200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and example

sentences

phrasal verb meaning example sentence

ask somebodyout invite on a date Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.

ask around ask many people the same I asked around but nobody has seen my
question wallet.

add up tosomething equal Your purchases add up to $205.32.

backsomething up reverse You'll have to back up your car so that I can

get out.

backsomebody up support My wife backed me up over my decision to

quit my job.

blow up explode The racing car blew up after it crashed into the
fence.

blowsomething up add air We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.

break down stop functioning (vehicle, Our car broke down at the side of the highway
machine) in the snowstorm.

break down get upset The woman broke down when the police told
her that her son had died.
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breaksomethingdown divide into smaller parts Our teacher broke the final project downinto
three separate parts.

break in force entry to a building Somebody broke in last night and stole our
stereo.

break intosomething enter forcibly The firemen had to break into the room to
rescue the children.

breaksomething in wear something a few times I need to break these shoes in before we run
so that it doesn't look/feel next week.
new

break in interrupt The TV station broke in to report the news of

the president's death.

break up end a relationship My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved

to America.

break up start laughing (informal) The kids just broke up as soon as the clown
started talking.

break out escape The prisoners broke out of jail when the
guards weren't looking.

break out insomething develop a skin condition I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

bringsomebodydown make unhappy This sad music is bringing me down.

bringsomebody up raise a child My grandparents brought me up after my

parents died.

bringsomething up start talking about a subject My mother walks out of the room when my
father brings up sports.

bringsomething up vomit He drank so much that he brought his

dinner up in the toilet.

call around phone many different We called around but we weren't able to find
places/people the car part we needed.

call somebodyback return a phone call I called the company back but the offices
were closed for the weekend.

call somethingoff cancel Jason called the wedding off because he

wasn't in love with his fianc.

call onsomebody ask for an answer or opinion The professor called on me for question 1.

call onsomebody visit somebody We called on you last night but you weren't
home.

call somebodyup phone Give me your phone number and I

will callyou up when we are in town.
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calm down relax after being angry You are still mad. You need to calm
downbefore you drive the car.

not care forsomebody/ not like (formal) I don't care for his behaviour.
something

catch up get to the same point as You'll have to run faster than that if you want
somebody else to catch up with Marty.

check in arrive and register at a hotel We will get the hotel keys when we check in.
or airport

check out leave a hotel You have to check out of the hotel before
11:00 AM.

checksomebody/ look at carefully, investigate The company checks out all new employees.
something out

check outsomebody/ look at (informal) Check out the crazy hair on that guy!
something

cheer up become happier She cheered up when she heard the good
news.

cheersomebody up make happier I brought you some flowers to cheer you up.

chip in help If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen

phrasal verb meaning example sentence

painted by noon.

cleansomething up tidy, clean Please clean up your bedroom before you go

outside.

come acrosssomething find unexpectedly I came across these old photos when I was
tidying the closet.

come apart separate The top and bottom come apart if you pull
hard enough.

come down withsomething become sick My nephew came down with chicken pox this
weekend.

come forward volunteer for a task or to The woman came forward with her husband's
give evidence finger prints.

come fromsome place originate in The art of origami comes from Asia.

count onsomebody/ something rely on I am counting on you to make dinner while I

am out.

crosssomething out draw a line through Please cross out your old address and write
your new one.

cut back onsomething consume less My doctor wants me to cut back onsweets and
fatty foods.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

cut somethingdown make something fall to the We had to cut the old tree in our
ground yard down after the storm.

cut in interrupt Your father cut in while I was dancing with

your uncle.

cut in pull in too closely in front of The bus driver got angry when that car cut in.
another vehicle

cut in start operating (of an engine The air conditioner cuts in when the
or electrical device) temperature gets to 22C.

cut somethingoff remove with something The doctors cut off his leg because it was
sharp severely injured.

cut somethingoff stop providing The phone company cut off our phone because
we didn't pay the bill.

cut somebodyoff take out of a will My grandparents cut my father off when he
remarried.

cut somethingout remove part of something I cut this ad out of the newspaper.
(usually with scissors and
paper)

do somebody/ somethingover beat up, ransack (BrE, He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done
informal) over by a street gang.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

do somethingover do again (AmE) My teacher wants me to do my

essay over because she doesn't like my topic.

do away withsomething discard It's time to do away with all of these old tax
records.

do somethingup fasten, close Do your coat up before you go outside. It's

snowing!

dress up wear nice clothing It's a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up.

drop back move back in a Andrea dropped back to third place when she
position/group fell off her bike.

drop in/ by/ over come without an I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this
appointment week.

dropsomebody/ something off take somebody/ something I have to drop my sister off at work before I
somewhere and leave them/it come over.
there

drop out quit a class, school etc I dropped out of Science because it was too
difficult.

eat out eat at a restaurant I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out.

end up eventually reach/do/decide We ended up renting a movie instead of going

phrasal verb meaning example sentence

to the theatre.

fall apart break into pieces My new dress fell apart in the washing
machine.

fall down fall to the ground The picture that you hung up last night fell
down this morning.

fall out separate from an interior The money must have fallen out of my pocket.

fall out (of hair, teeth) become loose His hair started to fall out when he was only
and unattached 35.

figuresomething out understand, find the answer I need to figure out how to fit the piano and
the bookshelf in this room.

fill somethingin to write information in Please fill in the form with your name,
blanks, as on a form (BrE) address, and phone number.

fill somethingout to write information in The form must be filled out in capital letters.
blanks, as on a form (AmE)

fill somethingup fill to the top I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.

find out discover We don't know where he lives. How can

we find out?
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

find somethingout discover We tried to keep the time of the party a secret,
but Samantha found it out.

get somethingacross/ over communicate, make I tried to get my point across/over to the judge
understandable but she wouldn't listen.

get along/on like each other I was surprised how well my new girlfriend
and my sister got along/on.

get around have mobility My grandfather can get around fine in his
new wheelchair.

get away go on a vacation We worked so hard this year that we had to get
away for a week.

get away withsomething do without being noticed or Jason always gets away with cheating in his
punished maths tests.

get back return We got back from our vacation last week.

get somethingback receive something you had Liz finally got her Science notes backfrom my
before room-mate.

get back atsomebody retaliate, take revenge My sister got back at me for stealing her
shoes. She stole my favourite hat.

get back intosomething become interested in I finally got back into my novel and finished
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

something again it.

get onsomething step onto a vehicle We're going to freeze out here if you don't let
us get on the bus.

get oversomething recover from an illness, loss, I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.
difficulty

get oversomething overcome a problem The company will have to close if it can't get
over the new regulations.

get round tosomething finally find time to do I don't know when I am going to get round
(AmE: get around to writing the thank you cards.
to something)

get together meet (usually for social Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend.
reasons)

get up get out of bed I got up early today to study for my exam.

get up stand You should get up and give the elderly man
your seat.

give somebodyaway reveal hidden information His wife gave him away to the police.
about somebody

give somebodyaway take the bride to the altar My father gave me away at my wedding.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

givesomethingaway ruin a secret My little sister gave the surprise

party away by accident.

givesomethingaway give something to somebody The library was giving away old books on
for free Friday.

givesomethingback return a borrowed item I have to give these skates back to Franz
before his hockey game.

give in reluctantly stop fighting or My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet,

arguing but he finally gave in.

givesomething out give to many people (usually They were giving out free perfume samples at
at no cost) the department store.

givesomething up quit a habit I am giving up smoking as of January 1st.

give up stop trying My maths homework was too difficult so

I gave up.

go aftersomebody follow somebody My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.

go aftersomething try to achieve something I went after my dream and now I am a

published writer.

go againstsomebody compete, oppose We are going against the best soccer team in
the city tonight.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

go ahead start, proceed Please go ahead and eat before the food gets
cold.

go back return to a place I have to go back home and get my lunch.

go out leave home to go on a social We're going out for dinner tonight.
event

go out withsomebody date Jesse has been going out with Luke since they
met last winter.

go oversomething review Please go over your answers before you

submit your test.

go over visit somebody nearby I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think
I'll go over for an hour or two.

go withoutsomething suffer lack or deprivation When I was young, we went withoutwinter

boots.

grow apart stop being friends over time My best friend and I grew apart after she
changed schools.

grow back regrow My roses grew back this summer.

grow intosomething grow big enough to fit This bike is too big for him now, but he
should grow into it by next year.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

grow out ofsomething get too big for Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because
she has grown out of her old ones.

grow up become an adult When Jack grows up he wants to be a fireman.

handsomethingdown give something used to I handed my old comic books down to my

somebody else little cousin.

handsomething in submit I have to hand in my essay by Friday.

handsomething out to distribute to a group of We will hand out the invitations at the door.
people

handsomethingover give (usually unwillingly) The police asked the man to hand overhis
wallet and his weapons.

hang in stay positive (informal) Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very
soon.

hang on wait a short time (informal) Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes!

hang out spend time relaxing Instead of going to the party we are just going
(informal) to hang out at my place.

hang up end a phone call He didn't say goodbye before he hung up.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

holdsomebody/ somethingback prevent from doing/going I had to hold my dog back because there was
a cat in the park.

holdsomethingback hide an emotion Jamie held back his tears at his grandfather's
funeral.

hold on wait a short time Please hold on while I transfer you to the
Sales Department.

hold ontosomebody/ hold firmly using your hands Hold onto your hat because it's very windy
something or arms outside.

holdsomebody/ something up rob A man in a black mask held the bank upthis
morning.

keep on doingsomething continue doing Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a
boil.

keepsomethingfromsomebody not tell We kept our relationship from our parents for
two years.

keepsomebody/ something out stop from entering Try to keep the wet dog out of the living
room.

keepsomething up continue at the same rate If you keep those results up you will get into a
great college.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

let somebodydown fail to support or help, I need you to be on time.

disappoint Don't let me down this time.

let somebodyin allow to enter Can you let the cat in before you go to school?

log in (or on) sign in (to a website, I can't log in to Facebook because I've
database etc) forgotten my password.

log out (or off) sign out (of a website, If you don't log off somebody could get into
database etc) your account.

look aftersomebody/ take care of I have to look after my sick grandmother.

something

look down onsomebody think less of, consider Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad
inferior has looked down on me.

look forsomebody/ something try to find I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.

look forward to something be excited about the future I'm looking forward to the Christmas break.

look intosomething investigate We are going to look into the price of

snowboards today.

look out be careful, vigilant, and take Look out! That car's going to hit you!
notice
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

look out forsomebody/ be especially vigilant for Don't forget to look out for snakes on the
something hiking trail.

looksomethingover check, examine Can you look over my essay for spelling
mistakes?

looksomething up search and find information We can look her phone number up on the
in a reference book or Internet.
database

look up tosomebody have a lot of respect for My little sister has always looked up to me.

makesomething up invent, lie about something Josie made up a story about why we were late.

make up forgive each other We were angry last night, but we made up at
breakfast.

makesomebody up apply cosmetics to My sisters made me up for my graduation

party.

mix somethingup confuse two or more things I mixed up the twins' names again!

pass away die His uncle passed away last night after a long
illness.

pass out faint It was so hot in the church that an elderly

lady passed out.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

passsomething out give the same thing to many The professor passed the textbooks outbefore
people class.

passsomething up decline (usually something I passed up the job because I am afraid of

good) change.

pay somebodyback return owed money Thanks for buying my ticket.

I'll pay you back on Friday.

pay forsomething be punished for doing That bully will pay for being mean to my little
something bad brother.

picksomething out choose I picked out three sweaters for you to try on.

pointsomebody/ something out indicate with your finger I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.

put somethingdown put what you are holding on You can put the groceries down on the
a surface or floor kitchen counter.

put somebodydown insult, make somebody feel The students put the substitute
stupid teacher down because his pants were too short.

put somethingoff postpone We are putting off our trip until January
because of the hurricane.

put somethingout extinguish The neighbours put the fire out before the
firemen arrived.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

put somethingtogether assemble I have to put the crib together before the baby
arrives.

put up withsomebody/ tolerate I don't think I can put up with three small
something children in the car.

put somethingon put clothing/ accessories on Don't forget to put on your new earrings for
your body the party.

run intosomebody/ something meet unexpectedly I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.

run oversomebody/ something drive a vehicle over a person I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the
or thing driveway.

run over/ throughsomething rehearse, review Let's run over/through these lines one more
time before the show.

run away leave unexpectedly, escape The child ran away from home and has been
missing for three days.

run out have none left We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my
hair with soap.

sendsomethingback return (usually by mail) My letter got sent back to me because I used
the wrong stamp.

set somethingup arrange, organize Our boss set a meeting up with the president
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

of the company.

set somebodyup trick, trap The police set up the car thief by using a
hidden camera.

shop around compare prices I want to shop around a little before I decide
on these boots.

show off act extra special for people He always shows off on his skateboard
watching (usually boastfully)

sleep over stay somewhere for the night You should sleep over tonight if the weather is
(informal) too bad to drive home.

sort somethingout organize, resolve a problem We need to sort the bills out before the first of
the month.

stick tosomething continue doing something, You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
limit yourself to one
particular thing

switchsomething off stop the energy flow, turn off The light's too bright. Could you switch it off.

switchsomething on start the energy flow, turn on We heard the news as soon as we switched
on the car radio.

take aftersomebody resemble a family member I take after my mother. We are both
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

impatient.

takesomethingapart purposely break into pieces He took the car brakes apart and found the
problem.

takesomethingback return an item I have to take our new TV back because it

doesn't work.

take off start to fly My plane takes off in five minutes.

takesomething off remove something (usually Take off your socks and shoes and come in the
clothing) lake!

takesomething out remove from a place or thing Can you take the garbage out to the street for
me?

takesomebody out pay for somebody to go My grandparents took us out for dinner and a
somewhere with you movie.

tearsomething up rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave

them back to him.

think back remember (often + to, When I think back on my youth, I wish I had
sometimes + on) studied harder.

thinksomethingover consider I'll have to think this job offer overbefore I

make my final decision.
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

throwsomethingaway dispose of We threw our old furniture away when we

won the lottery.

turnsomethingdown decrease the volume or Please turn the TV down while the guests are
strength (heat, light etc) here.

turnsomethingdown refuse I turned the job down because I don't want to

move.

turnsomething off stop the energy flow, switch Your mother wants you to turn the TV offand
off come for dinner.

turnsomething on start the energy, switch on It's too dark in here. Let's turn some lights on.

turnsomething up increase the volume or Can you turn the music up? This is my
strength (heat, light etc) favourite song.

turn up appear suddenly Our cat turned up after we put posters up all
over the neighbourhood.

try somethingon sample clothing I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't
think they will fit.

try somethingout test I am going to try this new brand of

detergent out.

use somethingup finish the supply The kids used all of the toothpaste up so we
phrasal verb meaning example sentence

need to buy some more.

wake up stop sleeping We have to wake up early for work on

Monday.

warmsomebody/ something up increase the temperature You can warm your feet up in front of the
fireplace.

warm up prepare body for exercise I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go
for a run.

wear off fade away Most of my make-up wore off before I got to
the party.

work out exercise I work out at the gym three times a week.

work out be successful Our plan worked out fine.

worksomething out make a calculation We have to work out the total cost before we
buy the house.