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Phrasal verbs are essential for mastering English fluency. They are combinations of a verb with a preposition or an adverb, forming a new meaning that often cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, the phrase “give up” doesn’t mean to hand something over; instead, it means to quit or stop doing something.
Native speakers use phrasal verbs all the time in casual conversations, making them sound natural and fluent. If you want to understand everyday English and sound more like a native speaker, mastering phrasal verbs is a must. Without them, learners often sound formal or robotic.
For example:
Formal: "I will cancel the meeting."
Natural (with a phrasal verb): "I’ll call off the meeting."
The more phrasal verbs you incorporate into your speech, the more comfortable and confident you’ll feel communicating in English. That's why I created this extensive list of 120 the most common phrasal verbs for you.
What Are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal verbs are multi-word expressions consisting of a verb and one or more particles (either a preposition or an adverb). Together, they form a meaning that is often different from the verb’s original meaning.
Structure of Phrasal Verbs:
Verb + Preposition Example: Look aftersome text
Meaning: To take care of someone or something.
Sentence: "I need to look after my younger brother today."
Verb + Adverb Example: Give upsome text
Meaning: To stop doing something.
Sentence: "She decided to give up smoking."
Verb + Adverb + Preposition Example: Get away withsome text
Meaning: To escape punishment for something.
Sentence: "He got away with cheating on the test."
Types of Phrasal Verbs:
#1. Separable Phrasal Verbs
In separable phrasal verbs, the object can be placed between the verb and the particle.
Example:
âś…Correct: "Please turn off the lights."
âś…Correct: "Please turn the lights off."
#2. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
In these, the object must follow the entire phrasal verb.
Example:
âś…Correct: "I look after my dog."
❌Incorrect: "I look my dog after."
#3. Transitive Phrasal Verbs
These phrasal verbs require an object to complete their meaning.
Example:
✅Correct: “I’ll pick up the package." (the action is directed at something)
❌Incorrect: "I’ll pick up” (Why it's wrong: The verb "pick up" needs an object to clarify what is being picked up. Without an object, the sentence is incomplete.)
#4. Intransitive Phrasal Verbs
These phrasal verbs do not require an object.
Example:
âś…Correct: "He grew up in Berlin."
âś…Correct: "The car broke down on the way home."
A List of Most Common Phrasal Verbs
Daily Life Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Wake up
To stop sleeping and become awake
I usually wake up at 7 AM.
Get up
To rise from bed
He gets up as soon as the alarm rings.
Put on
To wear clothes or accessories
She put on her coat before leaving.
Take off
To remove clothes or accessories
He took off his shoes before entering the house.
Go out
To leave your home to go somewhere
They decided to go out for dinner.
Come back
To return to a place
I'll come back later to pick it up.
Turn on
To start a device or machine
Please turn on the lights; it's dark in here.
Turn off
To stop a device or machine
Don't forget to turn off the TV before you go to bed.
Pick up
To collect someone or something
Can you pick up the kids from school today?
Give up
To stop trying to do something
He finally gave up smoking after 10 years.
Work & Business Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Call off
To cancel an event or meeting
They decided to call off the project due to budget cuts.
Follow up
To continue or check on something after an initial action
I'll follow up with the client tomorrow.
Figure out
To solve or understand something
We need to figure out why sales are declining.
Set up
To arrange or establish something
She set up a meeting with the marketing team.
Run by
To get someone's opinion or approval on something
Let me run the proposal by the manager before we proceed.
Take on
To accept a new responsibility or task
He's taken on more projects than he can handle.
Put off
To postpone or delay something
They put off the meeting until next week.
Bring up
To mention a topic in conversation
She brought up the issue during the meeting.
Hand in
To submit something (e.g., a report or assignment)
Please hand in your report by Friday.
Fill in
To provide missing information or substitute for someone
Can you fill in for me during the meeting?
Relationships Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Break up
To end a romantic relationship
They decided to break up after five years together.
Get along
To have a good relationship with someone
I get along really well with my colleagues.
Fall out
To have a disagreement or argument
They fell out over a business deal.
Make up
To resolve a conflict and become friends again
They argued, but eventually made up.
Look up to
To admire or respect someone
She has always looked up to her older brother.
Let down
To disappoint someone
He let her down by forgetting her birthday.
Hit it off
To quickly form a good relationship with someone
We hit it off immediately at the party.
Split up
To separate or end a relationship
They split up after two years of marriage.
Go out with
To be in a romantic relationship with someone
She’s been going out with him for a few months now.
Ask out
To invite someone on a date
He asked her out to dinner last night.
Travel & Transport Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Set off
To begin a journey
We set off early to avoid traffic.
Get on
To board a vehicle (bus, train, plane)
She got on the train just before it left.
Get off
To leave a vehicle
We got off the bus at the wrong stop.
Check in
To register at a hotel or airport
You need to check in at least two hours before the flight.
Check out
To leave a hotel and pay the bill
We checked out of the hotel early in the morning.
Get in
To enter a car or taxi
He got in the taxi and headed to the airport.
Get out
To leave a car or taxi
We got out of the cab and walked to the hotel.
Take off
To leave the ground (for planes)
The plane took off at 8 PM.
Hold up
To delay someone or something
We were held up by heavy traffic.
Drop off
To take someone to a place and leave them there
I’ll drop you off at the station.
Emotions and Reactions Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Cheer up
To become happier
She cheered up after hearing the good news.
Calm down
To relax after being angry or upset
Please calm down and tell me what happened.
Freak out
To react with extreme emotion, usually fear or anger
He freaked out when he saw the spider.
Blow up
To suddenly become very angry
She blew up when she found out about the mistake.
Break down
To lose control of your emotions
He broke down in tears during the speech.
Lighten up
To become less serious or tense
You need to lighten up and enjoy the party.
Open up
To share your thoughts and feelings more openly
He finally opened up about his struggles.
Snap out of
To quickly stop feeling a negative emotion
You need to snap out of it and focus on your work.
Bring down
To make someone feel sad
The bad weather really brought me down.
Go off
To suddenly become angry
He went off on his colleague during the meeting.
Health and Fitness Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Work out
To exercise or train physically
I work out at the gym three times a week.
Warm up
To prepare the body for physical activity by doing light exercise
You should always warm up before running to avoid injuries.
Cool down
To do light exercise to relax after intense physical activity
Make sure you cool down after your workout to prevent soreness.
Pass out
To lose consciousness
He passed out from dehydration during the marathon.
Throw up
To vomit
She felt so sick that she threw up after eating bad food.
Cut down on
To reduce the amount of something, especially food or drink
He’s trying to cut down on sugar to improve his health.
Bulk up
To gain muscle mass through exercise and diet
He’s been bulking up for the bodybuilding competition.
Come down with
To become ill with a sickness
I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Get over
To recover from an illness or difficult situation
It took her a few days to get over the flu.
Work off
To reduce weight or stress by doing physical activity
He goes jogging every morning to work off the extra calories.
Learning and Education Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Look up
To search for information in a book or online
You can look up the definition in the dictionary.
Catch up
To reach the same level as others
He missed a few classes and now needs to catch up.
Drop out
To leave school or a course before finishing it
She dropped out of university to start her own business.
Hand in
To submit an assignment or document
You need to hand in your essay by Friday.
Go over
To review or check something carefully
Let's go over the notes before the exam.
Sign up
To register for a course or activity
I signed up for a German language course.
Take up
To start learning something new
She has recently taken up learning Spanish.
Brush up on
To improve your knowledge or skills
I need to brush up on my grammar before the test.
Keep up with
To maintain the same pace as others
She’s struggling to keep up with the class.
Point out
To highlight or indicate something important
The teacher pointed out a few mistakes in my essay.
Technology and Communication Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Log in
To access a system by entering your username and password
You need to log in to your account to view the files.
Log out
To exit a system by signing off
Don’t forget to log out when you’re finished.
Set up
To install or arrange a device or system
I need to set up my new phone before I can use it.
Turn on
To start a device
Please turn on the computer before the meeting starts.
Turn off
To stop a device
Make sure to turn off the printer after use.
Plug in
To connect a device to a power source
Can you plug in the charger for me?
Shut down
To turn off a computer or system completely
He forgot to shut down the computer before leaving.
Back up
To make a copy of data to keep it safe
Don’t forget to back up your files regularly.
Break down
When a device stops working
My laptop broke down during the presentation.
Hang up
To end a phone call
She hung up before I could say goodbye.
Shopping and Money Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Pay off
To fully repay a debt or loan
I finally paid off my student loan last month.
Save up
To save money over time
She’s saving up to buy a new car.
Rip off
To overcharge someone
That store ripped me off! I paid double the normal price.
Fork out
To spend money reluctantly
I had to fork out a lot of money for car repairs.
Splash out
To spend a lot of money on something luxurious
They splashed out on a five-star hotel for their anniversary.
Cut back
To reduce spending
We need to cut back on unnecessary expenses.
Put aside
To save money for a specific purpose
He puts aside a small amount every month for holidays.
Run out of
To have no more of something
We’ve run out of cash, so we need to find an ATM.
Pay back
To return borrowed money
I’ll pay you back next week.
Cash in on
To take advantage of a situation to make money
They’re cashing in on the popularity of online shopping.
Time and Schedules Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Put off
To postpone or delay something
They put off the meeting until next week.
Run out of
To use all of something and have none left
We ran out of time before we could finish the task.
Take up
To start a new activity or hobby
She’s taken up yoga to relax after work.
Break down
To separate into parts for better understanding
Let’s break down the project into smaller tasks.
Get around to
To find time to do something
I haven’t gotten around to writing the report yet.
Catch up on
To do something you haven’t had time to do
I need to catch up on my emails this weekend.
Cut back on
To reduce the amount of time spent on something
He needs to cut back on overtime hours.
Turn up
To appear or arrive unexpectedly
He turned up late to the appointment.
Follow through
To complete something that was started
It’s important to follow through on your promises.
Wrap up
To finish something
Let’s wrap up the meeting before lunch.
Socializing and Entertainment Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Hang out
To spend time casually with friends
We usually hang out at the coffee shop after work.
Show up
To arrive, especially unexpectedly
She showed up at the party without an invitation.
Turn up
To appear or arrive, often unexpectedly
He turned up late to the concert.
Make up
To reconcile after an argument
They had a fight but made up the next day.
Get together
To meet with friends or family for social activities
We’re getting together for dinner this weekend.
Call over
To invite someone to come to a place
He called me over to join the group at the table.
Catch up
To talk to someone you haven’t seen in a while
It was great to catch up with old friends at the reunion.
Drop by
To visit someone casually without prior notice
I’ll drop by your house later to say hi.
Hit it off
To quickly form a good relationship with someone
They hit it off immediately and became close friends.
Bring along
To take someone with you to an event
Feel free to bring along a friend to the party.
Home and Household Phrasal Verbs
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Illustrative Example
Clean up
To tidy and remove dirt
We need to clean up the living room before guests arrive.
Throw away
To discard something as garbage
Don't forget to throw away the old newspapers.
Put away
To place something in its proper storage location
Please put away your toys after playing.
Take out
To remove something, especially garbage
Could you take out the trash, please?
Wash up
To clean dishes after a meal
I’ll wash up after dinner.
Pick up
To lift something from the floor or a surface
Can you pick up your clothes from the floor?
Set up
To arrange or assemble furniture or equipment
We need to set up the table for dinner.
Fix up
To repair or improve something
They’re fixing up the old house to make it livable again.
Turn on
To activate a device
Can you turn on the lights? It’s getting dark.
Turn off
To deactivate a device
Don’t forget to turn off the stove after cooking.
Master These Phrase Verbs with the Heylama AI app 🎯
Learning phrasal verbs doesn’t have to be overwhelming! With the Heylama AI app, you can practice phrasal verbs in real-life conversations, get instant feedback, and improve your fluency faster.
đź’ˇ Why use Heylama?
Interactive role-plays: Practice using phrasal verbs in realistic scenarios.
Grammar tips: Get corrections and explanations when you make mistakes.
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