me to do my essay
over because she doesn't like my topic. |
| do away withsomething | discard | It's time to do away with all of these
old tax records. |
| do somethingup | fasten, close | Do your coat up before you go
outside. It's snowing! |
| dress up | wear nice clothing | It's a fancy restaurant so we have to
dress up. |
| drop back | move back in a position/group | Andrea dropped back to third place
when she fell off her bike. |
| drop in/by/over | come without an appointment | I might drop in/by/over for tea some
time this week. |
| dropsomeone/something off | take someone/something somewhere and leave
them/it there | I have to drop my sister off at
work before I come over. |
| drop out | quit a class, school etc | I dropped out of Science because it was
too difficult. |
| eat out | eat at a restaurant | I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's
eat out. |
| end up | eventually reach/do/decide | We ended up renting a movie instead of
going to the theatre. |
| fall apart | break into pieces | My new dress fell apart in the washing
machine. |
| fall down | fall to the ground | The picture that you hung up last night
fell down this morning. |
| fall out | separate from an interior | The money must have fallen out of my
pocket. |
| fall out | (of hair, teeth) become loose and
unattached | His hair started to fall out when he
was only 35. |
| figure somethingout | understand, find the answer | I need to figure out how to fit the
piano and the bookshelf in this room. |
| fill somethingin | to write information in blanks (Br.E.) | Please fill in the form with your name,
address, and phone number. |
| fill somethingout | to write information in blanks (N.Amer.) | The form must be filled out in capital
letters. |
| fill somethingup | fill to the top | I always fill the water jug up
when it is empty. |
| find out | discover | We don't know where he lives. How can we
find out? |
| find somethingout | discover | We tried to keep the time of the party a
secret, but Samantha found it out. |
| get somethingacross/over | communicate, make understandable | I tried to get my point
across/over to the judge but she wouldn't listen. |
| get along/on | like each other | I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and
my sister got along/on. |
| get around | have mobility | My grandfather can get around fine in
his new wheelchair. |
| get away | go on a vacation | We worked so hard this year that we had to
get away for a week. |
| get away withsomething | do without being noticed or punished | Jason always gets away with cheating in
his maths tests. |
| get back | return | We got back from our vacation last
week. |
| get somethingback | receive something you had before | Liz finally got her Science notes
back from my room-mate. |
| get back atsomeone | retaliate, take revenge | My sister got back at me for stealing
her shoes. She stole my favourite hat. |
| get back intosomething | become interested in something again | I finally got back into my novel and
finished it. |
| get onsomething | step onto a vehicle | We're going to freeze out here if you don't
let us get on the bus. |
| get oversomething | recover from an illness, loss, difficulty | I just got over the flu and now my
sister has it. |
| get oversomething | overcome a problem | The company will have to close if it can't
get over the new regulations. |
| get round tosomething | finally find time to do (N.Amer.: get
around to something) | I don't know when I am going to get round
to writing the thank you cards. |
| get together | meet (usually for social reasons) | Let's get together for a BBQ this
weekend. |
| get up | get out of bed | I got up early today to study for my
exam. |
| get up | stand | You should get up and give the elderly
man your seat. |
| give someoneaway | reveal hidden information about someone | His wife gave him away to the
police. |
| give someoneaway | take the bride to the altar | My father gave me away at my
wedding. |
| give somethingaway | ruin a secret | My little sister gave the surprise
party away by accident. |
| give somethingaway | give something to someone for free | The library was giving away old books
on Friday. |
| give somethingback | return a borrowed item | I have to give these skates back
to Franz before his hockey game. |
| give in | reluctantly stop fighting or arguing | My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet,
but he finally gave in. |
| give somethingout | give to many people (usually at no cost) | They were giving out free perfume
samples at the department store. |
| give somethingup | quit a habit | I am giving up smoking as of January
1st. |
| give up | stop trying | My maths homework was too difficult so I
gave up. |
| go aftersomeone | follow someone | My brother tried to go after the thief
in his car. |
| go aftersomething | try to achieve something | I went after my dream and now I am a
published writer. |
| go againstsomeone | compete, oppose | We are going against the best soccer
team in the city tonight. |
| go ahead | start, proceed | Please go ahead and eat before the food
gets cold. |
| go back | return to a place | I have to go back home and get my
lunch. |
| go out | leave home to go on a social event | We're going out for dinner
tonight. |
| go out withsomeone | date | Jesse has been going out with Luke
since they met last winter. |
| go oversomething | review | Please go over your answers before you
submit your test. |
| go over | visit someone nearby | I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think
I'll go over for an hour or two. |
| go withoutsomething | suffer lack or deprivation | When I was young, we went without
winter boots. |
| grow apart | stop being friends over time | My best friend and I grew apart after
she changed schools. |
| grow back | regrow | My roses grew back this summer. |
| grow up | become an adult | When Jack grows up he wants to be a
fireman. |
| grow out ofsomething | get too big for | Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because
she has grown out of her old ones. |
| grow intosomething | grow big enough to fit | This bike is too big for him now, but he
should grow into it by next year. |
| hand somethingdown | give something used to someone else | I handed my old comic books down
to my little cousin. |
| hand somethingin | submit | I have to hand in my essay by
Friday. |
| hand somethingout | to distribute to a group of people | We will hand out the invitations at the
door. |
| hand somethingover | give (usually unwillingly) | The police asked the man to hand over
his wallet and his weapons. |
| hang in | stay positive (N.Amer., informal) | Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a
job very soon. |
| hang on | wait a short time (informal) | Hang on while I grab my coat and
shoes! |
| hang out | spend time relaxing (informal) | Instead of going to the party we are just
going to hang out at my place. |
| hang up | end a phone call | He didn't say goodbye before he hung
up. |
| hold someone/something back | prevent from doing/going | I had to hold my dog back
because there was a cat in the park. |
| hold somethingback | hide an emotion | Jamie held back his tears at his
grandfather's funeral. |
| hold on | wait a short time | Please hold on while I transfer you to
the Sales Department. |
| hold onto someone/something | hold firmly using your hands or arms | Hold onto your hat because it's very
windy outside. |
| holdsomeone/somethingup | rob | A man in a black mask held the bank
up this morning. |
| keep on doingsomething | continue doing | Keep on stirring until the liquid comes
to a boil. |
| keep something from someone | not tell | We kept our relationship from
our parents for two years. |
| keep someone/something out | stop from entering | Try to keep the wet dog out of
the living room. |
| keep somethingup | continue at the same rate | If you keep those results up you
will get into a great college. |
| let someonedown | fail to support or help, disappoint | I need you to be on time. Don't let me
down this time. |
| let someonein | allow to enter | Can you let the cat in before
you go to school? |
| look aftersomeone/something | take care of | I have to look after my sick
grandmother. |
| look down onsomeone | think less of, consider inferior | Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your
dad has looked down on me. |
| look forsomeone/something | try to find | I'm looking for a red dress for the
wedding. |
| look forward tosomething | be excited about the future | I'm looking forward to the Christmas
break. |
| look intosomething | investigate | We are going to look into the price of
snowboards today. |
| look out | be careful, vigilant, and take notice | Look out! That car's going to hit you! |
| look out for someone/something | be especially vigilant for | Don't forget to look out for snakes on
the hiking trail. |
| look somethingover | check, examine | Can you look over my essay for spelling
mistakes? |
| look somethingup | search and find information in a reference
book or database | We can look her phone number up
on the Internet. |
| look up tosomeone | have a lot of respect for | My little sister has always looked up
to me. |
| make somethingup | invent, lie about something | Josie made up a story about about why
we were late. |
| make up | forgive each other | We were angry last night, but we made
up at breakfast. |
| make someoneup | apply cosmetics to | My sisters made me up for my
graduation party. |
| mix somethingup | confuse two or more things | I mixed up the twins' names again! |
| pass away | die | His uncle passed away last night after
a long illness. |
| pass out | faint | It was so hot in the church that an elderly
lady passed out. |
| pass somethingout | give the same thing to many people | The professor passed the textbooks
out before class. |
| pass somethingup | decline (usually something good) | I passed up the job because I am
afraid of change. |
| pay someoneback | return owed money | Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll pay
you back on Friday. |
| pay forsomething | be punished for doing something bad | That bully will pay for being mean to
my little brother. |
| pick somethingout | choose | I picked out three sweaters for you to
try on. |
| pointsomeone/something out | indicate with your finger | I'll point my boyfriend out when
he runs by. |
| put somethingdown | put what you are holding on a surface or
floor | You can put the groceries down
on the kitchen counter. |
| put someonedown | insult, make someone feel stupid | The students put the substitute teacher
down because his pants were too short. |
| put somethingoff | postpone | We are putting off our trip until
January because of the hurricane. |
| put somethingout | extinguish | The neighbours put the fire out
before the firemen arrived. |
| put somethingtogether | assemble | I have to put the crib together
before the baby arrives. |
| put up with someone/something | tolerate | I don't think I can put up with three
small children in the car. |
| put somethingon | put clothing/accessories on your body | Don't forget to put on your new
earrings for the party. |
| run intosomeone/something | meet unexpectedly | I ran into an old school-friend at the
mall. |
| run oversomeone/something | drive a vehicle over a person or thing | I accidentally ran over your bicycle in
the driveway. |
| run over/throughsomething | rehearse, review | Let's run over/through these lines one
more time before the show. |
| run away | leave unexpectedly, escape | The child ran away from home and has
been missing for three days. |
| run out | have none left | We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash
my hair with soap. |
| send somethingback | return (usually by mail) | My letter got sent back to me because I
used the wrong stamp. |
| set somethingup | arrange, organize | Our boss set a meeting up with
the president of the company. |
| set someoneup | trick, trap | The police set up the car thief by
using a hidden camera. |
| shop around | compare prices | I want to shop around a little before
I decide on these boots. |
| show off | act extra special for people watching (usually
boastfully) | He always shows off on his skateboard |
| sleep over | stay somewhere for the night (informal) | You should sleep over tonight if the
weather is too bad to drive home. |
| sort somethingout | organize, resolve a problem | We need to sort the bills out
before the first of the month. |
| stick tosomething | continue doing something, limit yourself to
one particular thing | You will lose weight if you stick to
the diet. |
| switch somethingoff | stop the energy flow, turn off | The light's too bright. Could you
switch it off. |
| switch somethingon | start the energy flow, turn on | We heard the news as soon as we switched
on the car radio. |
| take aftersomeone | resemble a family member | I take after my mother. We are both
impatient. |
| take somethingapart | purposely break into pieces | He took the car brakes apart and
found the problem. |
| take somethingback | return an item | I have to take our new TV back
because it doesn't work. |
| take off | start to fly | My plane takes off in five minutes. |
| take somethingoff | remove something (usually clothing) | Take off your socks and shoes and come
in the lake! |
| take somethingout | remove from a place or thing | Can you take the garbage out to
the street for me? |
| take someoneout | pay for someone to go somewhere with you | My grandparents took us out for
dinner and a movie. |
| tear somethingup | rip into pieces | I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and
gave them back to him. |
| think back | remember (often + to, sometimes + on) | When I think back on my youth, I wish I
had studied harder. |
| think somethingover | consider | I'll have to think this job offer
over before I make my final decision. |
| throw somethingaway | dispose of | We threw our old furniture away
when we won the lottery. |
| turn somethingdown | decrease the volume or strength (heat, light
etc) | Please turn the TV down while
the guests are here. |
| turn somethingdown | refuse | I turned the job down because I
don't want to move. |
| turn somethingoff | stop the energy flow, switch off | Your mother wants you to turn the TV
off and come for dinner. |
| turn something
on | start the energy, switch on | It's too dark in here. Let's turn some
lights on. |
| turn somethingup | increase the volume or strength (heat, light
etc) | Can you turn the music up? This
is my favourite song. |
| turn up | appear suddenly | Our cat turned up after we put posters
up all over the neighbourhood. |
| try somethingon | sample clothing | I'm going to try these jeans
on, but I don't think they will fit. |
| try somethingout | test | I am going to try this new brand of
detergent out. |
| use somethingup | finish the supply | The kids used all of the toothpaste
up so we need to buy some more. |
| wake up | stop sleeping | We have to wake up early for work on
Monday. |
| warmsomeone/something up | increase the temperature | You can warm your feet up in
front of the fireplace. |
| warm up | prepare body for exercise | I always warm up by doing sit-ups
before I go for a run. |
| wear off | fade away | Most of my make-up wore off before I
got to the party. |
| work out | exercise | I work out at the gym three times a
week. |
| work out | be successful | Our plan worked out fine. |
| work somethingout | make a calculation | We have to work out the total cost
before we buy the house. |
Designed to help learners of English improve their knowledge of phrasal verbs, this e-book can be used as a self-study guide by learners, or the material can be used by teachers in class.
