COMMON PHRASAL VERBS 1

PHRASAL VERB MEANING EXAMPLE SENTENCE

ask sb out invite on a date Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
ask around ask many people the I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.
same question
add up to sth equal Your purchases add up to $205.32.
back sth up reverse You'll have to back up your car so that I can get
out.
back sb 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.
blow sth up add air We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.
break down stop functioning Our car broke down at the side of the highway in
(vehicle, machine) the snowstorm.
break down get upset The woman broke down when the police told her
that her son had died.
break sth down divide into smaller Our teacher broke the final project down into three
parts separate parts.
break in force entry to a Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo.
building
break into sth enter forcibly The firemen had to break into the room to rescue
the children.
break sth in wear sth a few times I need to break these shoes in before we run next
so that it doesn't week.
look/feel 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 The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started
(informal) talking.
break out escape The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards
weren't looking.
break out in sth develop a skin I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
condition
bring sb down make unhappy This sad music is bringing me down.
bring sb up raise a child My grandparents brought me up after my parents
died.
bring sth up start talking about a My mother walks out of the room when my
subject father brings up sports.
bring sth up vomit He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in
the toilet.

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call around phone many We called around but we weren't able to find the
different car part we needed.
places/people
call sb back return a phone call I called the company back but the offices were
closed for the weekend.
call sth off cancel Jason called the wedding off because he wasn't in
love with his fiancé.
call on sb ask for an answer or The professor called on me for question 1.
opinion
call on sb visit sb We called on you last night but you weren't home.
call sb up phone Give me your phone number and I
will call you up when we are in town.
calm down relax after being You are still mad. You need to calm down before
angry you drive the car.
not care for sb/ not like (formal) I don't care for his behaviour.
sth
catch up get to the same You'll have to run faster than that if you want
point as sb else to catch up with Marty.
check in arrive and register at We will get the hotel keys when we check in.
a hotel or airport
check out leave a hotel You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00
AM.
check sb/ look at carefully, The company checks out all new employees.
sth out investigate
check out sb/ look at (informal) Check out the crazy hair on that guy!
sth
cheer up become happier She cheered up when she heard the good news.
cheer sb up make happier I brought you some flowers to cheer you up.
chip in help If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted
by noon.
clean sth up tidy, clean Please clean up your bedroom before you go
outside.
come across sth 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 become sick My nephew came down with chicken pox this
with sth weekend.
come forward volunteer for a task The woman came forward with her husband's
or to give evidence finger prints.
come originate in The art of origami comes from Asia.
from some
place
count on sb/ rely on I am counting on you to make dinner while I am
sth out.
cross sth out draw a line through Please cross out your old address and write your
new one.
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cut back on sth consume less My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and
fatty foods.
cut sth down make sth fall to the We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after
ground the storm.
cut in interrupt Your father cut in while I was dancing with your
uncle.
cut in pull in too closely in The bus driver got angry when that car cut in.
front of another
vehicle
cut in start operating (of The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature
an engine or gets to 22°C.
electrical device)
cut sth off remove with sth The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely
sharp injured.
cut sth off stop providing The phone company cut off our phone because we
didn't pay the bill.
cut sb off take out of a will My grandparents cut my father off when he
remarried.
cut sth out remove part of sth I cut this ad out of the newspaper.
(usually with scissors
and paper)
do sb/ sth over beat up, ransack He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a
(BrE, informal) street gang.
do sth over do again (AmE) My teacher wants me to do my essay over because
she doesn't like my topic.
do away discard It's time to do away with all of these old tax
with sth records.
do sth up 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 fell
position/group off her bike.
drop in/ by/ come without an I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this
over appointment week.
drop sb/ sth off take sb/ sth I have to drop my sister off at work before I come
somewhere and over.
leave them/it there
drop out quit a class, school I dropped out of Science because it was too
etc difficult.
eat out eat at a restaurant I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out.
end up eventually We ended up renting a movie instead of going to
reach/do/decide 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 The money must have fallen out of my pocket.
interior
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fall out (of hair, teeth) His hair started to fall out when he was only 35.
become loose and
unattached
figure sth out understand, find the I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the
answer bookshelf in this room.
fill sth in to write information Please fill in the form with your name, address, and
in blanks, as on a phone number.
form (BrE)
fill sth out to write information The form must be filled out in capital letters.
in blanks, as on a
form (AmE)
fill sth up 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?
find sth out discover We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but
Samantha found it out.
get sth across/ communicate, make I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but
over understandable 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 do without being Jason always gets away with cheating in his maths
with sth noticed or punished tests.
get back return We got back from our vacation last week.
get sth back receive sth you had Liz finally got her Science notes back from my
before room-mate.
get back at sb retaliate, take My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She
revenge stole my favourite hat.
get back become interested I finally got back into my novel and finished it.
into sth in sth again
get on sth step onto a vehicle We're going to freeze out here if you don't let
us get on the bus.
get over sth recover from an I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.
illness, loss, difficulty
get over sth overcome a problem The company will have to close if it can't get
over the new regulations.
get round finally find time to I don't know when I am going to get round
to sth do (AmE: get to writing the thank you cards.
around to sth)
get together meet (usually for Let's get together for a BBQ this weekend.
social 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.
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give sb away reveal hidden His wife gave him away to the police.
information about
sb
give sb away take the bride to the My father gave me away at my wedding.
altar
give sth away ruin a secret My little sister gave the surprise party away by
accident.
give sth away give sth to sb for The library was giving away old books on Friday.
free
give sth back return a borrowed I have to give these skates back to Franz before his
item hockey game.
give in reluctantly stop My boyfriend didn't want to go to the ballet, but he
fighting or arguing finally gave in.
give sth out give to many people They were giving out free perfume samples at the
(usually at no cost)department store.
give sth 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 after sb follow sb My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.
go after sth try to achieve sth I went after my dream and now I am a published
writer.
go against sb compete, oppose We are going against the best soccer team in the
city tonight.
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 We're going out for dinner tonight.
a social event
go out with sb date Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met
last winter.
go over sth review Please go over your answers before you submit
your test.
go over visit sb nearby I haven't seen Tina for a long time. I think I'll go
over for an hour or two.
go without sth suffer lack or When I was young, we went without winter boots.
deprivation
grow apart stop being friends My best friend and I grew apart after she changed
over time schools.
grow back regrow My roses grew back this summer.
grow into sth grow big enough to This bike is too big for him now, but he
fit should grow into it by next year.
grow out of sth 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.
hand sth down give sth used to sb I handed my old comic books down to my little
else cousin.
hand sth in submit I have to hand in my essay by Friday.
hand sth out to distribute to a We will hand out the invitations at the door.
group of people
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hand sth over give (usually The police asked the man to hand over his wallet
unwillingly) and his weapons.
hang in stay positive Hang in there. I'm sure you'll find a job very soon.
(informal)
hang on wait a short time Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes!
(informal)
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.
hold sb/ prevent from I had to hold my dog back because there was a cat
sth back doing/going in the park.
hold sth back 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 onto sb/ hold firmly using Hold onto your hat because it's very windy outside.
sth your hands or arms
hold sb/ sth up rob A man in a black mask held the bank up this
morning.
keep on continue doing Keep on stirring until the liquid comes to a boil.
doing sth
keep sth from s not tell We kept our relationship from our parents for two
b years.
keep sb/ sth out stop from entering Try to keep the wet dog out of the living room.
keep sth up continue at the If you keep those results up you will get into a great
same rate college.
let sb down fail to support or I need you to be on time. Don't let me down this
help, disappoint time.
let sb in 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 forgotten my
database etc) password.
log out (or off) sign out (of a If you don't log off somebody could get into your
website, database account.
etc)
look after sb/ take care of I have to look after my sick grandmother.
sth
look down think less of, Ever since we stole that chocolate bar your dad
on sb consider inferior has looked down on me.
look for sb/ sth try to find I'm looking for a red dress for the wedding.
look forward be excited about the I'm looking forward to the Christmas break.
to sth future
look into sth investigate We are going to look into the price of snowboards
today.
look out be careful, vigilant, Look out! That car's going to hit you!
and take notice
look out for sb/ be especially vigilant Don't forget to look out for snakes on the hiking
sth for trail.
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look sth over check, examine Can you look over my essay for spelling mistakes?
look sth up search and find We can look her phone number up on the Internet.
information in a
reference book or
database
look up to sb have a lot of respect My little sister has always looked up to me.
for
make sth up invent, lie about sthJosie 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.
make sb up apply cosmetics to My sisters made me up for my graduation party.
mix sth up confuse two or more I mixed up the twins' names again!
things
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.
pass sth out give the same thing The professor passed the textbooks out before
to many people class.
pass sth up decline (usually sth I passed up the job because I am afraid of change.
good)
pay sb back return owed money Thanks for buying my ticket. I'll pay you back on
Friday.
pay for sth be punished for That bully will pay for being mean to my little
doing sth bad brother.
pick sth out choose I picked out three sweaters for you to try on.
point sb/ indicate with your I'll point my boyfriend out when he runs by.
sth out finger
put sth down put what you are You can put the groceries down on the kitchen
holding on a surface counter.
or floor
put sb down insult, make sb feel The students put the substitute
stupid teacher down because his pants were too short.
put sth off postpone We are putting off our trip until January because of
the hurricane.
put sth out extinguish The neighbours put the fire out before the firemen
arrived.
put sth togethe assemble I have to put the crib together before the baby
r arrives.
put up with sb/ tolerate I don't think I can put up with three small children
sth in the car.
put sth on put clothing/ Don't forget to put on your new earrings for the
accessories on your party.
body
run into sb/ sth meet unexpectedly I ran into an old school-friend at the mall.
run over sb/ sth drive a vehicle over I accidentally ran over your bicycle in the driveway.
a person or thing

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run over/ rehearse, review Let's run over/through these lines one more time
through sth before the show.
run away leave unexpectedly, The child ran away from home and has been
escape missing for three days.
run out have none left We ran out of shampoo so I had to wash my hair
with soap.
send sth back return (usually by My letter got sent back to me because I used the
mail) wrong stamp.
set sth up arrange, organize Our boss set a meeting up with the president of the
company.
set sb up 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 He always shows off on his skateboard
people watching
(usually boastfully)
sleep over stay somewhere for You should sleep over tonight if the weather is too
the night (informal) bad to drive home.
sort sth out organize, resolve a We need to sort the bills out before the first of the
problem month.
stick to sth continue doing sth, You will lose weight if you stick to the diet.
limit yourself to one
particular thing
switch sth off stop the energy The light's too bright. Could you switch it off.
flow, turn off
switch sth on start the energy We heard the news as soon as we switched on the
flow, turn on car radio.
take after sb resemble a family I take after my mother. We are both impatient.
member
take sth apart purposely break into He took the car brakes apart and found the
pieces problem.
take sth back 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.
take sth off remove sth (usually Take off your socks and shoes and come in the
clothing) lake!
take sth out remove from a place Can you take the garbage out to the street for me?
or thing
take sb out pay for sb to go My grandparents took us out for dinner and a
somewhere with you movie.
tear sth up rip into pieces I tore up my ex-boyfriend's letters and gave them
back to him.
think back remember (often + When I think back on my youth, I wish I had
to, sometimes + on) studied harder.
think sth over consider I'll have to think this job offer over before I make
my final decision.
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throw sth away dispose of We threw our old furniture away when we won the
lottery.
turn sth down decrease the volume Please turn the TV down while the guests are here.
or strength (heat,
light etc)
turn sth down refuse I turned the job down because I don't want to
move.
turn sth off stop the energy Your mother wants you to turn the TV off and
flow, switch off come for dinner.
turn sth on start the energy, It's too dark in here. Let's turn some lights on.
switch on
turn sth up increase the volume Can you turn the music up? This is my favourite
or strength (heat, song.
light etc)
turn up appear suddenly Our cat turned up after we put posters up all over
the neighbourhood.
try sth on sample clothing I'm going to try these jeans on, but I don't think
they will fit.
try sth out test I am going to try this new brand of detergent out.
use sth up finish the supply The kids used all of the toothpaste up so we need
to buy some more.
wake up stop sleeping We have to wake up early for work on Monday.
warm sb/ sth up increase the You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.
temperature
warm up prepare body for I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a
exercise 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.
work sth out make a calculation We have to work out the total cost before we buy
the house.

COMMON PHRASAL VERBS 2

PHRASAL VERB MEANING EXAMPLE SENTENCE

blow up explode The terrorists tried to blow up the railroad station.
That old Jeep always broke down just when I
break down stop functioning
needed it the most.
They love to bring up that matter of his falling into
bring up mention a topic
the well.
bring up raise children It isn't easy to bring up children nowadays.
call off cancel They called off this afternoon's meeting
catch on become popular He invented a new game but it never caught on.
After being absent from school for a month, he had
catch up with reach the same level
to work hard to catch up with the others.
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 Father promised that we would never come back to
come back return to a place
this horrible place.
They tried to come in through the back door, but it
come in enter
was locked.
The children promised to come over, but they never
come over visit
do.
come round come to; regain He was hit on the head very hard, but after several
come around consciousness minutes, he started to come to again.
He’s always the first one to come up with brilliant
come up with find an answer
solutions.
We tried to cut down on the money we spent on
cut down on reduce
entertainment.
do over repeat a job Do this homework over.
visit without We used to just drop by, but they were never home,
drop by
appointment so we stopped doing that.
I hope none of my students drop out of school this
drop out of leave school
semester.
When we visited Paris, we loved eating out in the
eat out dine in a restaurant
sidewalk cafes.
fill out complete a form Fill out this application form.
She filled up the grocery cart with fruits and
fill up fill completely
vegetables.
She found out that her friends were planning a
find out discover
surprise party for her.
get on well with;
I found it very hard to get along with my sister
get along with have a good
when we were young.
relationship with
Jack cheated on the exam and then tried to get
get away with escape punishment
away with it.
get by manage to live He tried to get by on his small salary.
I got over the flu, but I don't know if I'll ever get
get over recover from
over my broken heart.
eliminate; throw We're moving, so we have to get rid of a lot of our
get rid of
away furniture.
give away give sth for free The filling station was giving away free gas.
He borrowed me $100. I have a feeling he's not
give back return an object
about to give it back.
It's hard to imagine that we will ever go back to that
go back return to a place
place.
He would finish one novel and then just go on to
go on continue
the next.
The cops heard all the noise and stopped to see
go on happen
what was going on.
The students went over the material before the
go over review
exam.
She always starts her day by going through her
go through examine carefully
email.
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go through use up; consume Did he go through all his money already?
grow up get older Charles grew up to be a lot like his father.
The students handed in their papers and left the
hand in submit sth
room.
She hung up the phone before she hung up her
hang up put sth on a hook
clothes.
hold up delay The strike held up the traffic.
Three masked gunmen held up the bank this
hold up rob
afternoon.
keep away remain at a distance Keep away from the edge of the cliff.
He tried to keep on singing long after his voice was
keep on continue
ruined.
It's hard to keep up with the Joneses when you lose
keep up with maintain pace with
your job!
She looks down on people who break their
look down on despise
promises.
anticipate with I always look forward to the beginning of a new
look forward to
pleasure semester.
We were going to look in on my brother-in-law, but
look in on visit (sb)
he wasn't home.
The police will look into the possibilities of
look into investigate
embezzlement.
Instructors will look out for early signs of failure in
look out for be careful, anticipate
their students.
The lawyers looked over the papers before
look over examine, check
questioning the witness.
You've misspelled this word again. You'd
look up search in a list
better look it up.
look up to respect First-graders really look up to their teachers.
He was so far away, we really couldn't make
make out hear, understand
out what he was saying.
She was late, so she made up a story about getting
make up invent a story or lie
stuck in the traffic.
lose consciousness, He had drunk too much; he passed out on the
pass out
faint sidewalk outside the bar.
pick out choose She picked out the ripest durian for me.
pick up lift sth off sth else The crane picked up the entire house.
We put away money for our retirement. She put
put away save or store
away the toys.
We asked the boss to put off the meeting until
put off postpone
tomorrow.
put clothing on the
put on I put on a sweater and a jacket.
body
The firefighters put out the house fire before it
put out extinguish
could spread.
put up with tolerate I cannot put up with the noise any more.

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 meet or find by I ran across my old roommate at the college
run across
chance reunion.
run into meet by chance Carlos ran into an old friend in a supermarket.
The runners ran out of energy before the end of
run out of exhaust
the race.
My wife set up the living room exactly the way she
set up arrange, begin
wanted it.
Whenever he sat down at the piano, we knew he
show off display proudly
was going to show off.
show up arrive He showed up twenty minutes late.
resemble; look
take after My second son seems to take after his mother.
similar
My oldest sister took care of us younger children
take care of be responsible for
after Mom died.
take off remove clothing It was so hot that I had to take off my shirt.
The star player talked back to the coach and was
talk back to answer impolitely
thrown off the team.
We have serious problems here.
talk over discuss
Let's talk them over like adults.
I often think back on my childhood with great
think back on recall
pleasure.
throw away discard That's a lot of money! Don't just throw it away.
put clothing on to
She tried on fifteen dresses before she found one
try on see if it fits and how
she liked.
it looks
I tried out four cars before I could find one that
try out test
pleased me.
turn down lower the volume Your radio is driving me crazy! Please turn it down.
He applied for a promotion twice, but he
turn down reject
was turned down both times.
We turned off the lights before anyone could see
turn off switch off; stop
us.
turn on switch on; start Turn on the CD player so we can dance.
Grandpa couldn't hear, so he turned up his hearing
turn up raise the volume
aid.
The tourist used up all the money and had nothing
use up use completely
left.
It seemed strange to see my old boss wait
wait on serve
on tables.
wake up arouse from sleep I woke up when the rooster crowed.
Her husband walked out on her and their three
walk out on abandon
children.

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