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List of common phrasal verbs

Phrasal verbs in everyday conversation

Phrasal verbs like come up with, break up, or get around are a type of verb in English that consist of a verb plus a preposition or an adverb.

List of common phrasal verbs

Common phrasal verbs in English
Phrasal verb Definition Example
Break down To stop functioning (machinery) My car broke down on my way to the airport.
Take off To suddenly start to be successful or popular Her business took off after a slow start.
Turn up To arrive somewhere He turned up at my house unexpectedly.
Look something up To search for information I looked up the word in the dictionary.
Look up To get better After a rough start, things are finally starting to look up for us.
Run out of To have no more of something Can you go to the grocery, please? We are running out of milk.
Check something out To get information about something There is a new restaurant on Main Street. I am going to check it out tomorrow.
Check out To leave a hotel after paying the bills We need to check out by noon tomorrow.
Fill out To complete (a form, a questionnaire, etc.) Please fill out the application form.
Go over To review or check Let's go over the documents before submitting them.
Come across To find or meet by chance I came across some old photos of mine in the attic.
Put off To postpone We had to put off the meeting until next week.
bring up To mention or introduce a topic She brought up an interesting point during the meeting.
call off To cancel The game was called off due to heavy rain.
cut back on To reduce in amount We need to cut back on our expenses.
deal with To handle or cope with My job is to deal with any technical support issues.
drop off To deliver someone or something I'll drop you off at the airport tomorrow.
get along with To have a good relationship with She gets along with her colleagues very well.
give up To stop trying or quit He gave up smoking last year.
hold on To wait (especially on the telephone) Hold on, I'll check if she's available.
keep up with To stay at the same level as others It's hard to keep up with the latest technology.
let down To disappoint I'll never let you down.
make something up To invent, often in order to deceive He made the whole story up to get elected.
pass out To faint or lose consciousness He passed out from dehydration.
put something away To put something in its proper place Please put your shoes away.
run into To encounter unexpectedly I ran into an old friend at the mall.
set up To arrange, establish He set up a new business.
take on To accept a task or responsibility She took on too much work this week.
throw away To discard Don't throw away these papers; they are important.
try out To test something (such as a product) He's trying out the new car before he buys it.
warm up To prepare for physical exertion by stretching or doing light exercise Always warm up before starting your workout.
work out To exercise; also to find a solution to a problem She works out at the gym daily.
zone out To lose concentration or become inattentive He zoned out during the lecture.
look after To take care of She looks after her younger sister after school.
look forward to To anticipate with pleasure I'm looking forward to the weekend.
look into To investigate The police are looking into the case.
look over To examine or review Could you look over my report before I submit it?
make out To discern or understand It was hard to make out what he was saying.
pick up To lift; also to improve or increase I need to pick up some groceries. / Sales have picked up this month.
put down To write down; also to insult Put down your name on the list. / He's always putting me down!
put off To postpone We have to put off our meeting until next week.
put up with To tolerate I can’t put up with his behaviour any longer.
run over To exceed a time limit; also to hit with a vehicle The meeting ran over by 30 minutes. / Unfortunately, a cat was run over by a car.
show up To appear; to arrive at an event He didn’t show up to the party last night.
shut down To turn off; to cease operations The factory was shut down for safety reasons.
sort out To organize; to resolve a problem Let's sort out these files. / We need to sort out this issue quickly.
speak up To talk louder; also to state one's opinion Please speak up, we can't hear you at the back. / He spoke up against the unfair policy.
stand out To be noticeable or distinguished Her talent really stands out in the choir.
stand up for To defend; to support a cause or individual He stood up for his rights.
take back To retract a statement; also to return something I take back what I said earlier. / Can you take this back to the store?
take down To write down information; also to dismantle Take down these notes. / We took down the old shed.
talk over To discuss We need to talk over the plans before we proceed.
throw up To vomit; also to quickly construct or create He threw up after eating spoiled food. / They threw up a makeshift shelter overnight.
turn down To refuse or reject He turned down the job offer.
turn off To deactivate a device or light Please turn off the lights before you leave.
turn on To activate a device or light Can you turn on the air conditioner?
use up To consume or exhaust a supply of something We used up all the flour baking cakes.
wear off To diminish in effect or intensity over time The medication's effects will wear off after a few hours.
wear out To use something until it becomes unusable or too old Don't use these shoes for running or you will wear them out very quickly.
back up To support or confirm; also to make a copy of data Can you back up your claims? / Don’t forget to back up your files.
blow up To explode; also to inflate The car's left tyre blew up and caused the accident. / Could you blow up these balloons?
break in To forcibly enter a building; also to wear something until it becomes comfortable Someone broke in last night. / I’m still breaking in my new boots.
break out To start suddenly, usually something unwelcome like a war or disease A fight broke out in the bar.
bring down To reduce; also to cause to fall They're looking at ways to bring down costs. / The scandal brought down the government.
build up To increase or grow larger or stronger over time He needs to build up his strength.
burn out To become extremely tired or sick by working hard for a long time She’s burning out after years of high-pressure work.
calm down To relax after being angry or upset He needed some time to calm down after the argument.
clear up To make something tidy or clean; also to explain something or become sunny Could you clear up your room? / The misunderstanding was cleared up quickly. / The weather is expected to clear up by the afternoon.
come up with To suggest or think of an idea or plan She came up with a great idea for the party.
cool down To lower the temperature; also to become less angry Let the engine cool down before checking the oil. / He cooled down once he had a chance to explain his side of the story.
cut down on To reduce in size or amount (especially expenses) He’s been advised to cut down on sweets and fatty foods.
cut off To disconnect or stop providing something; also to interrupt The water company cut off our water because we didn't pay the bill. / He was cut off in the middle of his call.
fall through To fail to happen or be completed (plans, arrangements, schemes, etc.) Our plans to meet up on Friday fell through.
fill in To complete (a form, a questionnaire, etc.) Please fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
find out To discover, see or get knowledge about something She finally found out the truth about him.
get across To successfully communicate an idea or information He struggled to get his point across during the presentation.
get ahead To progress, especially in life or work She's always trying new strategies to get ahead in her career.
give in To reluctantly stop fighting or arguing; to yield After hours of debate, he finally gave in to their demands.
go along with To agree or obey She didn't agree with the plan but decided to go along with it anyway.
hang on To wait for a short time Hang on a minute while I grab my coat.
keep off To not go onto an area Please keep off the grass.
kick off To start or begin The meeting will kick off with a speech from the CEO.
lay off To stop employing someone, often for reasons that are not related to the employee's performance Due to budget cuts, the company had to lay off several employees last month.
let off To not punish someone who has done something wrong He was let off with just a warning after being caught speeding.
look up to To admire or respect someone He’s always looked up to his father.
make do To manage with the available resources, although they are not enough There wasn't much food left in the fridge, but we made do with what we had.
move on To proceed or advance in action After discussing the budget, we moved on to the next agenda item.
nod off To fall asleep briefly, especially unintentionally He nodded off during the lecture.
pay back To return money that you have borrowed She needs to pay back the loan within the next two months.
point out To indicate or specify She pointed out the main problems with our proposal.
put together To assemble; to create something by joining or combining different things He put together a bookshelf from the kit he bought.
roll out To officially launch or introduce a new product or service The company is rolling out its new software next month.
run by To explain something to someone or inform them about it, to see if they agree with it Let me run this idea by my boss before we proceed.
set off To start a journey; also to cause something to happen, especially something bad We set off early to avoid the traffic. / His comment set off an argument in the room.
shoot up To increase rapidly Prices shot up due to the sudden demand.
shut up To stop talking. It is often used as a rude or angry way to tell someone to stop speaking She told him to shut up during the argument.
size up To evaluate or assess someone or something He sized up the competition before the race.
slip up To make a mistake She slipped up on the final question of the exam.
sort out To resolve a problem or organize disordered items They spent the afternoon sorting out their financial records.
speak out To express one’s opinions openly and publicly He spoke out against the changes in the company policy.
speed up To increase speed; to accelerate The project manager asked the team to speed up development.
spell out To explain something in a very clear way with details The teacher spelt out the instructions to the students.
stand by To support; to be ready to help or support someone She always stands by her friends in tough times.
stick to To continue doing or using something and not change it He stuck to his decision despite the criticism.
sum up To summarize the main points Let's sum up the key points of this meeting before we adjourn.
take apart To disassemble something into pieces He took apart the engine to see what the problem was.
take over To take control of something Her company was taken over by a multinational corporation.
talk down To speak to someone as if they are not intelligent; to belittle He has a bad habit of talking down to his employees.
think over To consider something carefully before making a decision She needs some time to think over the job offer.
throw in To add something extra for free The dealer threw in free servicing for a year with the new car.
tide over To help someone through a difficult period, often with resources or money His savings helped tide him over when he was between jobs.
touch up To improve or fix small details of something She touched up the paint on the wall where it was peeling.
try on To wear something to see if it fits or looks nice This skirt looks beautiful. I want to try it on.
turn into To become something different; to transform A caterpillar will eventually turn into a butterfly.
turn up To increase the amount of sound, heat, etc., by adjusting a control Can you turn up the volume, please? We can't hear anything at the back.
wait on To serve (especially in a restaurant or store) She waits on tables at a local restaurant to finance her study.
walk out To suddenly leave a place, especially as a way of showing disapproval Half of the audience walked out in protest during the performance.

Phrasal verbs in everyday conversation

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."

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