Phrasal Verbs: Definition, Usage, Types and List

Phrasal verbs are combinations of words that take on unique meanings, and you encounter them daily. They often consist of a verb and a preposition or adverb, creating phrases like “give up,” “bring out,” or “look after.” These multi-word verbs can seem tricky at first, but mastering them will greatly improve your English fluency.

Phrasal Verbs List – Created by Englishstudyonline

Table of Contents

What are Phrasal Verbs?

Definition of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs consist of a verb followed by one or more particles. Particles can be prepositions, adverbs, or both. For example, “pick up” combines the verb “pick” with the adverb “up.” The resulting meaning (“to lift or retrieve”) is different from each word’s individual meaning.

These verbs can be tricky because their meanings aren’t always guessable from the words alone. Examples include “give up” (to quit) and “run into” (to meet unexpectedly). Many phrasal verbs are idiomatic, making them essential to grasp for fluent English.

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs can be tricky to master, but understanding their types is a good place to start. Below, you will find detailed explanations for intransitive, transitive, separable, and non-separable phrasal verbs.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

Intransitive phrasal verbs do not take an object. The action stops at the verb, and you don’t need to provide more information to complete the meaning. For example, in “The car broke down,” broke down is an intransitive phrasal verb.

Examples:
- Wake up early to see the sunrise.
- Run away from the problem if it scares you.

In these examples, no object follows the phrasal verbs. The action is complete in itself.

You might also like: Intransitive verbs

Transitive Phrasal Verbs

Transitive phrasal verbs require an object to complete their meaning. Without an object, the sentence may seem incomplete or confusing. For instance, “She looked up the word” makes sense because looked up needs the object the word.

Examples:
- Take off your shoes at the door.
- Turn on the lights when it gets dark.

In these cases, the object (shoes, lights) directly follows the phrasal verb, making the action clear.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

Separable phrasal verbs are a type of transitive verbs. You can place the object between the verb and the particle. For instance, in “Turn off the radio” or “Turn the radio off,” turn off is a separable phrasal verb.

Examples:
- Give up smoking for good.
- Pick up your toys.

In these sentences, you can separate “give up” and “pick up” by inserting the object in between or after the phrasal verb.

Read more: Transitive Verbs

Non-separable Phrasal Verbs

Non-separable phrasal verbs cannot be split. The object must follow the entire phrasal verb. For example, “Run out of milk” cannot be rearranged because run out of must stay together.

Examples:
- Look after the kids tonight.
- Get over the flu soon.

In these examples, the phrasal verbs stay together, and the object comes directly after them.

Common Phrasal Verbs – Created by Englishstudyonline

Phrasal Verbs List

Here is the frequently used phrasal verbs list:

Ask somebody out

Meaning: Invite on a date
Example: Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.

Ask around

Meaning: Ask many people the same question
Example: I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.

Add up to something

Meaning: Equal
Example: Your purchases add up to $205.32.

Back something up

Meaning: Reverse
Example: You’ll have to back up your car so that I can get out.

Back somebody up

Meaning: Support
Example: My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.

Blow up

Meaning: Explode
Example: The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.

Blow something up

Meaning: add air
Example: We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.

Break down

Meaning: Stop functioning (vehicle, machine)
Example: Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm.

Break down

Meaning: Get upset
Example: The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died.

Break something down

Meaning: Divide into smaller parts
Example: Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts.

Break in

Meaning: Force entry to a building
Example: Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo.

Break into something

Meaning: enter forcibly
Example: The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children.

Break something in

Meaning: wear something a few times so that it doesn’t look/feel new
Example: I need to break these shoes in before we run next week.

Break in

Meaning: interrupt
Example: The TV station broke in to report the news of the president’s death.

Break up

Meaning: End a relationship
Example: My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America.

Break up

Meaning: Start laughing (informal)
Example: The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.

Break out

Meaning: Escape
Example: The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren’t looking.

Break out in something

Meaning: develop a skin condition
Example: I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.

Bring somebody down

Meaning: make unhappy
Example: This sad music is bringing me down.

Bring somebody up

Meaning: raise a child
Example: My grandparents brought me up after my parents died.

Bring something up

Meaning: start talking about a subject
Example: My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports.

Bring something up

Meaning: vomit
Example: He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet.

Call around

Meaning: Phone many different places/people
Example: We called around but we weren’t able to find the car part we needed.

Call somebody back

Meaning: Return a phone call
Example: I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend.

Call something off

Meaning: Cancel
Example: Jason called the wedding off because he wasn’t in love with his fiancé.

Call on somebody

Meaning: Ask for an answer or opinion
Example: The professor called on me for question 1.

Call on somebody

Meaning: Visit somebody
Example: We called on you last night but you weren’t home.

Call somebody up

Meaning: Phone
Example: Give me your phone number and I will call you up when we are in town.

Calm down

Meaning: Relax after being angry
Example: You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car.

Catch up

Meaning: Get to the same point as somebody else
Example: You’ll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty.

Check-in

Meaning: Arrive and register at a hotel or airport
Example: We will get the hotel keys when we check in.

Check out

Meaning: Leave a hotel
Example: You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM.

Check somebody/ something out

Meaning: Look at carefully, investigate
Example: The company checks out all new employees.

Check out somebody/ something

Meaning: Look at (informal)
Check out the crazy hair on that guy!

Cheer up

Meaning: Become happier
She cheered up when she heard the good news.

Cheer somebody up

Meaning: Make happier
I brought you some flowers to cheer you up.

Chip in

Meaning: Help
Example: If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon.

Clean something up

Meaning: Tidy, clean
Example: Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside.

Come across something

Meaning: Find unexpectedly
Example: I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet.

Come apart

Meaning: Separate
Example: The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough.

Come down with something

Meaning: Become sick
Example: My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend.

Come forward

Meaning: Volunteer for a task or to give evidence
Example: The woman came forward with her husband’s fingerprints.

Come from some place

Meaning: Originate in
Example: The art of origami comes from Asia.

Count on somebody/ something

Meaning: Rely on
Example: I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out.

Cross something out

Meaning: Draw a line through
Example: Please cross out your old address and write your new one.

Cut back on something

Meaning: Consume less
Example: My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods.

Cut something down

Meaning: Make something fall to the ground
Example: We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after the storm.

Cut in

Meaning: Interrupt
Example: Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle.

Pull in

Meaning: Too closely in front of another vehicle
Example: The bus driver got angry when that car cut in.

Cut in

Meaning: Start operating (of an engine or electrical device)
Example: The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C.

Cut something off

Meaning: Remove with something sharp
Example: The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured.

Cut something off

Meaning: Stop providing
Example: The phone company cut off our phone because we didn’t pay the bill.

Cut somebody off

Meaning: Take out of a will
Example: My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried.

Cut something out

Meaning: Remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper)
Example: I cut this ad out of the newspaper.

Do somebody/ something over

Meaning: Beat up, ransack (BrE, informal)
Example: He’s lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street gang.

Do something over

Meaning: Do again (AmE)
Example: My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she doesn’t like my topic.

Do away with something

Meaning: Discard
Example: It’s time to do away with all of these old tax records.

Do something up

Meaning: Fasten, close
Example: Do your coat up before you go outside. It’s snowing!

Dress up

Meaning: Wear nice clothing
Example: It’s a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up.

Drop back

Meaning: move back in a position/group
Example: Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike.

Drop in/ by/ over

Meaning: Come without an appointment
Example: I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this week.

Drop somebody/ something off

Meaning: Take somebody/ something somewhere and leave them/it there
Example: I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over.

Drop out

Meaning: Quit a class, school etc.
Example: I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult.

Eat out

Meaning: Eat at a restaurant
Example: I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Let’s eat out.

End up

Meaning: Eventually reach/do/decide
Example: We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre.

Fall apart

Meaning: Break into pieces
Example: My new dress fell apart in the washing machine.

Fall down

Meaning: Fall to the ground
Example: The picture that you hung up last night fell down this morning.

Fall out

Meaning: Separate from an interior
Example: The money must have fallen out of my pocket.

Fall out

Meaning: (of hair, teeth) Become loose and unattached
Example: His hair started to fall out when he was only 35.

Figure something out

Meaning: Understand, find the answer
Example: I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room.

Fill something in

Meaning: To write information in blanks, as on a form (BrE)
Example: Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number.

Fill something out

Meaning: To write information in blanks, as on a form (AmE)
Example: The form must be filled out in capital letters.

Fill something up

Meaning: Fill to the top
Example: I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.

Find out

Meaning: Discover
Example: We don’t know where he lives. How can we find out?

Find something out

Meaning: Discover
Example: We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found it out.

List of Phrasal Verbs – Created by Englishstudyonline

Get something across/ over

Meaning: Communicate, make understandable
Example: I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but she wouldn’t listen.

Get along/on

Meaning: Like each other
Example: I was surprised at how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on.

Get around

Meaning: Have mobility
Example: My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair.

Get away

Meaning: Go on a vacation
Example: We worked so hard this year that we had to get away for a week.

Get away with something

Meaning: Do without being noticed or punished
Example: Jason always gets away with cheating in his maths tests.

Get back

Meaning: Return
Example: We got back from our vacation last week.

Get something back

Meaning: Receive something you had before
Example: Liz finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate.

Get back at somebody

Meaning: Retaliate, take revenge
Example: My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my favourite hat.

Get back into something

Meaning: Become interested in something again
Example: I finally got back into my novel and finished it.

Get on something

Meaning: Step onto a vehicle
Example: We’re going to freeze out here if you don’t let us get on the bus.

Get over something

Meaning: Recover from an illness, loss, difficulty
Example: I just got over the flu and now my sister has it.

Get over something

Meaning: overcome a problem
Example: The company will have to close if it can’t get over the new regulations.

Get round to something

Meaning: finally find time to do (AmE: get around to something)
Example: I don’t know when I am going to get round to writing the thank you cards.

Get together

Meaning: Meet (usually for social reasons)
Example: Let’s get together for a BBQ this weekend.

Get up

Meaning: Get out of bed
Example: I got up early today to study for my exam.

Get up

Meaning: Stand
Example: You should get up and give the elderly man your seat.

Give somebody away

Meaning: Reveal hidden information about somebody
Example: His wife gave him away to the police.

Give somebody away

Meaning: Take the bride to the altar
Example: My father gave me away at my wedding.

Give something away

Meaning: Ruin a secret
Example: My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident.

Give something away

Meaning: Give something to somebody for free
Example: The library was giving away old books on Friday.

Give something back

Meaning: Return a borrowed item
Example: I have to give these skates back to Franz before his hockey game.

Give in

Meaning: Reluctantly stop fighting or arguing
Example: My boyfriend didn’t want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in.

Give something out

Meaning: Give to many people (usually at no cost)
Example: They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store.

Give something up

Meaning: Quit a habit
Example: I am giving up smoking as of January 1st.

Give up

Meaning: Stop trying
Example: My maths homework was too difficult so I gave up.

Go after somebody

Meaning: Follow somebody
Example: My brother tried to go after the thief in his car.

Go after something

Meaning: Try to achieve something
Example: I went after my dream and now I am a published writer.

Go against somebody

Meaning: Compete, oppose
Example: We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight.

Go ahead

Meaning: Start, proceed
Example: Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold.

Go back

Meaning: Return to a place
Example: I have to go back home and get my lunch.

Go out

Meaning: Leave home to go on a social event
Example: We’re going out for dinner tonight.

Go out with somebody

Meaning: Date
Example: Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter.

Go over something

Meaning: Review
Example: Please go over your answers before you submit your test.

Go over

Meaning: Visit somebody nearby
Example: I haven’t seen Tina for a long time. I think I’ll go over for an hour or two.

Go without something

Meaning: Suffer lack or deprivation
Example: When I was young, we went without winter boots.

Grow apart

Meaning: Stop being friends over time
Example: My best friend and I grew apart after she changed schools.

Grow back

Meaning: Regrow
Example: My roses grew back this summer.

Grow into something

Meaning: Grow big enough to fit
Example: This bike is too big for him now, but he should grow into it by next year.

Grow out of something

Meaning: Get too big for
Example: Elizabeth needs a new pair of shoes because she has grown out of her old ones.

Grow up

Meaning: Become an adult
Example: When Jack grows up he wants to be a fireman.

Hand something down

Meaning: Give something used to somebody else
Example: I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin.

Hand something in

Meaning: Submit
Example: I have to hand in my essay by Friday.

Hand something out

Meaning: To distribute to a group of people
Example: We will hand out the invitations at the door.

Hand something over

Meaning: Give (usually unwillingly)
Example: The police asked the man to hand over his wallet and his weapons.

Hang in

Meaning: Stay positive (informal)
Example: Hang in there. I’m sure you’ll find a job very soon.

Hang on

Meaning: Wait a short time (informal)
Hang on while I grab my coat and shoes!

Hang out

Meaning: Spend time relaxing (informal)
Example: Instead of going to the party we are just going to hang out at my place.

Hang up

Meaning: End a phone call
Example: He didn’t say goodbye before he hung up.

Hold somebody/ something back

Meaning: Prevent from doing/going
Example: I had to hold my dog back because there was a cat in the park.

Try something on

Meaning: sample clothing
Example: I’m going to try these jeans on, but I don’t think they will fit.

Try something out

Meaning: Test
Example: I am going to try this new brand of detergent out.

Use something up

Meaning: Finish the supply
Example: The kids used all of the toothpaste up so we need to buy some more.

Wake up

Meaning: stop sleeping
Example: We have to wake up early for work on Monday.

Warm somebody/ something up

Meaning: increase the temperature
Example: You can warm your feet up in front of the fireplace.

Warm up

Meaning: prepare the body for exercise
Example: I always warm up by doing sit-ups before I go for a run.

Wear off

Meaning: Fade away
Example: Most of my make-up wore off before I got to the party.

Work out

Meaning: exercise
Example: I work out at the gym three times a week.

Work out

Meaning: be successful
Example: Our plan worked out fine.

Work something out

Meaning: make a calculation
Example: We have to work out the total cost before we buy the house.

How to Use Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are verbs combined with prepositions or adverbs. They change the meaning of the original verb. Understanding how to use them can improve your English skills.

First, learn the meaning of common phrasal verbs.

For example, “look up” means to search for information. “Break down” means to stop working, like a machine.

Regular practice is key. Try to notice phrasal verbs in books, songs, and conversations. Seeing them in context helps you remember their meanings and usage.

Here’s a basic tip: treat the verb part just like any other verb.

For example, “call off” in past tense becomes “called off”. The particle part often stays the same.

Some phrasal verbs are separable. You can put the object between the verb and particle.

Example: “Turn off the light” or “Turn the light off”.

Others are inseparable. You can’t break them up.

Example: “Ran into an old friend”.

Practice Exercises of Phrasal Verbs

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct phrasal verb from the list below. Use the correct form of the verbs.

Phrasal Verbs:
get up, take off, give up, run out of, look after

She decided to __________ smoking to improve her health.
The plane will __________ in 20 minutes.
Can you __________ the kids while I go shopping?
I usually __________ at 7 a.m. every day.
We need to buy more milk; we have __________ it.

Answers:

give up
take off
look after
get up
run out of

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Phrasal Verb

Choose the correct phrasal verb from the options given in parentheses to complete each sentence.

After a long day at work, I like to __________ (chill out, blow up, break in) with a good book.
The teacher asked the students to __________ (bring up, call off, come across) their homework at the beginning of the class.
When he couldn’t fix the computer, he decided to __________ (look up, give up, put on) and call a professional.
She will __________ (take after, turn up, go over) her grandmother when she gets older; they have the same personality.
The manager decided to __________ (drop out, cut down, lay off) some employees due to budget cuts.

Answers: