Phrasal Verbs List
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.
This list shows about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and
examples. Only the most usual meanings are given. Some phrasal verbs may have
additional meanings.
See also our pages with 1000+ Phrasal Verbs, with definitions, synonyms, explanations, sample sentences, collocations and quizzes (with answers).
See also our pages with 1000+ Phrasal Verbs, with definitions, synonyms, explanations, sample sentences, collocations and quizzes (with answers).
Verb
|
Meaning
|
Example
|
ask someone out
|
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
to something
|
equal
|
Your purchases add up to $205.32.
|
back something up
|
reverse
|
You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out.
|
back someone up
|
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 something up
|
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 something down
|
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
into something
|
enter
forcibly
|
The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children.
|
break something in
|
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 in something
|
develop
a skin condition
|
I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
|
bring someone down
|
make
unhappy
|
This sad music is bringing me down.
|
bring someone up
|
raise a
child
|
My grandparents brought me up after my parents died.
|
bring something up
|
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 something off
|
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 someone up
|
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 for someone/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.
|
check someone/something out
|
look at
carefully, investigate
|
The company checks out all new employees.
|
check
out someone/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 someone up
|
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 something up
|
tidy,
clean
|
Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside.
|
come
across something
|
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 with something
|
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
on someone/something
|
rely on
|
I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out.
|
cross something out
|
draw a
line through
|
Please cross out your old address and write your new one.
|
cut
back on something
|
consume
less
|
My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods.
|
cut something down
|
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 22°C.
|
cut something off
|
remove
with something sharp
|
The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured.
|
cut something off
|
stop
providing
|
The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the
bill.
|
cut someone off
|
take out of a will
|
My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried.
|
cut something out
|
remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper)
|
I cut this ad out of the newspaper.
|
do someone/something over
|
beat up, ransack (Br.E., informal)
|
He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street
gang.
|
do something over
|
do
again (N.Amer.)
|
My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she
doesn't like my topic.
|
do away
with something
|
discard
|
It's time to do away with all of these old tax records.
|
do something up
|
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 sometime this week.
|
drop someone/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 something out
|
understand,
find the answer
|
I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in
this room.
|
fill something in
|
to write information in blanks (Br.E.)
|
Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone
number.
|
fill something out
|
to write information in blanks (N.Amer.)
|
The form must be filled out in capital letters.
|
fill something up
|
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 something out
|
discover
|
We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found
it out.
|
get something across/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 with something
|
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 something back
|
receive something you had before
|
Liz finally got her Science notes back from my
room-mate.
|
get
back at someone
|
retaliate,
take revenge
|
My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my
favourite hat.
|
get
back into something
|
become interested in something again
|
I finally got back into my novel and finished it.
|
get on something
|
step
onto a vehicle
|
We're going to freeze out here if you don't let us get on the
bus.
|
get
over something
|
recover from an illness, loss, difficulty
|
I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.
|
get
over something
|
overcome
a problem
|
The company will have to close if it can't get over the new
regulations.
|
get
round to something
|
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 someone away
|
reveal hidden information about someone
|
His wife gave him away to the police.
|
give someone away
|
take the bride to the altar
|
My father gave me away at my wedding.
|
give something away
|
ruin a
secret
|
My little sister gave the surprise party away by
accident.
|
give something away
|
give something to someone for free
|
The library was giving away old books on Friday.
|
give something back
|
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 something out
|
give to many people (usually at no cost)
|
They were giving out free perfume samples at the department
store.
|
give something up
|
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
after someone
|
follow
someone
|
My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.
|
go
after something
|
try to
achieve something
|
I went after my dream and now I am a published writer.
|
go
against someone
|
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
with someone
|
date
|
Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter.
|
go over something
|
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
without something
|
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 of something
|
get too
big for
|
Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because she has grown out of
her old ones.
|
grow
into something
|
grow big enough to fit
|
This bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by
next year.
|
hand something down
|
give something used to someone else
|
I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin.
|
hand something in
|
submit
|
I have to hand in my essay by Friday.
|
hand something out
|
to distribute to a group of people
|
We will hand out the invitations at the door.
|
hand something over
|
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 something back
|
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.
|
hold someone/somethingup
|
rob
|
A man in a black mask held the bank up this morning.
|
keep on
doing something
|
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 something up
|
continue at the same rate
|
If you keep those results up you will get into a great
college.
|
let someone down
|
fail to support or help, disappoint
|
I need you to be on time. Don't let me down this time.
|
let someone in
|
allow
to enter
|
Can you let the cat in before you go to school?
|
log in (or on)
|
sign in (to a website, database etc)
|
I can't log in to Facebook because I've forgotten my password.
|
log out (or off)
|
sign out (of a website, database etc)
|
If you don't log off somebody could get into your account.
|
look
after someone/something
|
take
care of
|
I have to look after my sick grandmother.
|
look
down on someone
|
think less of, consider inferior
|
Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad has looked down on
me.
|
look
for someone/something
|
try to
find
|
I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.
|
look
forward to something
|
be excited about the future
|
I'm looking forward to the Christmas break.
|
look
into something
|
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 something over
|
check,
examine
|
Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes?
|
look something up
|
search and find information in a reference book or database
|
We can look her phone number up on the Internet.
|
look up
to someone
|
have a lot of respect for
|
My little sister has always looked up to me.
|
make something up
|
invent,
lie about something
|
Josie made up a story about why we were late.
|
make up
|
forgive
each other
|
We were angry last night, but we made up at breakfast.
|
make someone up
|
apply
cosmetics to
|
My sisters made me up for my graduation party.
|
mix something up
|
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 something out
|
give the same thing to many people
|
The professor passed the textbooks out before class.
|
pass something up
|
decline
(usually something good)
|
I passed up the job because I am afraid of change.
|
pay someone back
|
return
owed money
|
Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll pay you back on
Friday.
|
pay for something
|
be punished for doing something bad
|
That bully will pay for being mean to my little brother.
|
pick something out
|
choose
|
I picked out three sweaters for you to try on.
|
point someone/something out
|
indicate
with your finger
|
I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.
|
put something down
|
put what you are holding on a surface or floor
|
You can put the groceries down on the kitchen counter.
|
put someone down
|
insult, make someone feel stupid
|
The students put the substitute teacher down because his
pants were too short.
|
put something off
|
postpone
|
We are putting off our trip until January because of the
hurricane.
|
put something out
|
extinguish
|
The neighbours put the fire out before the firemen
arrived.
|
put something together
|
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 something on
|
put clothing/accessories on your body
|
Don't forget to put on your new earrings for the party.
|
run
into someone/something
|
meet
unexpectedly
|
I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.
|
run
over someone/something
|
drive a vehicle over a person or thing
|
I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway.
|
run
over/through something
|
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 something back
|
return
(usually by mail)
|
My letter got sent back to me because I used the wrong stamp.
|
set something up
|
arrange,
organize
|
Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the
company.
|
set someone up
|
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 something out
|
organize,
resolve a problem
|
We need to sort the bills out before the first of the
month.
|
stick
to something
|
continue doing something, limit yourself to one particular thing
|
You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
|
switch something off
|
stop the energy flow, turn off
|
The light's too bright. Could you switch it off.
|
switch something on
|
start the energy flow, turn on
|
We heard the news as soon as we switched on the car radio.
|
take
after someone
|
resemble
a family member
|
I take after my mother. We are both impatient.
|
take something apart
|
purposely
break into pieces
|
He took the car brakes apart and found the problem.
|
take something back
|
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 something off
|
remove
something (usually clothing)
|
Take off your socks and shoes and
come in the lake!
|
take something out
|
remove from a place or thing
|
Can you take the garbage out to the street for me?
|
take someone out
|
pay for someone to go somewhere with you
|
My grandparents took us out for dinner and a movie.
|
tear something up
|
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 something over
|
consider
|
I'll have to think this job offer over before I make my
final decision.
|
throw something away
|
dispose
of
|
We threw our old furniture away when we won the lottery.
|
turn something down
|
decrease the volume or strength (heat, light etc)
|
Please turn the TV down while the guests are here.
|
turn something down
|
refuse
|
I turned the job down because I don't want to move.
|
turn something off
|
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 something up
|
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 something on
|
sample
clothing
|
I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't think they
will fit.
|
try something out
|
test
|
I am going to try this new brand of detergent out.
|
use something up
|
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.
|
warm someone/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 something out
|
make a
calculation
|
We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house.
|
Br.E.: British English; N.Amer.: North American
Phrasal
Verbs Quiz
Complete
with the missing preposition(s) if necessary.
1
|
Would you look ____ my dog for me this weekend?
|
|
2
|
My neighbour ran ____eggs
yesterday.
|
|
3
|
I broke _______my leg at my
baseball game.
|
|
4
|
Our boss put ______our meeting until next week.
|
|
5
|
Could you turn ______the music
while I'm on the phone.
|
|
6
|
I don't get ______my new
Science teacher.
|
|
7
|
I look _________meeting your new girlfriend.
|
|
8
|
My car broke ________ on the highway today.
|
|
9
|
It will be easier to read if you switch _______ the lights.
|
|
10
|
I have to run ______to the
finish line and back.
|
Key
Answers
1
|
Would you look after my dog for me this weekend?
|
2
|
My neighbour ran out off
eggs yesterday.
|
3
|
I broke _______my leg at my
baseball game.
|
4
|
Our boss put off our meeting until next week.
|
5
|
Could you turn off the
music while I'm on the phone.
|
6
|
I don't get on with my
new Science teacher.
|
7
|
I look forward to meeting your new girlfriend.
|
8
|
My car broke down on the highway today.
|
9
|
It will be easier to read if you switch on the lights.
|
10
|
I have to run away to the finish line and back.
|
Este comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminar1. After
ResponderEliminar2. Out off
3. Broke down
4. Off
5. Off
6. On with
7. Forward to
8. Down
9. On
10. Away
1. Look after 2. Ran out 3. Broke down 4. Put off 5. Turn down 6. Get along 7. Look foward to 8. Broke down 9. Switch on 10. Run away
ResponderEliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por el autor.
ResponderEliminar1-Look after
ResponderEliminar2-ran out
3-break my leg down
4-put our meeting off
5-turn off
6-get along
7-look forward to
8-Break down
9-switch on
10-run away
1-Look after 2-ran out 3-break my leg down 4-put off 5-turn off 6-get along 7-look forward 8-Break down 9-switch on 10-run away
ResponderEliminar1.after
ResponderEliminar2.out
3.down
4.off
5.off
6.on
7.forward to
8.down
9.on
10.away
1-After, 2-Out off, 3-Down, 4-off, 5-Off, 6-On with, 7-Foward to, 8-Down, 9-On, 10-Away
ResponderEliminar1-After
ResponderEliminar2-Out
3-Down
4-Off
5-Turn down
6-Get together
7-Look for
8-Down
9-Switch on
10-Run out
1. After
ResponderEliminar2. Out off
3. Broke down
4. Off
5. Off
6. On with
7. Forward to
8. Down
9. On
10. Away
After
ResponderEliminarOut
Down
Off
Off
On with
Loom forward
Down
Switch on
Away
1-Look after
ResponderEliminar2-ran out
3-break my leg down
4-put our meeting off
5-turn off
6-get along
7-look forward to
8-Break down
9-switch on
10-run away
1-Look after
ResponderEliminar2-ran out
3-break my leg down
4-put our meeting off
5-turn off
6-get along
7-look forward to
8-Break down
9-switch on
10-run away
Jose Manuel
1-Look after
ResponderEliminar2-ran out
3-break my leg down
4-put our meeting off
5-turn off
6-get along
7-look forward to
8-Break down
9-switch on
10-run away
Maykell Jimenez
EliminarAfter
ResponderEliminarOut
Down
Off
Off
On with
Loom forward
Down
Switch on
Away