Phrasal verbs are a unique feature of the English language that can often be challenging for non-native speakers. They consist of a verb and one or more particles (prepositions or adverbs), and their meaning often cannot be deduced from the individual words.
Here are 50 commonly used phrasal verbs with examples:
Get along: Have a good relationship.
“Even though they have different interests, they get along very well.”
Look up: Search for information.
“If you don’t know the word, look it up in the dictionary.”
Turn up: Arrive or appear.
“She didn’t turn up for the meeting.”
Give up: Quit or surrender.
“He gave up smoking for his health.”
Take off: When an airplane leaves the ground, or to remove something.
“The plane took off on time.” / “Take off your shoes before entering.”
Bring up: Mention a topic, or raise children.
“She brought up an interesting point during the discussion.” / “He was brought up by his grandparents.”
Hold on: Wait.
“Hold on a moment, I’ll be right back.”
Check out: Leave a hotel, or examine something.
“We checked out of the hotel this morning.” / “Check out this article when you have time.”
Set up: Establish or arrange.
“They set up a new company.”
Come across: Find by chance.
“I came across this book while I was cleaning.”
Go on: Continue.
“The show must go on.”
Run out: Exhaust the supply.
“We’ve run out of milk.”
Look after: Take care of.
“Can you look after my dog while I’m on vacation?”
Call off: Cancel.
“They called off the event due to bad weather.”
Put off: Postpone.
“The meeting was put off until next week.”
Break down: Stop functioning.
“The car broke down on the way to the beach.”
Break up: End a relationship.
“They decided to break up after five years of dating.”
Turn down: Refuse.
“He turned down the job offer.”
Look forward to: Anticipate with pleasure.
“I’m looking forward to the weekend.”
Get up: Rise from bed.
“I usually get up at 7 a.m.”
Show up: Appear, arrive.
“He didn’t show up for the appointment.”
Put up with: Tolerate.
“I can’t put up with his behavior anymore.”
Look into: Investigate.
“The police will look into the incident.”
Come up with: Think of (an idea, a plan).
“She came up with a brilliant idea for the project.”
Go through: Experience, examine carefully.
“He’s going through a difficult time.” / “She went through the report in detail.”
Take up: Begin a hobby, occupy space/time.
“He took up playing the piano.” / “The sofa takes up too much space.”
Stand up: Rise from a sitting position, defend, tolerate.
“Please stand up when the judge enters the room.” / “She stood up for her rights.” / “I won’t stand up for this treatment.”
Sit down: Take a sitting position.
“Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable.”
Lay down: Establish a rule, recline.
“The law lays down the rules for acceptable behavior.” / “He laid down on the sofa to rest.”
Hold up: Delay, rob.
“Traffic was held up due to an accident.” / “The bank was held up by armed robbers.”
Catch up: Reach someone ahead, update.
“I had to run to catch up with her.” / “We met for coffee so she could catch me up on all the news.”
Make up: Invent, reconcile.
“He made up a story about the dog eating his homework.” / “After their argument, they made up.”
Pick up: Lift, learn, collect.
“Pick up your toys off the floor.” / “She picked up French quickly.” / “Can you pick up some milk on your way home?”
Drop off: Deliver, fall asleep.
“Drop off the package at the post office.” / “He dropped off during the movie.”
Log in/out: Enter/leave a computer system.
“Log in to your email account.” / “Don’t forget to log out when you’re done.”
Sign up/in: Register/enter.
“Sign up for our newsletter.” / “Sign in to start your session.”
Cut off: Remove, isolate.
“The doctor had to cut off his leg to save him from the infection.” / “The town was cut off due to the flood.”
Cut out: Remove using scissors, stop doing something.
“She cut out a coupon from the newspaper.” / “You should cut out eating junk food.”
Hand in: Submit.
“Hand in your homework at the start of class.”
Hand out: Distribute.
“She was handing out flyers on the street.”
Fill in/out: Complete (a form).
“Please, fill in/out the application form.”
Turn on/off: Activate/deactivate.
“Turn on the light, please.” / “Don’t forget to turn off the oven.”
Switch on/off: Same as “turn on/off”.
“Switch on the radio for the news.” / “Switch off the TV when you’re done.”
Figure out: Understand, find the solution.
“I finally figured out how to solve the problem.”
Sort out: Organize, resolve.
“You need to sort out your schedule.” / “They managed to sort out their differences.”
Point out: Indicate, mention.
“She pointed out the mistakes in my report.”
Find out: Discover.
“I found out that she’s been promoted.”
Check in/out: Register your arrival/departure at a hotel or airport.
“We checked in at the front desk.” / “We have to check out before 11 a.m.”
Try on: Test the fit of clothing.
“Try on the dress to see if it fits.”
Try out: Test to see if something works or if you like it.
“I want to try out the new Italian restaurant.”
Remember, the key to mastering phrasal verbs is context and practice. Try to use these phrasal verbs in your daily conversations and written English to enhance your language skills. Happy learning!
