100 Phrasal Verbs in English with Meanings

In English, we sometimes find combinations of verbs with particles (prepositions or adverbs) that produce new and unique meanings. This is called a phrasal verb.

Mastering phrasal verbs is one of the keys to improving your overall English skills. Because native English speakers often use phrasal verbs in their daily conversations.

Ready to explore 100 commonly used phrasal verbs, their meanings, and examples with EZClass?

What is a Phrasal Verb?

what is phrasal verb

Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs with particles in the form of adverbs or prepositions that produce a new meaning distinct from that of the original verb.

The general structure is verb + adverb (examples: back down, look for, turn away) or verb + preposition (examples: get out, split up, turn on).

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be classified into two types: transitive and intransitive.

Transitive phrasal verbs require a direct object after them. For example, turn on, put down, and clean up. The example sentences are:

Before you use the computer, you need to turn it on.
She looked at the book and then put it down.
We need to clean up the dead leaves in the garden.

From the example sentences above, we can see that the bolded words are transitive phrasal verbs. On the other hand, the italicized word is the object that follows it.

Meanwhile, intransitive phrasal verbs do not need an object after them. For example, grow up, carry on, and sold out. Look at the following example:

Where did you grow up?
You're doing well, so carry on like this.
All the tickets are sold out.

In the example sentences above, the bolded intransitive phrasal verbs stand alone and are not followed by any object.

Also read: Examples of Adjectives in English

List of Phrasal Verbs in English

list of phrasal verbs

After understanding the definition and types of phrasal verbs, let's look at the various examples of phrasal verbs with their meanings and example sentences. Check it out!

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Examples
Act up	Behave badly or strangely	“The car started to act up right before our trip.”
Add up	Calculating the total number of counts	“Rosie added the bill up to 40$.”
Ask around	Ask several people the same question	“I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows.”
Ask for	Request something	“He asked for help.”
Back down	Withdraw from a position or claim	“Neither side is willing to back down.”
Back up	Support or confirm	“Make sure to back up your files regularly.”
Blow up	Explode or inflate	“The fireworks blew up in the sky.”
Break down	Stop functioning	“The car broke down on the way.”
Break in	Enter forcibly	“Someone broke into my house last night.”
Break up	End a relationship	“They decided to break up after 2 months.”
Bring up	Raise a child or mention a topic	“He brought up her children alone.”
Call off	Cancel	“They called off the meeting.”
Calm down	Become quiet and calm	“Please calm down, everything will be okay.”
Carry on	Continue	“The show must carry on.”
Carry out	Perform or execute	“The doctor carried out the operation.”
Catch up	Reach the same level as others	“I need to catch up on my work.”
Check-in	Register at a hotel or airport	“Passengers must check in before departure.”
Check out	Leave a hotel or borrow a library book	“We need to check out by noon.”
Come across	Find something unexpectedly	“I came across an old photo.”
Come on	Hurry up, or don’t be silly	“Come on, we’ll be late if we don’t hurry!”
Cut off	Disconnect or isolate	“The electricity was cut off due to repairs."
Deal with	Handle or cope with	“I can’t deal with this anymore.”
Die down	Gradually decrease or disappear	“The storm finally died down.”
Dress up	Dress nicely or formally	“We need to dress up for the party.”
Drop off	Deliver someone or something	“I’ll drop you off at the airport.”
Drop out	Quit a course or program	“He dropped out of college.”
Eat out	Eat at a restaurant	“My mom decided to eat out instead of cooking.”
End up	Finally, arrive at a place or situation	“How did we end up getting lost here?
Figure out	Understand or solve something	“I’m trying to figure out the answer.”
Fill in	Complete a form or substitute someone	“You have to fill in the form before submitting it.”
Fill up	Fill to the top	“Please fill up the gas tank.”
Find out	Discover information	“I’ll find out the details later.”
Get along	Have a good relationship with someone	“I get along well with my classmates.”
Get away	Escape	“The thief got away very quickly.”
Get back	Return	“I’ll get back to you later.”
Get in	Enter a car or a small places	“How did you get in here?”
Get off	Leave a bus, train, or plane	“I need to get off at the next stop.”
Get on	Enter a bus, train, or plane	“Get on the bus now. We’re leaving!”
Get over	Recover from an illness or disappointment	“It took me a long time to get over it.”
Get up	Stand up or wake up	“I get up early every morning.”
Give up	Stop trying	“Don’t give up on your dreams!”
Go on	Continue	“I can’t go on working like this. I’m tired.”
Go out	Leave home to go to a social event	“Let’s go out for dinner!”
Grow up	Become an adult	“I grew up in a small town.”
Hand in	Submit something	“Please hand in your homework.”
Hang on	Wait a moment	“Hang on a second while I get the key.”
Hang out	Spend time relaxing	“I like to hang out with my friends.”
Hold on	Grip tightly or wait	“Please hold on until the announcement is released.”
Keep on	Continue	“Keep on this good work!”
Knock out	Make someone unconscious	“The boxer knocked out his opponent.”
Keep up	To maintain pace	“She struggled to keep up with the other swimmers.”
Keep out	Stop from entering	“Keep the wet cat out from entering the living room.”
Look after	Take care of someone or something	“She looks after her younger siblings.”
Look forward	Anticipate with pleasure	“I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
Look into	To investigate or examine	“The police are looking into the cause of the accident.”
Look up	Search for information	“I looked up the word in the dictionary.”
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Sign in (to a website, database, etc)“I can't log in to Facebook because I've forgotten my password.”Make up Invent a story or reconcile“They made up after the fight.”Mix upConfuse things or people“I mixed up the date.”Move onProceed to something else“It’s time to move on!”Pass awayDie“He passed away peacefully in his sleep.”Pay backReturn money that you borrowed“I'll pay you back next week.”Pick upLift something or someone up“I’ll pick you up at 8 o’clock.”Point outDraw attention to something“He pointed out the mistake in my essay.”Put offPostpone“The meeting was put off until next week.”Put up Tolerate something unpleasant“I can’t put up with his behavior any longer.”

Run into

Meet unexpectedly“I ran into an old school friend at the mall.”Run outHave no more of something“We’ve run out of milk.”Set upArrange or organize something“We need to set up the tent for camping.”Show up Arrive or appear“He didn’t show up for the party.”Shut downStop operating“The factory was shut down last year.”Sit downTake a seat“Please sit down in the available place.”Sort outResolve a problem“I’ll try to sort out the situation.”Speak upTalk louder“Could you speak up a bit?”Stand upRise to your feet“Please stand up when the national anthem is played.”Stay upGo to bed later than usual“I stayed up late watching the movie.”Stick toContinue doing something“You should stick to your diet.”

Set off

To start or trigger.“The fireworks set off a loud explosion.”Slow down To decrease speed or pace. “I need to slow down and take it easy.”Sum upSummarize“He ended his presentation by summing up his main points.”Take afterResemble a family member“He takes after his father.”Take offRemove clothing or leave the ground“Please take off your shoes before entering the room.”Take onAccept a responsibility“She said she can’t take on any more work.”Take outRemove or go on a date“I’ll take out the trash later.”Take overTake control of something“She will take over as manager next month.”Think overConsider carefully“I’ll think over your offer.”Throw awayDiscard something“I threw away the old newspaper.”Try onPut on clothes to see if they fit“I want to try on these jeans.”Turn downReject an offer or lower volume“He turned down the job offer.”Turn upIncrease volume or find something“Could you turn up the music?”

Toss up

To decide on the chance“We had to toss up a coin to decide who would go first.”

Turn in

To retire for the night or submit “I need to turn in early. I have an early meeting tomorrow.”Turn outTo result or attend.“The event turned out to be a great success.”Wake upGet up, stop sleeping“I wake up at seven every morning.”Walk awayLeave a situation“He walked away from the argument.”Warm-upPrepare for exercise“We need to warm up before the match.”Watch outBe careful

“Watch out for the car!”

Wear outBecome tired or used up“My shoes are starting to wear up.”Work outExercise to find a solution“I work out at the gym three times a week.”Write down To record or note“Can you write down the phone number for me?”

Conclusion

Those are 100 frequently used phrasal verbs with their meanings and example sentences. By understanding this article, you will be more confident in speaking English.

Don't let phrasal verbs be a mystery anymore! Try to use some of these phrasal verbs in everyday conversation so that you will become more proficient.

Are you interested in other topics? Visit EZClass and the EZClass blog for more interesting articles. Also, remember to share this article with your friends who are learning English!

Edwin Cañas

Founder of EZClass

Edwin Cañas is an expert in e-learning, leadership, and educational technology. As COREnglish’s Strategic Advisor and founder of EZClass, he strives to make learning more engaging and accessible. He also co-authored the "How to Master Grammar for Beginners (Spanish Edition)" book to help Spanish learners master English with ease.