Phrasal verbs are like special codes in English that can make your sentences sound more natural and fluent. They combine a verb with one or more words to create a new meaning. Understanding these can be really helpful whether you’re just starting to learn English or looking to get even better at it. This list of phrasal verbs we’ve put together is simple to understand and will be a great tool for you.
What are Phrasal Verbs?
In traditional English grammar, a phrasal verb combines two or three words from different grammatical categories. They are generally used in spoken English. Phrasal verbs are very common in English, especially in more informal contexts.
List of Phrasal Verbs with Meaning
Phrasal Verbs with Meaning (1-20)
- Sleepover – stay somewhere for the night
- Call something off – cancel
- Come across something – find unexpectedly
- Give something up – quit a habit
- Bring somebody up – raise a child
- Clean something up – tidy, clean
- Call around – phone many different places
- Call on somebody – ask for an answer or opinion
- Try something on – sample clothing
- Let somebody down – fail to support or help, disappoint
- Bring something up – vomit
- Bring something up – start talking about a subject
- Use something up – finish the supply
- Call on somebody – visit somebody
- Call somebody up – phone
- Calm down – relax after being angry
- Throw something away – dispose of
- Show off – act extra special for people watching
- Break in – interrupt
- Pass out – faint
Must Read: 500 Useful Verbs List in English
Phrasal Verbs with Meaning (20-50)
- Look something over – check, examine
- Break up – start laughing
- Pay for something – be punished for doing something bad
- Break up – end a relationship
- Break out in something – develop a skin condition
- Go back – return to a place
- Go ahead – start, proceed
- Bring somebody down – make unhappy
- Break out – escape
- Hang on – wait a short time
- Not care for somebody – not like
- Eat out – eat at a restaurant
- Look after somebody – take care of
- Pay somebody back – return owed money
- Cut something off – remove with something sharp
- Catch up – get to the same point as somebody else
- Cut something off – stop providing
- Cut somebody off – take out of a will
- Check out somebody – look at
- Cheer somebody up – make happier
- Cheer up – become happier
- Grow out of something – get too big for
- Chip in – help
- Come apart – separate
- Put up with somebody/ something – tolerate
- Put something off – postpone
- Let somebody in – allow to enter
- Switch something off – stop the energy flow, turn off
- Go out – leave home to go on a social event
- Grow apart – stop being friends over time
- Hand something over – give (usually unwillingly)
- Hang out – spend time relaxing
- Go over something – review
- Hand something out – to distribute to a group of people
- Keep on doing something – continue doing
- Take off – start to fly
Must Read: List of Irregular Verbs in english
Phrasal Verbs with Meaning (50-100)
- Turn something off – stop the energy flow, switch off
- Go out with somebody – date
- Come down with something – become sick
- Come forward – volunteer for a task or to give evidence
- Grow back – regrow
- Give in – reluctantly stop fighting or arguing
- Turn something down – decrease the volume or strength (heat, light etc)
- Warm up – prepare body for exercise
- Come from some place – originate in
- Hold somebody – prevent from doing
- Mix something up – confuse two or more things
- Cross something out – draw a line through
- End up – eventually reach/do/decide
- Put somebody down – insult, make somebody feel stupid
- Count on somebody – rely on
- Keep somebody – stop from entering
- Keep something from somebody – not tell
- Keep something up – continue at the same rate
- Send something back – return
- Work something out – make a calculation
- Hold on – wait a short time
- Point somebody – indicate with your finger
- Add up to something – equal
- Make up – forgive each other
- Blow something up – add air
- Break down – stop functioning
- Blow up – explode
- Look up to somebody – have a lot of respect for
- Work out – exercise
- Put something out – extinguish
- Think back – remember
- Get over something – overcome a problem
- Fall down – fall to the ground
- Look something up – search and find information in a reference book or database
- Take somebody out – pay for somebody to go somewhere with you
- Cut in – pull in too closely in front of another vehicle
- Cut back on something – consume less
- Sort something out – organize, resolve a problem
- Cut something down – make something fall to the ground
- Cut in – interrupt
- Run over somebody – drive a vehicle over a person or thing
- Run over – rehearse, review
- Back somebody up – support
- Look for somebody – try to find
- Look forward to something – be excited about the future
- Look down on somebody – think less of, consider inferior
- Go without something – suffer lack or deprivation
- Cut in – start operating
- Hang up – end a phone call
- Get over something – recover from an illness, loss, difficulty
- Get on something – step onto a vehicle
- Check somebody – look at carefully, investigate
- Get around – have mobility
- Get back into something – become interested in something again
- Get back at somebody – retaliate, take revenge
- Break in – force entry to a building
- Fill something in – to write information in blanks, as on a form
- Give somebody away – take the bride to the altar
- Get up – stand
- Get up – get out of bed
- Give somebody away – reveal hidden information about somebody
- Go against somebody – compete, oppose
- Fill something out – to write information in blanks, as on a form
- Set somebody up – trick, trap
- Fill something up – fill to the top
- Pass away – die
- Find out – discover
- Call somebody back – return a phone call
- Pick something out – choose
Phrasal Verbs (100-150)
- Cut something out – remove part of something
- Run out – have none left
- Take after somebody – resemble a family member
- Go after something – try to achieve something
- Break into something – enter forcibly
- Find something out – discover
- Switch something on – start the energy flow, turn on
- Get something across/ over – communicate, make understandable
- Get along/on – like each other
- Log in (or on) – sign in
- Grow up – become an adult
- Hand something down – give something used to somebody else
- Hand something in – submit
- Give something away – give something to somebody for free
- Wake up – stop sleeping
- Give something back – return a borrowed item
- Log out (or off) – sign out
- Wear off – fade away
- Get together – meet
- Work out – be successful
- Hold somebody – rob
- Think something over – consider
- Turn something on – start the energy, switch on
- Back something up – reverse
- Hold onto somebody – hold firmly using your hands or arms
- Warm somebody – increase the temperature
- Hold something back – hide an emotion
- Hang in – stay positive
- Run into somebody – meet unexpectedly
- Figure something out – understand, find the answer
- Give something away – ruin a secret
- Fall out – become loose and unattached
- Go after somebody – follow somebody
- Go over – visit somebody nearby
- Turn something down – refuse
- Make something up – invent, lie about something
- Set something up – arrange, organize
- Take something off – remove something (usually clothing)
- Break something in – wear something a few times so that it doesn’t look/feel new
- Check out – leave a hotel
- Get round to something – finally find time to do
- Fall apart – break into pieces
- Ask around – ask many people the same question
- Pass something up – decline
- Put something down – put what you are holding on a surface or floor
- Turn something up – increase the volume or
- Drop back – move back in a position/group
- Grow into something – grow big enough to fit
- Do something up – fasten, close
- Take something out – remove from a place or thing
- Do somebody – beat up, ransack
- Shop around – compare prices
Must Learn: Three Forms of Verbs in English
Phrasal Verbs (150 -180)
- Give something out – give to many people (usually at no cost)
- Dress up – wear nice clothing
- Do something over – do again
- Do away with something – discard
- Drop out – quit a class, school
- Get something back – receive something you had before
- Get back – return
- Turn up – appear suddenly
- Make somebody up – apply cosmetics to
- Stick to something – continue doing something, limit yourself to one particular thing
- Try something out – test
- Take something apart – purposely break into pieces
- Put something on – put clothing on your body
- Get away – go on a vacation
- Get away with something – do without being noticed or punished
- Take something back – return an item
- Break down – get upset
- Break something down – divide into smaller parts
- Tear something up – rip into pieces
- Pass something out – give the same thing to many people
- Drop somebody – take somebody and leave them
- Drop in/ by/ over – come without an appointment
- Fall out – separate from an interior
- Put something together – assemble
- Look out for somebody – be especially vigilant for
- Look out – be careful, vigilant, and take notice
- Look into something – investigate
- Give up – stop trying
- Ask somebody out – invite on a date
- Run away – leave unexpectedly, escape
- Check in – arrive and register at a hotel or airport
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