A phrasal verb is made up of a verb plus a preposition or an adverb. Phrasal verbs often have meanings that differ from the individual words they are made of.
Download the phrasal verb list below in PDF.
I have compiled below a list of common phrasal verbs you need to learn to make your English sound more natural and fluent. Do not try to memorise them all at once; instead, practice using them in sentences and conversations.
to behave badly or not work well
The printer is acting up again.
to make sense; be logical
His story didn’t add up.
to have the same opinion as someone; to think that something is right
I agree with what you are saying.
to direct effort toward something
This website aims at teaching English.
to consider something; to take something into consideration
Does the policy allow for price increase?
to reply rudely
Don’t answer me back like that!
to ask many people
I’ll ask around if someone is willing to help you.
to invite someone on a date
Jimmy asked me out yesterday.
to admit that you have been defeated or to acknowledge that you are wrong
Despite warnings from the community, she refused to back down from her plan to build a house near the river.
to withdraw from an agreement
Jack initially agreed to join the strike, but he backed out when he found out that the movement’s leader was a far-right extremist.
to support someone; to make a copy of something; to prove that something is true
Back up your files before you replace the hard drive.
I’m telling you the truth. Emma can back me up on this.
to rely on something; to expect something
Don’t bank on his support. He is unreliable.
to explode or get very angry
The tire blew up on the road.
the main reason for something
Jack and Mary’s problems boil down to the lack of trust between them.
to stop working or lose control
My car broke down yesterday.
to enter by force
Someone broke in my house last night.
to end a relationship
They broke up last month.
to raise a topic or a child
She brought up a good point.
I was brought up by my grandmother.
to improve quickly by practice
I must brush up on my English before my trip to the UK.
to become very tired
He burned out after being put on a night shift for several months.
to return a phone call
I’ll call you back later.
to cancel
I’m not feeling well. I have to call off today’s meeting.
to formally ask someone to do something
Russia is calling on volunteers to join the army.
to relax after being upset
Please calm down and sit.
to continue doing something
Carry on with your work.
to do something
The US carried out an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran.
to become popular; to understand
TikTok has caught on with young people soon after its launch.
He was angry because he didn't catch on to what I meant.
to be at the same level as someone else;
He has been sick for a long time. It must be hard for him to catch up with his classmates.
to show your personal information at an airport or hotel
Where can I check in, please?
to pay and leave after staying at an hotel
We checked out at ten.
to become happier
Cheer up! It’s okay.
to give some money
Everyone chipped in five euros.
to tidy; to explain; to go away (illness)
I can’t watch TV until my headache clears up.
Someone killed my father, and the case has never been cleared up.
to find by chance
I came across an old photo of mine while looking at the album.
to return
Please come back later.
to obtain something; to visit a place for a short period
High-paying jobs are hard to come by.
Can you come by my office any time tomorrow?
to think of an idea
My wife came up with a good idea for my mother’s birthday present.
to rely on
I need you to take care of my cat while I am away. Can I count on you?
to reduce
My doctor advised me to cut back on sugar.
to make something smaller by removing a part of it; to stop supplying something
I didn’t pay the bill on time, so they cut off the electricity.
to talk to someone as part of your job; to handle a problem
I hate dealing with irate customers.
to become weaker
The cyclone is expected to die down this week.
to manage to do something without having something
Can you do without the internet for a week?
to wear formal clothes
Do we need to dress up to visit St. Peter's Basilica?
to visit briefly
Can you drop by my office this afternoon?
to deliver; to fall asleep; to take someone somewhere
Can you drop me off at the airport tomorrow?
to not do something that you have planned to do; to stop going to school before you finish it
He dropped out of college.
to become dry or end
Many rivers are at risk of drying up due to climate change.
to make things easier to understand
This sentence is too complicated. Can you dumb it down?
to eat at a restaurant
Do you want to eat out tonight?
to become less strong
The rain has eased off.
to finally be in a place or state
If you continue your lavish life, you’ll end up homeless.
to justify something; to make an excuse for something bad so that it doesn’t seem serious
You made a big mistake. Don’t try to make it away.
to look at someone with sexual desire; to look at something with interest
Do you see that guy eyeing you up?
to become equal
A goal by Lionel Messi evened out the score to 1-1.
to accept something and deal with it
You need to face up to your mistake.
to break into pieces
The box fell apart.
to go slower than others; unable to do something on time
If you don’t study hard enough, you’ll fall behind everyone else.
to believe a lie; to love
I can’t understand how she falls for someone so easily.
to argue and stop being friends
He used to be my best friend, but I fell out with him over his attitude.
to understand or solve
Can you help me solve this puzzle? I can’t figure it out.
to complete a form
Please fill in this form.
to gain some weight; to write something in provided spaces
Please fill out your name here.
to discover
We found out the truth.
to become strongly emotional
She freaked out when I told her we had won the lottery.
to have a good relationship
I get along well with Sam. He is a good guy.
to move from place to place; to deal with something
What’s the best way to get around in Barcelona?
How can we get around this problem?
to avoid punishment
He can’t just get away with what he has done.
to return
When did you get back?
to manage with difficulty
Life was difficult for me back in the 1990s. I had to get by on 700$ a month.
to enter
Get in the car, kids.
To talk about someone who suddenly start behaving strangely or in an unusual way, so much that others don’t understand what’s happening; to become interested in something
Why is he acting like that? What’s got into him?
My boyfriend has got into chess recently.
to continue doing something
People here don’t care about politics. They just get on with their daily lives.
to recover from (an illness); to feel better after someone has upset you
Did you take any medicine to get over Covid?
She needs time to get over the break-up.
to manage to call someone on the phone; to succeed
I called him this morning, but I couldn’t get through.
I’ll buy you a bike if you get through your exam.
to meet each other
Let’s get together on Friday and have a drink.
to stand up; to get out of bed after waking up
I usually get up at six.
to donate or reveal
She gave away her coat.
to return something
They did a terrible job. I want my money back.
to stop resisting
You need to come up with a very strong argument. They won’t give in easily.
to stop trying
You are very close to your goal. Don’t give up now.
to start or proceed
If I don’t arrive by 10 am., go ahead without me.
to explode; to stop working; to make a loud noise
I was late this morning. My alarm didn’t go off.
to continue
Please go on, I’m listening.
to leave home for fun
Can I go out tonight?
to review
Let’s go over the notes.
to be officially approved; to experience a difficult situation
Don’t be too hard on her. She has just gone through a break-up.
to become an adult
I grew up in London.
to become too big or too old for something
My son grew out of his winter jacket, so I had to buy a new one.
to submit
You have to hand in your homework by Friday.
to distribute
Can I have someone to hand out these flyers?
to wait for a short time
Hang on a second. I’m about to finish.
to spend time together
I don’t want you to hang out with that guy.
to wait
📞 Hold on, I’ll get my father for you.
to delay; to rob
You need to move on with your life. Don’t let this divorce hold you up.
Which bank was held up last night?
to meet; to connect devices; to start a romantic relationship
I don’t want my daughter to hook up with him.
to do something quickly
Hurry up, we’re late.
to spend time lazily
We idled away the afternoon.
to solve small problems
I need to iron out some issues before presenting this project to the client.
to invite someone to come to your house
Can I invite my friend in for dinner tomorrow?
to invite someone to come to your house (same as invite in)
Why don’t you invite your new boyfriend over this weekend?
to demand something firmly
He insisted on paying the bill.
to want to do something
I’m itching for a break.
to take part in something
Please join in the game.
to write something quickly
Jot down the address.
to interrupt someone in order to join a conversation
I hate it when a journalist jumps in before someone finishes speaking.
to accept eagerly
When I told her about the offer, she jumped at it.
to raise suddenly; to lift a car with a jack
Petrol prices have been jacked up recently.
to make something more lively or attractive
This room looks boring. Let’s jazz it up.
to continue doing something
Don’t give up. Keep on trying.
To stay at the same level or pace as someone or something
You’re running too fast. I can’t keep up with you.
to avoid
Keep away from the fire.
I need to build a fence to keep the children away from the pool.
to hold something in reserve; to not go too close to something or someone
We need to keep back some money for emergencies.
to not step on; to not touch
Keep off the grass.
to relax
Let’s kick back tonight.
Keep your hands off the wall. It’s still wet.
to start
The show kicks off tonight.
to make unconscious
Charles Johnson knocked Lone’er Kavanagh out at UFC Shanghai.
to tip something down; to hit someone with a car
He was drunk and knocked someone over last night.
to start working hard
He had been sick for months. He must knuckle down to pass the exam.
to stop doing something; to stop employing someone
You should lay off smoking.
to result in
Stress can lead to illness.
to omit
Don’t leave out any names.
to disappoint
I won’t let you down.
to allow to enter
Can you let the me in?
to not punish someone
The police let him off with a warning.
to release
Let the cat out of that cage.
to arrange in a row
Line up by the door, please.
to have (something) as income or food
Many people in Madagascar live on less than $2 a day.
to take care of
Can you look after your sister while I’m cooking?
to try to find
What are you looking for?
to await with pleasure
I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.
to investigate
We’ll look into the issue.
to be careful
Look out for cars when you cross the road.
to search for information
If you don’t know the meaning of a phrasal verb, look it up in a dictionary.
to visit someone after a long time; to get better
Let’s see if our business looks up after the launch of these new products.
to move toward; to make something possible
I hope using artificial intelligence will make for a more efficient learning experience.
to manage or understand
I can’t make out what the baby is saying.
to invent
He lied to us. He made up the whole story.
to do something badly; to spoil
This is your last chance. Don’t mess it up.
to confuse
You mixed him up with his twin brother.
to start living somewhere
We’ll move in tomorrow.
to change to a new activity
I’ve been working for them for a long time. Now, I want to move on to something else.
to leave a home
She’s not living here anymore. She moved out in June.
to think about something carefully
I’ll mull it over.
to be equal
The data don’t match up.
to understand; to agree to the details of something
Rwanda and RDC nailed down an agreement to end the war.
to reduce the number of something
Can we narrow down the list of invitees to 100?
to write something
Note down the code.
to fall asleep
He nodded off while watching TV.
to go out briefly
I’ll nip out for a smoke.
to start operating; to talk about your feeling openly; to open
Jean-Claude Van Damme opened up about his struggle with drug addiction during an interview.
to choose
The decision was not easy, but we finally opted for real estate investment.
to join
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to choose not to join
Users can opt out of cookies any time they want.
to get food delivered
I don’t feel like cooking tonight. I’m going to order in a pizza.
to admit a fault
Jimmy owned up to killing a tourist.
to turn out well
Their cryptocurrency investment didn’t pan out.
to die
His grandmother passed away last month.
to become unconscious for a short period; to distribute something
He fell down and passed out.
to return money
I’ll pay you back on Friday.
to bring good results; to finish paying
Hard work always pays off.
to choose; to find
Can you help me pick out a gift for my sister?
to collect; to learn something on your own
Can you pick me up at the airport tomorrow?
to show; to indicate
Can you point out who the robber is?
to store
Put your shoes away.
to return to its place
Put the book back.
to write something; to say something negative about someone to make them feel unimportant; to place something you were holding onto a surface
Don’t put people down.
to delay; to discourage
Their low wage put a lot of potential workers off from applying for the job.
to wear
It’s cold outside. Put on your coat.
to extinguish; to publish
After many hours, the firefighters managed to put out the fire.
to assemble
Do you know how to put these pieces together?
to raise
Put your hands up if you want to ask a question.
to tolerate
I can’t put up with his behaviour.
to become less noisy
The crowd quieted down when the President started to speak.
to line up
Are there still many people queuing up?
to stop supporting
Jack is my best friend. He’ll never quit on me.
to depend on
I want to be independent. I don’t want to just rely on my partner only.
to exclude
We ruled out that option.
to meet by chance
I ran into my childhood friend yesterday.
to have none left
Hurry up. We are running out of time.
to hit and drive over someone with a car; to review
I want to run over the report one more time before submitting it.
to rehearse; to examine
Have you run through the report carefully?
to accumulate
This hotel is too expensive. Let’s not stay here for a long time. I don’t want to run up a huge bill.
to launch something to the public
Apple is planning to roll out a new app in September.
to keep money for later use
I’m saving up for a bike.
to say goodbye at departure
Sarah is going to Paris tomorrow. Can you join us at the airport tomorrow to see her off?
to support someone
Her mother was seeing her through during her time as a prisoner.
to start an activity
My son set out to learn Python programming.
to arrange; to establish
We need to set up a meeting sometime this week.
to become calm or stable; to feel confident in a place; to live in a plave for a long time
I want to settle down in Barcelona after I retire.
to boast; to behave in a certain way in order to attract attention
He loves to show off.
to stop working/operating
Can you shut down my computer?
to log into a system
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to register
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to take a seat
Please sit down here.
to solve a problem; to punish someone
If he continues to bully you, I’ll sort him out.
to talk louder
I can’t hear what you’re saying. Can you speak up?
to go faster
We have to speed up, or we are going to miss the train.
to end a relationship
Lucas and Candella split up last week.
to support someone during a difficult time; to wait
My mother stood by me when I was in jail.
to be noticeable
His painting stood out among others.
to begin again
I don’t really like this painting. I’ll destroy it and start over.
to stay awake past your normal bedtime
I usually stay up late during summer.
to continue doing something without changing it
He never sticks to his promise.
to not change what you are doing or have planned to do
I want to stick with my original plan.
to visit briefly
Can you stop by my office tomorrow?
to summarise; to explain the main points or features of someone or something
He is a liar. That sums him up.
to turn off
Could you switch off your phone, please?
to turn on
Switch on the radio.
to resemble
She takes after her mom.
to separate into pieces; to divide something into its individual components
We have to take the table apart to transport it.
to remove
Take these plates away.
to admit that something you said was wrong and withdraw it
You’re right, I take back what I said.
to write something down; to remove something from a higher place
Please take down everything he says.
to fully understand something
What he did was difficult to take in.
to leave the ground and begin to fly; to remove something
The plane couldn’t take off properly due to bad weather.
to accept a task
She already has a lot to do. I don’t want her to take on too much work.
to remove something from a place; to invite someone somewhere
I want to take Julia out for dinner tonight.
to gain control for something, such as a job or business
After the manager left, Sarah took over the team’s supervision.
to begin something new; to occupy space
Can we move this table somewhere? It takes up too much space.
to persuade someone to do something they were unsure about
They talked me into joining the club even though I was hesitant.
to discuss something carefully before making a decision
Let’s talk it over before making any final choices.
to destroy something by ripping it into small pieces
She tore up the letter after reading the bad news.
to carefully consider something before making a decision
You should think over the offer before accepting the job.
to get rid of something that is no longer needed or wanted
I’m going to throw away these old photos.
to vomit
The child threw up after eating too much.
to put on clothes to see if they fit or suit you
She tried on five dresses before choosing the one she liked the most.
to refuse an offer; to lower the volume of something
She turned me down when I proposed to her.
to return/submit something formally; to go to bed; to surrender oneself to an authority
The suspect turned himself in to the police.
to stop a device from operating; to make someone feel less attracted, especially in a romantic or sexual way
Her bad breath turns me off.
to start a device; to make someone feel interested or excited (usually sexually)
Can you turn on the radio, please?
to result in a particular way; to attend an event
The event turned out to be better than I expected.
to appear unexpectedly; to increase the level of something
She turned up at the wedding without an invitation.
to consume completely
Have you used up all the flour?
to encourage
People urged him on to run for the office of Vice President.
to introduce; to welcome
The king’s death ushered in a time of uncertainty and conflict.
to give support; to guarantee
She is my colleague. I can vouch for her skills.
to elect
We will vote in a new mayor next month.
to remove someone from a position of power through a vote
He is such a bad leader. We should vote him out.
to go out bravely
A group of explorers wants to venture out into the Amazon rainforest.
to relax and do little/nothing
I feel tired today. I’ll go home early and veg out.
to be close to
In this community, accepting the idea of a single God verges on the impossible.
to stay until something happens
What are you waiting for?
to stop sleeping
What time do you usually wake up?
to leave
Khabib Nurmagomedov was a good fighter. He used to walk away from a fight without bleeding.
to be careful
Watch out for snakes.
to make very tired; to become unusable
These shoes are not good. They wear out fast.
to consider carefully
Have you weighed up all the risks?
to encourage; to prepare food quickly
She whipped up a delicious dinner in just 10 minutes.
to destroy; to remove
A tsunami wiped out several houses in Indonesia in 2004.
to exercise; to solve; to calculate
Can you help me work out the total cost of this order?
to finish; to cover warmly
Wrap the baby up well. It’s cold outside.
to record on paper
Write your ideas down so you don’t forget them.
to create a full report; to report someone for disobedience to the law or rule
If you continue to disobey my order, I’ll write you up.
to prepare your body with light exercise; to make something or someone warmer
We usually warm up for ten minutes before doing a full body workout.
to relax after work
I like to wind down with music after a long day at work.
to end up; to officially close or end a business
The company wound up after years of financial struggles.
to try to improve
I’m working on improving my English pronunciation.
to remove something by marking it with an X
X out the wrong answer.
to mark something as done with an X
X off each completed task.
to talk too much
He yakked on for hours.
to pull something quickly
She yanked out the plug to avoid fire.
to wish something strongly
South Sudan has yearned for peace for many years.
to stop paying attention
Mr John was a boring teacher. I used to zone out during his class.
to close something using a zipper
He zipped up his jacket.
to focus on one thing
You need to zero in on your exam.
to go through something quickly
You can through the channels using this button.
Read the conversation below and spot the phrasal verbs used.
Alex: Hey Sam, can you help me set up this printer?
Sam: Sure, let's take it apart first.
Alex: Thanks. I couldn’t sort it out on my own.
Sam: No problem. We’ll go over the instructions together. Did you hear Jerry’s shop took off?
Alex: Really? He was struggling last year.
Sam: Yes, he added books to his shop. People love it.
Alex: I’ll check it out soon. It’s great how he turned it around.
Sam: Can you turn up the heat, please? It’s cold here.
Alex: Sure.
Note that the same phrasal verb can have several meanings depending on the context in which it is used. For example, the phrasal verb "break down" can mean to stop functioning, as in "My car broke down on the way to work," or it can also mean to become very upset, as in "She broke down in tears when she heard about the passing of her father."
There are two types of phrasal verbs: separable and inseparable. These types define how the verb and its accompanying preposition or adverb function together in a sentence. Distinguishing them affects how you structure your sentences and where you place the object.
Separable phrasal verbs are those in which the verb and the preposition or adverb can be separated by other words, usually the object of the verb. For example, in the sentence "I turned off the light," the phrasal verb is "turn off." You can separate the verb and the preposition: "I turned the light off." Both forms are correct, but when the object is a pronoun (like "it"), you must separate them: "I turned it off."
Inseparable phrasal verbs are those where the verb and the preposition or adverb cannot be separated. For instance, in the sentence "I ran into an old friend," the phrasal verb "run into" cannot be split. It would be incorrect to say "I ran an old friend into." The object always comes after the complete phrasal verb.
A transitive verb requires a direct object to complete its meaning.
The action is performed on someone or something.
Without the object, the sentence may feel incomplete.
In this sentence, "a letter" is the object.
If we say only "She wrote", the meaning is unclear. We ask: wrote what?
The same rule applies to transitive phrasal verbs.
The verb "is looking after" needs an object to be complete.
Saying only "My aunt is looking after" is incomplete. It leads us to ask: looking after whom?
An intransitive verb does not take a direct object.
These verbs make sense on their own, without an object.
This is a complete sentence. No object is needed. Intransitive phrasal verbs follow the same logic.
"Took off" is an intransitive phrasal verb. No object is needed.
Some phrasal verbs can function as both transitive and intransitive. Here are a few examples:
