Table of Contents
- What Are Phrasal Verbs?
- Types: Separable vs Inseparable
- Phrasal Verbs for Daily Life
- Phrasal Verbs for Work and Business
- Phrasal Verbs for Relationships
- Phrasal Verbs for Communication
- Phrasal Verbs for Movement and Travel
- Phrasal Verbs for Learning
- The 50 Most Common Phrasal Verbs
- Learning Strategies
- Related Articles
Phrasal verbs are one of the most challenging aspects of English for learners — and one of the most essential. A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle (a preposition or adverb) that creates a new meaning different from the original verb. "Give up" does not mean to give in an upward direction — it means to quit. "Look up" can mean to search for information, not just to gaze upward.
Native English speakers use phrasal verbs constantly in everyday conversation, making them indispensable for anyone who wants to sound natural. This guide provides over 200 essential phrasal verbs organized by theme, with meanings and example sentences for each.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
A phrasal verb consists of a main verb plus one or two particles (prepositions or adverbs like up, out, in, on, off, away, over, down). The combination creates a meaning that often cannot be predicted from the individual words:
- break + down = stop functioning ("My car broke down.")
- bring + up = mention or raise a topic ("She brought up an interesting point.")
- put + off = postpone ("We put off the meeting.")
- run + into = meet unexpectedly ("I ran into my old teacher.")
Phrasal verbs are more common in informal English than in formal writing. In formal contexts, single-word equivalents are often preferred: "discover" instead of "find out," "postpone" instead of "put off," "investigate" instead of "look into."
Types: Separable vs Inseparable
Separable Phrasal Verbs
The object can go between the verb and the particle or after the particle:
- "Turn off the light." OR "Turn the light off."
- "Pick up the phone." OR "Pick the phone up."
When the object is a pronoun (it, them, him, her), it must go between the verb and particle:
- "Turn it off." (correct) — NOT "Turn off it."
- "Pick them up." (correct) — NOT "Pick up them."
Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
The verb and particle must stay together. The object always follows the particle:
- "She looks after her grandmother." — NOT "She looks her grandmother after."
- "He ran into an old friend." — NOT "He ran an old friend into."
Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
Some phrasal verbs do not take an object at all:
- "The car broke down."
- "She showed up late."
- "The plane took off."
Phrasal Verbs for Daily Life
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wake up | stop sleeping | I wake up at 7 AM. |
| get up | rise from bed | She got up and made coffee. |
| put on | dress in | He put on his jacket. |
| take off | remove (clothing) | Take off your shoes. |
| turn on / turn off | activate / deactivate | Turn on the TV. |
| pick up | lift / collect | Pick up the toys. |
| throw away | discard | Throw away the trash. |
| clean up | tidy | Clean up your room. |
| eat out | dine at a restaurant | Let's eat out tonight. |
| work out | exercise | She works out every morning. |
| hang out | spend time casually | We hung out at the café. |
| settle down | become calm / establish a home | They settled down in the suburbs. |
Phrasal Verbs for Work and Business
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| carry out | perform, execute | We carried out the plan. |
| set up | establish, arrange | She set up a new company. |
| take over | assume control | He took over the project. |
| lay off | dismiss from work | The company laid off 200 workers. |
| hand in | submit | Hand in your reports by Friday. |
| figure out | solve, understand | We figured out the problem. |
| come up with | think of, invent | She came up with a great idea. |
| follow up | check on progress | I'll follow up next week. |
| call off | cancel | They called off the meeting. |
| put together | assemble, compile | He put together a presentation. |
| break down | analyze into parts | Let's break down the data. |
| point out | indicate, highlight | She pointed out the error. |
Phrasal Verbs for Relationships
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get along (with) | have a good relationship | They get along well. |
| break up (with) | end a relationship | They broke up last month. |
| make up | reconcile after a quarrel | They argued but made up. |
| ask out | invite on a date | He asked her out. |
| look after | take care of | She looks after her mother. |
| look up to | admire, respect | I look up to my father. |
| put up with | tolerate | I can't put up with the noise. |
| grow up | become an adult | She grew up in London. |
| bring up | raise (a child) | She was brought up by her aunt. |
| fall out (with) | have an argument | They fell out over money. |
Phrasal Verbs for Communication
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| bring up | mention a topic | She brought up an issue. |
| find out | discover | I found out the truth. |
| speak up | talk louder / express opinion | Please speak up. |
| turn down | reject | He turned down the offer. |
| go over | review | Let's go over the notes. |
| look into | investigate | We'll look into the matter. |
| get across | communicate successfully | She got her point across. |
| cut in | interrupt | He cut in on the conversation. |
Phrasal Verbs for Movement and Travel
- set off / set out: begin a journey — "We set off at dawn."
- take off: leave the ground (planes) — "The plane took off on time."
- get in / get out: enter/exit a car — "Get in the car."
- get on / get off: board/leave a bus, train, plane — "Get on the bus."
- check in / check out: register at/leave a hotel — "We checked in at noon."
- pick up / drop off: collect/deliver someone — "I'll pick you up at 8."
- slow down / speed up: decrease/increase speed
- pull over: stop at the side of the road — "The police pulled us over."
Phrasal Verbs for Learning
- look up: search for information — "Look up the word in a dictionary."
- catch up (with): reach the same level — "I need to catch up on my reading."
- keep up (with): maintain the same pace — "It's hard to keep up with the class."
- drop out (of): leave a course/school — "He dropped out of college."
- go through: review — "Go through the material before the test."
- hand out: distribute — "The teacher handed out worksheets."
The 50 Most Common Phrasal Verbs
These are the phrasal verbs you will encounter most frequently in everyday English:
break down, bring up, call off, carry on, carry out, check in, check out, come across, come back, come up with, cut down, do over, drop off, end up, fall apart, figure out, fill in, fill out, find out, get along, get back, get over, get up, give up, go ahead, go on, go over, grow up, hang out, hold on, keep on, keep up, let down, look after, look for, look forward to, look into, look up, make up, pick up, point out, put off, put on, run into, run out of, set up, show up, take off, turn out, work out
Learning Strategies
- Learn in context: Do not memorize lists in isolation. Learn phrasal verbs through reading, listening, and conversation.
- Group by particle: Learn all the phrasal verbs with "up" (give up, look up, pick up, make up), then "out" (find out, work out, carry out, turn out), and so on.
- Group by theme: Learn phrasal verbs for work, relationships, daily life, and communication as separate groups.
- Pay attention to separability: When you learn a new phrasal verb, note whether it is separable or inseparable.
- Use them in writing: Practice using new phrasal verbs in sentences and short paragraphs. Active use reinforces memory far more than passive recognition.
- Watch English media: Movies, TV shows, and podcasts are rich in phrasal verbs. Pay attention to how native speakers use them naturally.
Phrasal verbs are the heartbeat of everyday English. While they may seem daunting at first, consistent exposure and practice will make them feel natural. Focus on the most common ones, learn them in meaningful contexts, and you will find your English becoming more fluent and natural with every phrasal verb you master.