English Phrasal Verbs: 156 Common Phrasal Verbs with Meanings and Examples

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word like up, out or off that together create a new meaning: give up means stop trying, and look after means take care of. Below are 156 common English phrasal verbs, grouped by verb, with simple meanings and example sentences you can learn from.

For many learners, phrasal verbs are the most confusing part of English: you know what "put" and "up" mean, but "put up with" still makes no sense. The good news is that you don't have to learn them all. You need the common ones, in real sentences, reviewed often enough to stick.

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb combined with one or two particles, usually adverbs or prepositions such as up, down, in, out, on, off, away, back or over. The combination works as a single unit of meaning, and that meaning is often impossible to guess from the parts.

Compare:

• run: move fast on foot.
• run into someone: meet someone by chance.
• run out of something: have none left.

Phrasal verbs are typical of informal, everyday English. In a meeting you might "postpone" a decision, but with friends you "put it off".

Why are phrasal verbs worth learning?

Because they are everywhere in real conversation, films and songs, and because a small group of them does most of the work.

In a 2007 study of the British National Corpus, Dee Gardner and Mark Davies found 518,923 phrasal verb occurrences. Just 20 verbs combined with 8 particles accounted for more than half of them. That's why the list below is organized by verb: learn how get, go, come, take, put and a few others combine with their particles, and you'll understand most phrasal verbs you meet.

Many phrasal verbs have several meanings, but you don't need all of them at once. In their PHaVE List of the 150 most frequent phrasal verbs, Mélodie Garnier and Norbert Schmitt (2015) found that a small number of key meanings covers more than 75% of how each of them is really used. So start with the main meanings, like the ones below, and add the rare ones later.

What do the particles usually mean?

Particles aren't random. Once you know their typical meanings, many new phrasal verbs become easier to guess:

• up: completion or increase (eat up, fill up, speed up).
• down: decrease or stopping (slow down, calm down, shut down).
• out: removal, ending or discovery (throw out, run out, find out).
• off: separation, departure or cancelling (take off, set off, call off).
• on: continuing or starting (carry on, go on, turn on).
• back: return (come back, call back, pay back).
• over: repeating or reviewing (think over, go over, do over).
• away: leaving or removing (go away, give away, throw away).

Separable or inseparable: where does the object go?

With some phrasal verbs, the object can go between the verb and the particle: "turn off the light" or "turn the light off". These are called separable. If the object is a pronoun, it must go in the middle: "turn it off", never "turn off it".

Other phrasal verbs are inseparable: the object always comes after the particle, as in "look after the kids" or "get over a cold".

In the list below, something or someone shows where the object goes. If it sits in the middle (put something off), the verb is separable. If it comes at the end (look after someone), keep the verb and particle together.

Common English phrasal verbs with meanings and examples

Phrasal verbs with get

• get up: leave your bed after sleeping. I get up at seven on weekdays.
• get on: enter a bus, train or plane. We got on the train just before the doors closed.
• get off: leave a bus, train or plane. Get off at the second stop after the bridge.
• get along with someone: have a friendly relationship. I get along with my new neighbors really well.
• get over something: recover from an illness or a disappointment. It took her months to get over the breakup.
• get back: return. When did you get back from your trip?
• get by: manage with little money or knowledge. My Spanish is basic, but I can get by in shops.
• get away with something: do something wrong without being punished. He cheated on the test and got away with it.
• get out of something: avoid a duty. She tried to get out of washing the dishes.
• get through something: finish or survive something difficult. Coffee helps me get through Monday mornings.
• get together: meet socially. Let's get together for lunch next week.
• get around to something: finally find time to do something. I never got around to reading that book.

Phrasal verbs with go

• go on: continue, or happen. Go on, I'm listening. What's going on here?
• go out: leave home for fun, or stop burning. We went out for pizza. The candle went out.
• go back: return to a place. I'd love to go back to Lisbon one day.
• go up: increase. Rent has gone up again this year.
• go down: decrease. Prices usually go down after the holidays.
• go over something: review or check carefully. Let's go over the plan one more time.
• go through something: experience something difficult, or examine. She went through a hard time last year.
• go ahead: start or continue, often with permission. Can I ask a question? Sure, go ahead.
• go off: explode or ring suddenly, or go bad. My alarm went off at six. The milk has gone off.
• go with something: match or look good together. Does this tie go with my shirt?
• go without something: manage without something you want or need. We went without internet for a week.

Phrasal verbs with come

• come back: return. Come back soon!
• come up: be mentioned, or happen unexpectedly. Your name came up in the meeting. Something came up, so I'll be late.
• come up with something: think of an idea or plan. She came up with a great name for the café.
• come across something: find by chance. I came across an old photo of my grandparents.
• come on: hurry, or encouragement. Come on, we'll miss the bus!
• come in: enter. Please come in and sit down.
• come out: be published or released, or become known. Her new album comes out on Friday.
• come over: visit someone's home. Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?
• come down with something: become ill. I think I'm coming down with a cold.
• come along: go somewhere with someone. We're going to the market. Do you want to come along?

Phrasal verbs with take

• take off: leave the ground (plane), or become successful quickly. The plane took off on time. Her business really took off.
• take something off: remove clothing. Please take your shoes off at the door.
• take something on: accept work or responsibility. I can't take on any more projects this month.
• take up something: start a hobby, or use space or time. He took up yoga last spring. This sofa takes up half the room.
• take over something: take control. A bigger company took over the startup.
• take someone out: invite someone and pay for a meal or trip. I took my mom out for her birthday.
• take something back: return something to a shop, or withdraw what you said. I took the jacket back because it was too small.
• take after someone: look or behave like an older family member. My son takes after his grandfather. They both love fishing.
• take something in: understand and remember. There was too much information to take in at once.
• take something apart: separate into pieces. He took the old clock apart to see how it worked.

Phrasal verbs with put

• put something on: dress in something, or switch on. Put a coat on, it's cold. Can you put some music on?
• put something off: postpone. Don't put off your homework until Sunday night.
• put up with something: tolerate something unpleasant. I can't put up with this noise any longer.
• put something out: stop a fire or cigarette from burning. The firefighters put out the fire in ten minutes.
• put something away: return something to its place. Put your toys away before dinner.
• put something down: place on a surface, or write. Put the box down here. Put your name down on the list.
• put something together: assemble. It took us two hours to put the bookshelf together.
• put someone up: let someone stay in your home. My cousin put me up for a week in Rome.
• put something back: return to its original place. Please put the book back on the shelf.
• put someone through: connect by phone. Hold on, I'll put you through to the manager.

Phrasal verbs with look

• look after someone: take care of. My sister looks after our dog when we travel.
• look for something: try to find. I'm looking for my keys. Have you seen them?
• look something up: search for information. If you don't know a word, look it up in the dictionary.
• look forward to something: feel happy about something in the future. I'm looking forward to the summer holidays.
• look into something: investigate. The company promised to look into my complaint.
• look out: be careful. Look out! There's a car coming.
• look something over: examine quickly. Can you look over my essay before I send it?
• look up to someone: admire and respect. Many young players look up to her.
• look down on someone: think you are better than someone. He looks down on people who don't speak English well.
• look around: explore a place. We have an hour to look around the old town.

Phrasal verbs with give

• give up: stop trying. Don't give up, you're almost there.
• give something up: stop a habit. My dad gave up smoking ten years ago.
• give in: finally agree after refusing. The kids kept asking, and I finally gave in.
• give something away: give for free, or reveal a secret. They're giving away free samples. Don't give away the ending!
• give something back: return. Give me back my phone, please.
• give something out: distribute to many people. The teacher gave out the exam papers.
• give off something: produce a smell, heat or light. These flowers give off a lovely smell in the evening.

Phrasal verbs with turn

• turn something on: start a machine or light. Turn on the lights, it's getting dark.
• turn something off: stop a machine or light. Don't forget to turn off the oven.
• turn something up: increase the volume or heat. Can you turn up the radio? I love this song.
• turn something down: reduce the volume, or refuse an offer. Please turn the TV down. She turned down the job offer.
• turn into something: become something different. The small café turned into a popular restaurant.
• turn out: have a particular result. The party turned out better than we expected.
• turn around: face the opposite direction. Turn around and look at the view!
• turn up: arrive, often unexpectedly. Only five people turned up for the meeting.

Phrasal verbs with make

• make something up: invent a story or excuse. He made up an excuse for being late.
• make up: become friends again after an argument. They argued, but they made up the next day.
• make up for something: compensate. I bought her flowers to make up for forgetting her birthday.
• make something out: see, hear or understand with difficulty. I couldn't make out what he was saying.

Phrasal verbs with set

• set something up: start or arrange something. She set up her own language school last year.
• set off: start a journey. We set off early to avoid the traffic.
• set out to do something: start with a clear aim. I set out to learn 1,000 words in three months.
• set someone back: delay progress, or cost. The injury set him back two months.

Phrasal verbs with bring

• bring someone up: raise a child. She was brought up by her grandparents.
• bring something up: start talking about a topic. Don't bring up politics at dinner.
• bring something back: return with something, or remind. This song brings back so many memories.
• bring about something: cause to happen. The internet brought about huge changes in how we learn.
• bring something in: introduce a new rule or system. The city brought in a new parking rule.
• bring someone down: make someone sad. Rainy weather always brings me down.
• bring something along: take something with you. Bring along a jacket, it may get cold.

Phrasal verbs with break

• break down: stop working (a machine), or lose control of your emotions. Our car broke down on the way to the airport.
• break up: end a relationship. They broke up after five years together.
• break into something: enter by force. Someone broke into the office last night.
• break out: start suddenly (war, fire), or escape. A fire broke out in the kitchen.
• break in: interrupt, or enter a building by force. Sorry to break in, but we need to leave now.
• break something off: end suddenly. She broke off the conversation and left.

Phrasal verbs with run

• run into someone: meet by chance. I ran into my old teacher at the supermarket.
• run out of something: have none left. We've run out of milk.
• run away: leave a place secretly. The dog ran away when the door was open.
• run over someone: hit with a vehicle. Be careful, a car almost ran over my cat.
• run something by someone: tell someone an idea to get their opinion. Can I run an idea by you?

Phrasal verbs with pick, find, figure and work

• pick something up: lift, collect, or learn without effort. Can you pick me up at six? She picked up Italian while living in Rome.
• pick something out: choose. Help me pick out a gift for my brother.
• pick on someone: treat someone unkindly, again and again. Stop picking on your little sister.
• find something out: discover information. I need to find out when the store opens.
• figure something out: understand or solve. I can't figure out how this app works.
• work out: exercise, or end well. I work out three times a week. Don't worry, it will all work out.
• work something out: calculate or solve. We need to work out the total cost of the trip.
• work on something: spend time improving something. I'm working on my pronunciation.

Phrasal verbs with call and hang

• call something off: cancel. They called off the match because of the rain.
• call someone back: return a phone call. I'm busy now. Can I call you back?
• call on someone: ask someone to speak, or visit briefly. The teacher called on me to answer.
• hang up: end a phone call. She was so angry that she hung up on me.
• hang out: spend free time relaxing. We usually hang out at the park after school.
• hang on: wait a short time. Hang on, I'll be ready in a minute.

Other everyday phrasal verbs

• blow up: explode, or get suddenly angry. The old building was blown up to make space for a park.
• calm down: become less angry or upset. Calm down and tell me what happened.
• carry on: continue. Sorry for interrupting, please carry on.
• catch up with someone: reach someone ahead of you, or talk after a long time. Let's meet for coffee and catch up.
• check in: register at a hotel or airport. We checked in at the hotel at 3 p.m.
• check out: pay and leave a hotel. We have to check out by noon.
• cheer someone up: make someone happier. A phone call from my friend cheered me up.
• count on someone: depend on. You can always count on me.
• cut down on something: reduce the amount. I'm trying to cut down on sugar.
• do someone in: make very tired (informal). That long hike really did me in.
• do something over: do again from the start. The photo was blurry, so we had to do it over.
• do without something: manage without. I can't do without my morning coffee.
• drop by: visit briefly without planning. Drop by any time you're in the area.
• drop someone off: take someone somewhere by car and leave them. I'll drop you off at the station.
• end up: finally be in a place or situation. We got lost and ended up in a tiny village.
• enter into something: formally begin an agreement or discussion. The two companies entered into a partnership.
• fall apart: break into pieces, or stop working well. My old shoes are falling apart.
• fall behind: fail to keep up. I fell behind with my lessons when I was sick.
• fill something in / fill something out: complete a form. Please fill out this form and sign at the bottom.
• grow up: become an adult. I grew up in a small town by the sea.
• hold on: wait, or grip firmly. Hold on, let me check my calendar.
• keep up with someone: move or learn at the same speed. It's hard to keep up with native speakers when they talk fast.
• let someone down: disappoint. I promised to help, and I won't let you down.
• log in: enter a website or app with your account. Log in to see your saved words.
• move on: start something new, or stop thinking about the past. It's time to move on to the next topic.
• pass away: die (polite). Her grandfather passed away last year.
• pay someone back: return money you owe. I'll pay you back on Friday.
• point something out: draw attention to. She pointed out a mistake in my email.
• show off: try to impress others. He's always showing off his new car.
• show up: arrive. He showed up an hour late.
• sort something out: organize or solve. We need to sort out the problem with the booking.
• stand for something: represent, or be short for. What does "ASAP" stand for?
• stand out: be easy to notice. Her bright red coat stood out in the crowd.
• stand up for someone: defend or support. Always stand up for what you believe in.
• throw something away: put in the trash. Don't throw away the receipt.
• try something on: put on clothes to see if they fit. Can I try on these jeans?
• wake up: stop sleeping. I woke up at five because of the storm.
• write something down: write on paper. Write down the new words you hear.

How to learn phrasal verbs so they stick

Best for: turning this list into words you can actually use.

1. Learn a few at a time. Pick five or ten phrasal verbs with the same verb, such as get or put, and learn them together.
2. Always learn them in a sentence. A phrasal verb on its own is easy to forget. In a sentence, you see its meaning and where the object goes. Learning whole sentences is also one of the best ways to improve your vocabulary.
3. Notice the particle. Ask yourself what the particle adds. "Up" in "eat up" and "fill up" means completion; that makes the next "up" verb easier.
4. Listen and repeat. Say the example sentences out loud, and listen to them on the go.
5. Review with spaced repetition. Phrasal verbs are easy to mix up, so review them just before you forget them, at growing intervals. Our guide to a spaced repetition schedule shows how.
6. Use them in conversation. Try to use two or three new phrasal verbs every time you speak English.

If you're still building your basic vocabulary, start with the most frequent words first: The 100 Most Common English Words with Pronunciation. Phrasal verbs are built from exactly these short, common words.

How Lingocard helps you learn phrasal verbs

Lingocard is a free flashcards app that turns the tips above into a daily routine. Put each phrasal verb on the front of a card and its meaning and example sentence on the back. Every card can be read aloud, so you hear the phrase in a natural sentence, and the spaced repetition system brings each card back at the right time. With Premium, you can even turn a whole list like this one into a deck in one click.

On the go, the audio player in the Lingocard mobile app reads your cards aloud, so you can review phrasal verbs on a commute. And if you want a complete plan for your English, my guide on how to learn English fast shows how to build a daily routine.

You can also learn English online with ready-made decks on the Lingocard platform.