Essential list of phrasal verbs you need to learn

1. What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is made up of a verb plus a preposition or an adverb. In many cases, phrasal verbs have meanings that differ from the individual words they are made of.

2. List of common phrasal verbs A-Z with examples

I have compiled below an essential 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 defeat or acknowledge you are wrong

She refused to back down from her plan.

to withdraw from an agreement

Jack backed out at the last minute.

to support someone; to make a copy; to prove something true

Back up your files before replacing the hard drive.

Emma can back me up on this.

to rely on; to expect

Don’t bank on his support.

to explode or get very angry

The tire blew up on the road.

to be the main reason for something

Their problems boil down to a lack of trust.

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.

to become very tired

He burned out after months of night shifts.

to return a phone call

I’ll call you back later.

to cancel

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

They carried out an attack on three sites.

to become popular; to understand

TikTok quickly caught on.

He didn’t catch on to what I meant.

to reach the same level as someone

It’s hard to catch up with his classmates.

to show personal info at an airport/hotel

Where can I check in, please?

to pay and leave after staying

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)

My headache cleared up.

The case has never been cleared up.

to find by chance

I came across an old photo.

to return

Please come back later.

to obtain; to visit briefly

High-paying jobs are hard to come by.

Can you come by my office tomorrow?

to think of an idea

She came up with a good idea.

to rely on

Can I count on you?

to reduce

Cut back on sugar.

to remove a part; to stop supplying

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.

to manage without 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 this afternoon?

to deliver; to fall asleep; to take someone somewhere

Can you drop me off at the airport?

to quit an activity; to leave school before finishing

He dropped out of college.

to become dry or end

Many rivers may dry up due to climate change.

to make easier to understand

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

You’ll end up homeless.

to justify or make an excuse so it doesn’t seem serious

Don’t try to explain it away.

to look at with desire or interest

Do you see that guy eyeing you up?

to make equal

His goal evened out the score.

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; be late

You’ll fall behind if you don’t study.

to believe a lie; to fall in love

She falls for people easily.

to argue and stop being friends

I fell out with him over his attitude.

to understand or solve

I can’t figure it out.

to complete a form

Please fill in this form.

to gain weight; to write in spaces

Please fill out your name here.

to discover

We found out the truth.

to become strongly emotional

She freaked out when we won.

to have a good relationship

I get along well with Sam.

to move from place to place; to deal with

What’s the best way to get around in Barcelona?

How can we get around this problem?

to avoid punishment

He can’t get away with it.

to return

When did you get back?

to manage with difficulty

We had to get by on $700 a month.

to enter

Get in the car, kids.

to start behaving strangely; to become interested in something

What’s got into him?

He’s got into chess recently.

to continue doing something

They just get on with their lives.

to recover (from illness or upset)

She needs time to get over the break-up.

to reach by phone; to succeed

I couldn’t get through this morning.

I’ll buy you a bike if you get through your exam.

to meet each other

Let’s get together on Friday.

to stand up; to get out of bed

I usually get up at six.

to donate or reveal

She gave away her coat.

to return something

I want my money back.

to stop resisting

They won’t give in easily.

to stop trying

Don’t give up now.

to start or proceed

Go ahead without me.

to explode; to stop working; to make a loud noise

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 approved; to experience a difficult situation

She has just gone through a break-up.

to become an adult

I grew up in London.

to become too big/old for something

He grew out of his jacket.

to submit

Hand in your homework by Friday.

to distribute

Please hand out these flyers.

to wait for a short time

Hang on a second.

to spend time together

Don’t hang out with that guy.

to wait

Hold on, I’ll get my father.

to delay; to rob

Don’t let this divorce hold you up.

Which bank was held up?

to meet; to connect devices; to start a relationship

I don’t want her 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.

to invite someone to your house

Can I invite my friend in?

to invite someone to your house

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 to join a conversation

Don’t jump in before someone finishes.

to accept eagerly

She jumped at the offer.

to raise suddenly; to lift with a jack

Petrol prices were jacked up.

to make more lively or attractive

Let’s jazz up this room.

to continue doing something

Keep on trying.

to stay at the same level or pace

I can’t keep up with you.

to avoid; to prevent access

Keep away from the fire.

Build a fence to keep children away from the pool.

to reserve; to not go too close

Keep back some money for emergencies.

to not step on; to not touch

Keep off the grass.

to relax

Let’s kick back tonight.

to start

The show kicks off tonight.

to make unconscious

He knocked him out in the first round.

to tip something down; to hit someone with a car

He knocked someone over last night.

to start working hard

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 me in?

to not punish someone

The police let him off with a warning.

to release

Let the cat out of the cage.

to arrange in a row

Line up by the door.

to have as income or food

Many live on less than $2 a day.

to take care of

Can you look after your sister?

to try to find

What are you looking for?

to await with pleasure

I’m looking forward to meeting them.

to investigate

We’ll look into the issue.

to be careful

Look out for cars.

to search for information

Look it up in a dictionary.

to improve; to visit after a long time

Let’s see if business looks up.

to move toward; to make something possible

AI could make for more efficient learning.

to manage or understand

I can’t make out what he’s saying.

to invent

He made up the whole story.

to do badly; to spoil

Don’t mess it up.

to confuse

You mixed him up with his twin.

to start living somewhere

We’ll move in tomorrow.

to change to a new activity

I want to move on to something else.

to leave a home

She moved out in June.

to think carefully

I’ll mull it over.

to be equal

The data don’t match up.

to understand; to agree details

They nailed down an agreement.

to reduce the number

Narrow down the list to 100.

to write something

Note down the code.

to fall asleep

He nodded off watching TV.

to go out briefly

I’ll nip out for a smoke.

to start operating; to talk openly; to open

He opened up about his struggles.

to choose

We opted for real estate investment.

to join

You can opt in for emails.

to choose not to join

Users can opt out of cookies.

to get food delivered

I’ll order in a pizza.

to admit a fault

He owned up to the crime.

to turn out well

It didn’t pan out.

to die

She passed away last month.

to become unconscious; to distribute

He passed out after the fall.

to return money

I’ll pay you back on Friday.

to bring good results; to finish paying

Hard work pays off.

to choose; to find

Help me pick out a gift.

to collect; to learn on your own

Pick me up at the airport.

to show; to indicate

Point out the robber.

to store

Put your shoes away.

to return to its place

Put the book back.

to write; to belittle; to place something on a surface

Don’t put people down.

to delay; to discourage

Low wages put applicants off.

to wear

Put on your coat.

to extinguish; to publish

They put out the fire.

to assemble

Put these pieces together.

to raise

Put your hands up.

to tolerate

I can’t put up with his behaviour.

to become less noisy

The crowd quieted down.

to line up

Are people still queuing up?

to stop supporting

He’ll never quit on me.

to depend on

I don’t want to rely on my partner.

to exclude

We ruled out that option.

to meet by chance

I ran into a friend yesterday.

to have none left

We’re running out of time.

to hit with a car; to review

Let’s run over the report.

to rehearse; to examine

Have you run through the report?

to accumulate

I don’t want to run up a huge bill.

to launch to the public

They’ll roll out a new app.

to keep money for later

I’m saving up for a bike.

to say goodbye at departure

We’ll see her off at the airport.

to support someone

Her mother saw her through tough times.

to start an activity

He set out to learn Python.

to arrange; to establish

Let’s set up a meeting.

to become calm or stable; to live in a place for a long time

I want to settle down in Barcelona.

to boast; to attract attention

He loves to show off.

to stop working/operating

Please shut down my computer.

to log into a system

Sign in to post comments.

to register

Sign up for our newsletter.

to take a seat

Please sit down here.

to solve a problem; to punish someone

I’ll sort him out.

to talk louder

Can you speak up?

to go faster

We have to speed up.

to end a relationship

They split up last week.

to support someone; to wait

My mother stood by me.

to be noticeable

His painting stood out.

to begin again

I’ll start over.

to stay awake past bedtime

I stay up late in summer.

to continue without changing

He never sticks to his promise.

to not change your plan

I’ll stick with my plan.

to visit briefly

Stop by my office tomorrow.

to summarise

That sums him up.

to turn off

Switch off your phone.

to turn on

Switch on the radio.

to resemble

She takes after her mom.

to separate into pieces

We must take the table apart.

to remove

Take these plates away.

to withdraw something said

You’re right, I take it back.

to write; to remove from a high place

Please take down everything he says.

to fully understand

It was hard to take in.

to leave the ground; to remove

The plane couldn’t take off.

to accept a task

Don’t take on too much work.

to remove; to invite someone somewhere

I’ll take Julia out for dinner.

to gain control of something

Sarah took over the team.

to begin something new; to occupy space

The table takes up too much space.

to persuade to do something

They talked me into joining.

to discuss carefully

Let’s talk it over first.

to rip into small pieces

She tore up the letter.

to consider carefully

Think over the offer.

to discard

I’m going to throw these away.

to vomit

The child threw up.

to put on clothes to test fit

She tried on five dresses.

to refuse; to lower volume

She turned me down.

to submit; to go to bed; to surrender to authorities

He turned himself in.

to stop a device; to reduce attraction

Her bad breath turns me off.

to start a device; to excite (often sexually)

Turn on the radio.

to result; to attend an event

The event turned out better than expected.

to appear unexpectedly; to increase level

She turned up without an invitation.

to consume completely

Have you used up all the flour?

to encourage

They urged him on to run.

to introduce; to welcome

His death ushered in uncertainty.

to give support; to guarantee

I can vouch for her skills.

to elect

We will vote in a new mayor.

to remove from power through a vote

We should vote him out.

to go out bravely

They’ll venture out into the rainforest.

to relax and do little/nothing

I’ll go home and veg out.

to be close to

It verges on the impossible.

to stay until something happens

What are you waiting for?

to stop sleeping

What time do you wake up?

to leave

He used to walk away without bleeding.

to be careful

Watch out for snakes.

to make very tired; to become unusable

These shoes wear out fast.

to consider carefully

Weigh up all the risks.

to encourage; to prepare food quickly

She whipped up dinner in 10 minutes.

to destroy; to remove

A tsunami wiped out houses.

to exercise; to solve; to calculate

Help me work out the total cost.

to finish; to cover warmly

Wrap the baby up well.

to record on paper

Write your ideas down.

to create a full report; to report someone for disobedience

I’ll write you up.

to prepare with light exercise; to make warmer

We warm up for ten minutes.

to relax after work

I wind down with music.

to end up; to close a business

The company wound up.

to try to improve

I’m working on my 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 wish strongly

They yearned for peace.

to stop paying attention

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 zap through the channels with this button.

3. Use 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."

4. Types of phrasal verbs

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.

4.1 Separable type

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."

4.2 Inseparable type

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.

5. Transitive and intransitive

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.

• She wrote a letter.

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.

• My aunt is looking after my little brother.

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.

• She arrived.

This is a complete sentence. No object is needed. Intransitive phrasal verbs follow the same logic.

• The plane took off on time.

"Took off" is an intransitive phrasal verb. No object is needed.

5.1 Transitive phrasal verbs list

1. look for
2. give up
3. grow up
4. stand up
5. sit down
6. fill out
7. turn off
8. put off
9. deal with
10. get on with
11. give up on
12. spit out

5.2 Intransitive

1. show up
2. grow up
3. stand up
4. sit down
5. break down
6. go back
7. shut up
8. find out
9. turn up
10. fall through
11. fall back
12. fall apart
13. heal up
14. back down
15. get on
16. turn up (somewhere)

5.3 Intransitive and transitive phrasal verbs list

Some phrasal verbs can function as both transitive and intransitive. Here are a few examples:

1. Take off
   • Transitive: "Please take off your shoes."
   • Intransitive: "The plane took off at 6 PM."
2. Hang up
   • Transitive: "You can hang up your coat here."
   • Intransitive: "Before you hang up, let me ask you something."

6. Learning material

Download the phrasal verb list below in PDF.

Phrasal verb list in PDF
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