100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List With Meaning

A phrasal verb that combines a normal verb with an adverb or a preposition to create an entirely new verbal phrase is called the phrasal verb. A phrasal verb is a verb like pick up, turn on or get on with.

Common phrasal verbs (with meanings and examples)

back [x] up

Meaning: support or defend someone

Example: Don’t forget to back up your work.

break down

Meaning: stop working, especially when referring to machines

Example: The young man broke down in tears.

Carry on with

Meaning: Continue

Example: I want you to carry on with the work while I am out of the country.

Carry on

Meaning: Continue

Example: Carry on. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.

Carry on about

Meaning: Continue in an annoying way

Example: She kept carrying on about how much money she made.

Carry off

Meaning: Succeed, win

Example: He carried off the first prize in the tennis tournament.

Carry over

Meaning: Continue past a certain point

Example: The meeting carried over into lunchtime.

Carry out

Meaning: Perform a task

Example: I would like to carry out the plan.

Carry on

Meaning: Behave badly

Example: My son annoyed me by carrying on all day.

call around

Meaning: contact multiple people

Example: Roy called around to find a nearby mechanic.

calm down

Meaning: relax after an energetic or irritated state

Example: I need a few minutes to calm down after that match.

call [x] off

Meaning: cancel

Example: We called the party off. / We called off the party.

check [x] out

Meaning: verify a person or thing (can sometimes be flirtatious when used in reference to a person)

Example: I’ll check the contract out. / I’ll check out the contract.

clean up

Meaning: be extremely successful in an endeavor, such as business, sports, or gambling

Example: Our hockey team cleaned up at the tournament and went home undefeated.

come around

Meaning: change an opinion or see a new point of view

Example: I never liked seafood, but came around after trying fried calamari.

come between

Meaning: disturb a relationship

Example: After more than fifty years of marriage, nothing could come between them.

come down on

Meaning: attack or punish harshly

Example: Ever since last month’s accident, police have been coming down on drunk driving.

come down with

Meaning: become sick

Example: After sitting in the rain for hours, Chandra came down with a nasty cold.

come out of

Meaning: happen as a consequence of another event

Example: We missed a day of school, so at least some good came out of our boring class trip.

come up

Meaning: become the topic of discussion or receive attention

Example: Everyone talked about how much they enjoyed the movie, but the run time never came up in the conversation.

come up with

Meaning: think of an idea, especially as the first person to do so, or to produce a solution

Example: Sahar comes up with her best story ideas at night, so she writes them down before she forgets them.

count on

Meaning: rely or depend on

Example: If I’m ever making a mistake, I can count on my friends to warn me.

dive into

Meaning: occupy oneself with something; to pore over quickly or reach into quickly

Example: I’ll dive into that new TV show later tonight.

dress up

Meaning: wear nice clothes or put forth in the best light

Example: Abed dressed up for the award ceremony.

end up

Meaning: eventually reach some conclusion or destination

Example: After thinking for a day, he ended up taking the job.

fall apart

Meaning: break into pieces

Example: My new dress completely fell apart after just two washes.

find out

Meaning: discover or learn

Example: We’ll have to wait until the next TV episode to find out who the killer is.

Go about sth

Meaning: to deal with something

Example: I want to solve this problem but I don’t know how to go about it.

Go after sth

Meaning: to try to get something

Example: He is planning to go after his friend’s project.

Go after sb

Meaning: to try to catch or stop someone

Example: We should go after her and tell her the truth.

Go against sth/sb

Meaning: to oppose or to disagree with someone or something

Example: The people’s votes went against us.

Go ahead

Meaning: to start or to continue to do something, especially after waiting for permission

Example: Why don’t you go ahead and eat it?

Go ahead with

Meaning: to start or to continue with plans to do something

Example: It is a good idea. We should go ahead with the plan and see what happens.

Get (sth) across

Meaning: to make people understand something

Example: The teacher couldn’t get her ideas across to the students.

Get along / Get on / Get on with

Meaning: If people get along, they like each other and they have a good relationship.

Example: I can’t get along with the neighbours anymore.

Get ahead

Meaning: to be successful in the work

Example: I will get ahead at work with this project.

Get at sth

Meaning: to touch or to reach something

Example: The child can’t get at the books on the high shelf.

Get at sb

Meaning: to criticise someone repeatedly

Example: The boss always gets on me. I don’t know why he behaves like that.

Get away

Meaning: to leave or to escape from a place or a person

Example: She usually gets away from the crowds.

go for

Meaning: try or attempt to achieve something

Example: Carlos trains so hard because he is going for an Olympic gold medal.

go on

Meaning: continue doing something (see keep [x] up)

Example: The boys will go on digging until they hit a water pipe.

go over

Meaning: review or look at it again

Example: Marie went over the study guide one last time before the test.

hand in

Meaning: submit (especially an assignment)

Example: The teacher wants us to hand in our essays through email.

leave [x] out

Meaning: omit or disregard

Example: Orna left the graph out of the presentation. / Orna left out the graph from the presentation.

let [x] down

Meaning: disappoint

Example: Kamal let Marco down when he arrived late. / Kamal let down Marco when he arrived late.

let go of

Meaning: release or free

Example: Don’t let go of the rope until I’m safe.

let [x] in

Meaning: allow to enter

Example: Close the door or you’ll let the flies in!

Let on

Meaning: Make clear, evince

Example: You don’t want to let on how rich you really are.

Let off

Meaning: Cause to explode or release

Example: Stand back when you let off fireworks.

Let down

Meaning: Fail to support or help

Example: My friend, don’t let me down this time.

Let out

Meaning: Make bigger

Example: I need to let out this skirt.

Let down

Meaning: Lengthen

Example: My father is a tailor, so he can let my pants down.

let [x] know

Meaning: tell someone something

Example: Let me know as soon as Leslie texts back.

look after

Meaning: take care of someone or something

Example: Thank you for looking after me when I was sick.

look up to [x]

Meaning: admire or idolize someone

Example: I looked up to this YouTuber until I read about their scandal.

Make off

Meaning: Hurry away, escape

Example: The thieves made off before the police arrived.

Make up

Meaning: Forgive each other

Example: Alex and Mary were angry yesterday, but they made up this morning.

Make for

Meaning: Move towards

Example: He was already made for home when I arrived.

Make of

Meaning: Understand, find a reason

Example: I don’t know what to make of his behaviour.

Make out

Meaning: Decipher

Example: Anybody can’t make out her handwriting.

Make up

Meaning: Invent, lie about something

Example: Mary made up a story about why she was late.

Make up for

Meaning: Compensate for something

Example: I don’t eat dinner but I make up for it at breakfast.

mix up

Meaning: confuse something with something else

Example: It’s easy to mix up Chris Pine and Chris Pratt.

pull [x] up

Meaning: retrieve or bring something nearer

Example: Eugene pulled the document up on his computer. / Eugene pulled up the document on his computer.

put [x] on

Meaning: wear or add something to your person or an object

Example: I always put my backpack on before leaving the house. / I always put on my backpack before leaving the house.

put up with

Meaning: tolerate or condone

Example: Somehow Paz could put up with Janice’s cynical attitude.

run out of

Meaning: use all of or drain the supply of something

Example: Isabella ran out of toilet paper at the worst possible time.

see to

Meaning: make sure something is done

Example: I’ll see to watering the plants while you’re gone.

set [x] up

Meaning: arrange or organize

Example: Since no one invited me to join their study group, I set one up myself.

show off

Meaning: deliberately display abilities or accomplishments in order to impress people

Example: Panya didn’t need to shoot so many three-pointers; she was just showing off.

shut [x] off

Meaning: turn off, especially a machine

Example: Don’t forget to shut the water off after your shower. / Don’t forget to shut off the water after your shower.

Set about sth/doing sth

Meaning: to begin or start doing something

Examples: I don’t know how to set about the work.

Set about sb

Meaning: to attack someone

Example: The crowd began to set about him with stones.

Set forth

Meaning: to begin traveling

Example: We set forth at noon.

Set off

Meaning: to start a journey or trip

Example: We will set off next week.

Set off sth

Meaning: to cause a signal to start something

Example: The loud sound set off the baby’s crying.

Set out

Meaning: to leave a place and begin a journey

Example: We set out on a lonely journey.

Set out ( to do something )

Meaning: to start an activity or something with a special aim or intend

Example: She set out to protect her kids.

take after

Meaning: resemble, especially with parents and their children

Example: Li takes after his father when it comes to politics.

take [x] out

Meaning: move something outside

Example: Please take the garbage out before dinner. / Please take out the garbage before dinner.

think [x] over

Meaning: consider something

Example: When his parents suggested selling his Pokemon cards, Yosef thought it over.

throw [x] away

Meaning: dispose of something

Example: Could you throw that old burrito away? / Could you throw away that old burrito?

turn [x] down

Meaning: reject or say “no”

Example: My crush turned me down after I asked them out.

top off

Meaning: fill something to the top; to complete something in a special or spectacular way

Example: May I top off your beverage?

wait on

Meaning: serve, especially at a restaurant

Example: Billie eagerly waited at the new table of customers, hoping for a big tip.

Read into

Meaning: to believe that an action, remark, or situation has particular importance or meaning, often when this is not true

Example: Her speech is very clear. Don’t try to read anything else into it.

Read over/through

Meaning: to read something quickly from the beginning to the end

Example: You should read over your exam paper when you have finished.

Warm up

Meaning: Make something warm

Example: I’II warms up some meat for dinner.