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155 phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word such as up, off, out or into, with a new meaning: call off means cancel. Listen to the examples, hide the meanings to test yourself, or practice with flashcards and a quiz.

  • separable The object can go in the middle, and a pronoun must: call the meeting off, call it off.
  • inseparable The object always goes after: look after the kids, look after them.
  • no object Nothing follows the verb: The truck broke down.

B

back up

  1. separablesupport
    My team backed me up in the meeting.

break away

  1. no objectescape; separate from a group (from)
    The prisoner broke away from the guards.

break down

  1. no objectstop working (a machine)
    Our truck broke down on the highway.
  2. no objectlose control of your emotions; start crying
    She broke down when she heard the news.

break even

  1. no objecthave no profit and no loss
    The shop barely broke even last year.

break in

  1. no objectinterrupt
    "I disagree," the major broke in.
  2. no objectenter a building by force
    Thieves broke in while we were away.

break into

  1. inseparableenter by force
    Someone broke into the warehouse last night.

break off

  1. separableend suddenly (talks, a relationship)
    The two countries broke off diplomatic relations.

break out

  1. no objectstart suddenly (a war, a fire, a disease)
    A fire broke out in the kitchen.
  2. no objectescape (from a prison)
    Two prisoners broke out of the jail last night.

break through

  1. inseparableforce a way through; overcome
    The tanks broke through the enemy lines.

break up

  1. no objectend a relationship
    They broke up after two years together.
  2. separablestop (a fight or a crowd)
    The MPs broke up the fight.

bring up

  1. separablemention; raise (a subject)
    Don't bring up politics at dinner.
  2. separableraise (a child)
    She was brought up by her grandparents.

C

call back

  1. separabletelephone again; return a call
    The colonel's office will call you back.

call off

  1. separablecancel
    They called off the exercise because of the storm.

carry on

  1. no objectcontinue
    Carry on with your work.

carry out

  1. separabledo; complete (an order, a task)
    The soldiers carried out the order immediately.

catch up

  1. no objectreach the same point as others (with)
    Go ahead; I'll catch up with you later.

check in

  1. no objectregister on arrival (a hotel, an airport)
    We checked in at the hotel at noon.

check out

  1. no objectpay and leave a hotel
    You must check out before 11 a.m.

come across

  1. inseparablefind or meet by chance
    I came across an old map in the library.

come up with

  1. inseparablethink of (an idea, a plan)
    She came up with a better plan.

count on

  1. inseparabledepend on; trust
    You can count on me.

cut down on

  1. inseparablereduce
    I'm trying to cut down on coffee.

D

deal with

  1. inseparablehandle; take care of
    The sergeant will deal with the problem.

drop off

  1. separabletake someone somewhere and leave them
    Can you drop me off at the hospital?

drop out

  1. no objectstop attending (school, a course) (of)
    Two students dropped out of the course.

E

end up

  1. no objectfinally be in a place or a situation
    We got lost and ended up in the next town.

F

fall apart

  1. no objectbreak into pieces; stop working well
    My old boots are falling apart.

fall back

  1. no objectretreat; move back
    The platoon fell back to the ridge.

fall back on

  1. inseparableuse or rely on when other things fail
    If the radio fails, we can fall back on hand signals.

fall behind

  1. no objectnot progress as fast as others or as planned
    If you miss classes, you'll fall behind.

fall in with

  1. inseparablebecome friends with (often the wrong people)
    He fell in with a bad crowd.

fall into

  1. inseparablestart (a habit) or enter (a trap) without planning
    Don't fall into the habit of skipping breakfast.

fall off

  1. no objectdecrease
    Sales fell off during the winter.

fall out

  1. no objectargue and stop being friends (with)
    He fell out with his roommate over money.

fall through

  1. no objectfail to happen
    Our plans for the weekend fell through.

figure out

  1. separableunderstand; find the answer
    I can't figure out how this radio works.

fill in

  1. separablewrite information in the blank spaces
    Fill in the blanks with the correct verb.
  2. no objectreplace someone for a short time (for)
    Can you fill in for me tonight?

fill out

  1. separablecomplete (a form)
    Fill out this form and sign it.

find out

  1. separablediscover (information)
    I need to find out when the next flight leaves.

G

get across

  1. separablecommunicate (an idea) clearly
    The instructor got his message across with simple examples.

get along with

  1. inseparablehave a good relationship with
    I get along with everyone in my squad.

get around

  1. no objectmove from place to place
    Without a car, it's hard to get around.
  2. inseparableavoid (a rule or a problem)
    They found a way to get around the rules.

get away with

  1. inseparablenot be punished for something wrong
    He cheated on the test and got away with it.

get back at

  1. inseparabletake revenge on
    He wanted to get back at the man who insulted him.

get by

  1. no objectmanage, with difficulty
    I get by on my pay, but I can't save much.

get into

  1. inseparablebecome involved in (trouble, an activity)
    He got into trouble for being late.

get off

  1. inseparableleave (a bus, a train, a plane)
    Get off the bus at the second stop.

get on

  1. inseparableenter (a bus, a train, a plane)
    We got on the bus at the main gate.

get out of

  1. inseparableavoid (a duty)
    He tried to get out of guard duty by saying he was sick.

get over

  1. inseparablerecover from
    It took him a month to get over the flu.

get rid of

  1. inseparablethrow away; remove
    We need to get rid of this old furniture.

get through

  1. inseparablefinish; survive (a difficult time)
    We got through the winter with very little fuel.
  2. no objectmake contact by phone (to)
    I called the base, but I couldn't get through.

get up

  1. no objectget out of bed
    We get up at 0530 every day.

give away

  1. separablegive for free; donate
    He gave away his old clothes to charity.
  2. separablereveal (a secret)
    Don't give away our position with your flashlight.

give back

  1. separablereturn
    Please give back the keys when you leave.

give in

  1. no objectsurrender; stop resisting
    After three days without food, the rebels gave in.

give off

  1. separablesend out (smoke, heat, light, a smell)
    The engine was giving off black smoke.

give out

  1. separabledistribute
    The sergeant gave out the maps.
  2. no objectstop working; be used up
    After twenty miles, my legs gave out.

give over

  1. separablehand over; use for a purpose (to)
    The old hangar was given over to storage.

give rise to

  1. inseparablecause; produce
    The new rules gave rise to many complaints.

give up

  1. separablestop doing (a habit or an activity)
    He gave up smoking last year.
  2. no objectstop trying
    Don't give up; you're almost there.

give way

  1. no objectcollapse; break
    The old bridge gave way under the weight of the tank.
  2. no objectyield; stop resisting (to)
    The government finally gave way to public pressure.

go against

  1. inseparableoppose; be contrary to
    This order goes against the regulations.

go along with

  1. inseparableagree with; accept
    The team went along with the captain's plan.

go back on

  1. inseparablebreak (a promise or an agreement)
    He never goes back on his word.

go by

  1. no objectpass (time)
    Three years went by before I saw him again.

go in for

  1. inseparablelike; take part in (a sport, a competition)
    I don't go in for team sports.

go off

  1. no objectexplode; ring (an alarm)
    The alarm went off at 0500.

go on

  1. no objectcontinue; happen
    What's going on here?

go over

  1. inseparablereview; check
    Let's go over the safety rules again.

go through

  1. inseparableexperience (something difficult)
    The unit went through a lot during the deployment.
  2. inseparableexamine carefully
    The guard went through every bag.

go through with

  1. inseparabledo something difficult that was planned
    Despite the risk, they went through with the operation.

go without

  1. inseparablemanage without something
    We had to go without hot food for three days.

grow up

  1. no objectbecome an adult
    I grew up in a small town.

H

hand in

  1. separablesubmit; give to someone in charge
    Hand in your answer sheets now.

hand out

  1. separabledistribute
    The clerk handed out the schedules.

hang up

  1. no objectend a phone call
    He hung up before I could answer.

hold on

  1. no objectwait
    Hold on, I'll get a pen.

hold up

  1. separabledelay
    Sorry I'm late; I was held up in traffic.

K

keep on

  1. no objectcontinue (+ -ing)
    He kept on talking during the briefing.

keep up with

  1. inseparablestay at the same level or speed as
    I couldn't keep up with the other runners.

L

let down

  1. separabledisappoint
    Don't let your team down.

line up

  1. no objectstand in a line
    The soldiers lined up for their pay.

look after

  1. inseparabletake care of
    Who will look after your dog while you're deployed?

look back on

  1. inseparablethink about (the past)
    He looks back on his Army years with pride.

look down on

  1. inseparablethink you are better than someone
    Don't look down on people with less education.

look for

  1. inseparablesearch for
    I'm looking for my ID card.

look forward to

  1. inseparablewait with pleasure for (+ noun or -ing)
    I look forward to hearing from you.

look into

  1. inseparableinvestigate; examine
    The police are looking into the accident.

look out

  1. no objectbe careful!
    Look out! There's a truck coming.

look out for

  1. inseparablewatch carefully for; protect
    Look out for snakes on the trail.

look over

  1. separableexamine; check
    The mechanic looked over the engine.

look through

  1. inseparableread quickly; examine
    Could you look through my report before I send it?

look up

  1. separablesearch for (information) in a book or online
    Look up the new words in a dictionary.

look up to

  1. inseparableadmire and respect
    The recruits look up to their drill sergeant.

M

make up

  1. separableinvent (a story, an excuse)
    He made up an excuse for being late.

make up for

  1. inseparablecompensate for
    He worked on Saturday to make up for lost time.

P

pass out

  1. no objectfaint; lose consciousness
    One recruit passed out in the heat.

pick up

  1. separablecollect (someone or something)
    I'll pick you up at the gate at six.

point out

  1. separabledraw attention to
    The instructor pointed out my mistakes.

pull over

  1. no objectmove a vehicle to the side of the road
    The MP told the driver to pull over.

put aside

  1. separablesave for later
    She puts aside fifty dollars every month.

put away

  1. separableput in its usual place
    Put away your equipment after training.

put down

  1. separablecriticize; make someone feel stupid
    A good leader never puts down his soldiers.
  2. separablestop (a revolt) by force
    The army put down the rebellion.

put forward

  1. separablesuggest (an idea or a plan)
    She put forward a new plan for the training schedule.

put off

  1. separablepostpone; delay
    The meeting has been put off until Thursday.

put on

  1. separabledress in
    Put on your helmet.

put out

  1. separableextinguish
    The firefighters put out the fire.

put up with

  1. inseparabletolerate
    I can't put up with this noise any longer.

R

run across

  1. inseparablefind or meet by chance
    I ran across an old photo of my unit.

run away with

  1. inseparablesteal and escape with
    The cashier ran away with the money.

run down

  1. separablecriticize
    He's always running down his coworkers.
  2. separableuse up the power of (a battery)
    Leave the radio on and you'll run down the battery.

run into

  1. inseparablemeet someone by chance
    I ran into my old instructor at the airport.
  2. inseparablehave (problems or difficulties)
    The convoy ran into heavy traffic near the city.

run off

  1. no objectleave quickly
    The thief ran off when he saw the police.

run on

  1. inseparableuse as fuel or power
    This generator runs on diesel.
  2. no objectcontinue longer than expected
    The briefing ran on for two hours.

run out of

  1. inseparablehave none left
    We ran out of fuel ten miles from the base.

run over

  1. separablehit with a vehicle and drive over
    The driver almost ran over a dog.

run through

  1. inseparablereview or practice quickly
    Let's run through the plan one more time.

run up

  1. separablelet (a bill or a debt) become bigger
    He ran up a huge phone bill.

S

see off

  1. separablego to the airport or station to say goodbye
    My family saw me off at the airport.

set off

  1. no objectstart a trip
    The patrol set off before dawn.

set up

  1. separableprepare; establish
    The engineers set up a field hospital.

show up

  1. no objectarrive; appear
    He showed up late for formation.

sign up

  1. no objectregister (for)
    I signed up for the advanced course.

slow down

  1. no objectreduce speed
    Slow down! There's a checkpoint ahead.

sort out

  1. separablesolve; organize
    The clerk sorted out the problem with my pay.

stand by

  1. no objectbe ready to act
    Stand by for further orders.

stand for

  1. inseparablebe the short form of
    ECL stands for English Comprehension Level.

T

take after

  1. inseparablelook or act like an older relative
    He takes after his father: they're both tall and calm.

take apart

  1. separableseparate into pieces; disassemble
    The recruits learned to take apart their rifles.

take back

  1. separablereturn (something to a store)
    I took the radio back to the store.

take in

  1. separableunderstand and remember
    There was too much information to take in.
  2. separabledeceive; trick
    Don't be taken in by his friendly smile.

take off

  1. separableremove (clothes)
    Take off your boots before you come in.
  2. no objectleave the ground (an aircraft)
    The plane took off at 0730.

take on

  1. separableaccept (work or responsibility)
    I can't take on any more work this week.

take over

  1. separabletake control of
    The new captain took over the company in May.

take up

  1. separablestart (a hobby or an activity)
    He took up running last year.
  2. separableuse (time or space)
    This desk takes up too much space.

throw away

  1. separableput in the trash
    Don't throw away the receipt.

try on

  1. separableput on (clothes) to check the size
    Try on the boots before you buy them.

turn against

  1. inseparablebecome hostile to
    The people turned against the government.

turn around

  1. no objectturn to face the other way; go back
    The road was flooded, so the convoy turned around.

turn away

  1. separablerefuse to let someone enter
    The guards turned away anyone without an ID card.

turn back

  1. no objectreturn the way you came
    The weather got worse, so the patrol turned back.

turn down

  1. separablereject; refuse
    He turned down the job offer.
  2. separablelower (the volume or the heat)
    Please turn down the radio.

turn in

  1. separablesubmit; give to an authority
    Turn in your weapons at the arms room.
  2. no objectgo to bed
    It's late. I'm going to turn in.

turn into

  1. inseparablebecome; change into
    The rain turned into snow during the night.

turn off

  1. separablestop (a machine, a light)
    Turn off the engine before refueling.

turn on

  1. separablestart (a machine, a light)
    Turn on the radio at 0800.

turn out

  1. no objectprove to be; have a result
    The test turned out to be easier than we thought.

turn over

  1. separablegive (someone or something) to an authority
    The suspect was turned over to the police.
  2. separableturn so that the other side is up
    Turn over the page and answer the next question.

turn to

  1. inseparablego to someone for help
    When I have a problem, I turn to my sergeant.

turn up

  1. no objectarrive; appear, often unexpectedly
    Only half the team turned up for practice.
  2. separableincrease (the volume or the heat)
    Turn up the heat; it's freezing.

W

wake up

  1. no objectstop sleeping
    I woke up when the alarm went off.

wear out

  1. separableuse until it can no longer be used; make very tired
    The long march wore us out.

work out

  1. separablesolve; find (a solution)
    We need to work out a solution.
  2. no objectexercise
    She works out at the gym every morning.

write down

  1. separablewrite on paper
    Write down the radio frequency.
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