Learning phrasal verbs can be fun and useful, as they are used every day in English conversation. In this lesson, we will cover 100 important phrasal verbs and explain how they are used in simple English. At the end, we will also include 50 commonly used phrasal verbs with examples to help you practice.
What are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles (such as a preposition or an adverb) that together create a new meaning, different from the original verb. Phrasal verbs are widely used in both spoken and written English, making them essential for effective communication.
For example:
- “Give up” means to stop trying, which is different from just the verb “give.”
Types of Phrasal Verbs with Examples
1. Transitive Phrasal Verbs
These phrasal verbs require a direct object to complete their meaning.
- Example: She gave up her job.
- (Here, “her job” is the object.)
2. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
These phrasal verbs do not require an object.
- Example: He woke up early.
- (No object follows the verb phrase.)
3. Separable Phrasal Verbs
In separable phrasal verbs, the object can come between the verb and the particle.
- Example: She turned the volume down.
- Or: She turned down the volume.
4. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
In inseparable phrasal verbs, the verb and the particle cannot be separated.
- Example: We looked after the kids.
- (You cannot say: We looked the kids after.)
Why Learn Phrasal Verbs in English?
Phrasal verbs are common in everyday English, and learning them can make your speech sound more natural and fluent. They often have special meanings that can’t be guessed just by knowing the verb, so it’s important to understand them to follow conversations or texts better. Mastering phrasal verbs will help you communicate more clearly and take part in casual conversations easily. For example, using “give up” instead of “quit” adds variety to your speech.
Phrasal Verbs with Meanings
- Break down – Stop working (machine)
- Look up – Search for information
- Run out – Use all of something
- Bring up – Mention a topic
- Put off – Delay or postpone
- Pick up – Collect someone or something
- Give up – Stop trying
- Call off – Cancel something
- Turn on – Start something (light, machine)
- Turn off – Stop something (light, machine)
- Set up – Arrange or prepare
- Take off – Remove (clothes), or a plane leaving the ground
- Go on – Continue
- Get along – Have a good relationship
- Put on – Wear clothes or accessories
- Take out – Remove something
- Look after – Take care of someone
- Check out – Look at something, or leave a hotel
- Turn down – Refuse or lower the volume
- Wake up – Stop sleeping
- Cut down – Reduce something
- Hang out – Spend time relaxing
- Get up – Stand or leave your bed
- Move in – Start living in a new place
- Run into – Meet someone unexpectedly
- Put up with – Tolerate or endure
- Throw away – Dispose of something
- Give away – Donate or give for free
- Hold on – Wait for a moment
- Bring back – Return something
- Look out – Be careful
- Come across – Find something by chance
- Work out – Exercise or solve a problem
- Back up – Support or make a copy
- Make up – Invent a story or forgive someone
- Go ahead – Start or continue
- Carry on – Continue doing something
- Pass away – Die
- Look forward to – Be excited about the future
- Show up – Arrive or appear
- Take back – Return something
- Run away – Escape from something
- Turn up – Arrive or increase the volume
- Break up – End a relationship
- Keep up – Continue at the same pace
- Cut out – Stop doing something
- Give in – Surrender or agree to something
- Put down – Place something on a surface or criticize
- Bring in – Introduce something
- Calm down – Relax or stop being upset
- Fall apart – Break into pieces
- Let down – Disappoint someone
- Look over – Examine or check something quickly
- Call back – Return a phone call
- Get back – Return to a place
- Turn around – Change direction
- Fill in – Complete a form
- Break into – Enter by force
- Come up with – Think of an idea or solution
- Turn out – Result or happen in a certain way
- Take in – Understand or absorb information
- Get through – Complete or survive a difficult situation
- Do up – Fasten something or improve a place
- Look down on – Think you are better than someone
- Get rid of – Remove or throw away something
- Bring about – Cause something to happen
- Hold up – Delay or stop progress
- Go through – Experience something
- Break out – Start suddenly (like a fire or fight)
- Take over – Take control of something
- Cut back – Reduce the amount of something
- Get off – Leave a bus, train, or plane
- Take down – Remove something from a high position
- Break through – Succeed despite obstacles
- Point out – Draw attention to something
- Catch up – Reach the same level as others
- Look into – Investigate or examine
- Pull over – Stop a vehicle on the side of the road
- Settle down – Become calm or start living in a place
- Cut off – Stop the supply of something
- Put out – Extinguish a fire
- Get together – Meet and spend time with someone
- Sort out – Organize or resolve a problem
- Fall out – Stop being friends
- Pick out – Choose or select something
- Go over – Review or examine
- Pass out – Faint or lose consciousness
- Look up to – Admire or respect someone
- Show off – Act in a way to attract attention
- Keep away – Stay at a distance
- Put through – Connect someone on the phone
- Take after – Resemble someone in appearance or behavior
- Blow up – Explode or get angry
- Bring out – Make something noticeable or available
- Get over – Recover from something
- Put off – Make someone dislike something
- Take apart – Separate into pieces
- Give out – Distribute something
- Look back – Think about the past
- Catch on – Understand or become popular
Important Phrasal Verbs with Examples
- Break down – The car broke down on the highway.
- Look up – You can look up the word in a dictionary.
- Run out – We ran out of milk.
- Bring up – He brought up an interesting topic.
- Put off – They put off the meeting until next week.
- Pick up – I’ll pick up the kids after school.
- Give up – She decided to give up trying to fix the computer.
- Call off – The event was called off due to rain.
- Turn on – Please turn on the lights.
- Turn off – Don’t forget to turn off the TV.
- Set up – They set up a tent in the park.
- Take off – The plane took off at noon.
- Go on – The show must go on despite the problems.
- Get along – Do you get along well with your classmates?
- Put on – He put on his jacket before leaving.
- Take out – She took out the trash.
- Look after – Can you look after my dog while I’m away?
- Check out – Check out this cool new game!
- Turn down – He turned down the job offer.
- Wake up – I woke up early this morning.
- Cut down – He is trying to cut down on sugar.
- Hang out – They like to hang out at the park.
- Get up – I got up at 7 a.m. today.
- Move in – They moved in to their new house last week.
- Run into – I ran into my old friend at the mall.
- Put up with – I can’t put up with the noise anymore.
- Throw away – Please throw away your trash.
- Give away – They gave away free books at the event.
- Hold on – Hold on, I’ll be right back.
- Bring back – Can you bring back the books tomorrow?
- Look out – Look out! There’s a car coming.
- Come across – I came across an old photo of us.
- Work out – He likes to work out every morning.
- Back up – Make sure to back up your computer files.
- Make up – They had a fight but soon made up.
- Go ahead – Go ahead and start the presentation.
- Carry on – We need to carry on with our plan.
- Pass away – Her grandfather passed away last year.
- Look forward to – I look forward to seeing you soon.
- Show up – He didn’t show up for the meeting.
- Take back – I need to take back the books to the library.
- Run away – The cat ran away when it saw the dog.
- Turn up – The music is too low. Please turn it up.
- Break up – They broke up after five years together.
- Keep up – You’re doing great, just keep up the good work!
- Cut out – He needs to cut out junk food from his diet.
- Give in – After a long argument, she finally gave in.
- Put down – She put down the heavy box.
- Bring in – They brought in a new policy at work.
- Calm down – Calm down, everything will be okay.
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