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Phrasal Verbs List

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Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expression that you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.

Verb	Meaning	Example
act up	misbehave (for people); not work properly (for machines).	The babysitter had a difficult time. The children acted up all evening.
act like	behave in a way that's like	What's wrong with Bob? He's acting like an idiot. Note: This phrasal verb is very informal.
add up to something	equal	Your purchases add up to $205.32.
back something up	reverse	You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out.
back someone up	support	My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
blow up	explode	The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.
back down	not follow a threat	Tom was going to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed down when I said I'd pay for the damages.
back off	not follow a threat	Tom was ready to call the police when I told him I'd wrecked his car, but he backed off when I said I'd pay for the damages.
beg off	decline an invitation	At first Lily said she would be at the party. Later she begged off.
bone up on	review / study thoroughly for a short time	If you're going to travel to Peru, you'd better bone up on your Spanish
break down	separate something into component parts	We spent a lot of money at the supermarket. When we broke the total cost down, we spent more on cleaning supplies than food
break in	enter by using force (and breaking a lock, window, etc.)	Somebody broke into Jane's apartment while she was at the movies
break up	disperse; scatter	What time did the party break up last night?
bring / take back	return something	Yes, you can borrow my pen, don't forget to bring it back to me when you're finished. This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library.
bring off	accomplish something difficult; accomplish something people had considered impossible or unlikely	No one thought Chuck could get an A in that course, but he brought it off.
bring up	mention (as a topic of discussion)	We planned to discuss overtime pay in the meeting. Why didn't someone bring that topic up?
brush up on	review / study thoroughly for a short time	If you're going to travel to Peru, you'd better brush up on your Spanish.
burn down	become destroyed / consumed by fire Note: For upright things--trees, buildings, etc.--only.	Lightning struck Mr. Kennedy's barn last night. It burned down before the fire fighters arrived.
burn up	become destroyed / consumed by fire Note: For people and non-upright things only.	All of Mr. Kennedy's hay burned up when his barn burned down.
butt in	impolitely interrupt (a conversation, an action)	Hey, you! Don't butt in! Wait for your turn!
butter up	praise someone excessively with the hope of getting some benefit	I guess Marty reall wants to be promoted. He's been buttering his boss up all week.
call off	cancel something that has been scheduled	We don't have school today. The mayor called classes off because of the snow.
call on	ask someone for an answer in class	I don't know why the teacher never calls on you. You always know the answer.
calm down	become calm / less agitated or upset; help someone become calm / less agitated or upset.	I know Ralph is upset, but can you calm him down? He's making so much noise that he's irritating everyone in the office.
care for	like; want. Note: This phrasal verb is usually negative, though it may be used affirmatively in questions.	Would you care for something to drink? We have coffee, tea, or orange juice.
catch on	develop understanding or knowledge of something	Bill had never used a computer until he took this class, but he caught on very quickly and is now one of the best students.
catch up (with)	stop being behind	Terry stopped to rest for a few minutes. He'll catch up / catch up with us later.
check in(to)	register for / at a hotel, conference, etc.; let someone know officially that you have arrived	My plane will arrive around 5:00 PM. I should be able to check into the hotel by 6:00 or 6:30. When you arrive at the convention, be sure to check in at the registration desk.
check off	make a mark to indicate that something on a list has been completed	Here are the things you need to do. Please check each one off when you've finished it.
check out (of)	follow procedures for leaving (a hotel, etc.)	Don't forget to take your room key to the front desk when you check out (when youcheck out of the hotel).
check out	follow procedures for borrowing something (usually for a limited period of time)	I'm sorry, but you can't take that encyclopedia home. The library won't allow you tocheck reference books out.
cheer up	help someone feel less worried / depressed / sad	Suzie's brother was depressed about not getting a promotion, so she sent him a funny card to cheer him up.
chew out	scold someone severely; berate	Tom's father was really angry when Tom didn't come home until 3:00 AM. Hechewed Tom out and then said Tom had to stay at home for two weeks.
chicken out	lose the courage or confidence to do something--often at the last minute	Sam said he was going to ask Lulu for a date, but he chickened out.
chip in	contribute / donate (often money) to something done by a group	We're going to buy a birthday cake for our boss and I'm collecting donations. Do you want to chip in?
clam up	suddenly become quiet / refuse to talk about something	Lila wouldn't talk about the accident. When I asked her what happened, sheclammed up.
come across	find (unexpectedly)	I've lost my extra car keys. If you come across them while your're cleaning the room, please put them in a safe place.
come down with	become ill with	George won't be at the office today. He came down with the flu over the weekend.
come to	total	Your charges come to $124.38. Will you pay by check, in cash, or with a credit card?
count on	depend on; trust that something will happen or that someone will do as expected	I'm counting on you to wake me up tomorrow. I know I won't hear the alarm.
cross out	show that something written is wrong or unnecessary by making an X across it	We can't afford to buy everything on your shopping list, so I've crossed all the unnecessary things out.
cut back (on)	(often without an object; with an object, cut back on [inseparable]): use less of something	You drink too much coffee. You should cut back. You should cut back on the amount of coffee that you drink.
do in	cause to become very tired	Those three games of tennis yesterday afternoon really did me in. I slept for ten hours after I got home.
do over	do something again	Oh, no! I forgot to save my report before I turned the computer off! Now I'll have to doit over!
drag on	last much longer than expected or is necessary	I thought the meeting would be a short one, but it dragged on for more than three hours.
draw up	create a formal document	The Ajax and Tip-Top Banks have decided to merge. Their lawyers will draw all the official documents up sometime this month.
drop off	deliver something; deliver someone (by giving him/her a ride)	Yes, I can take those letters to the post office. I'll drop them off as I go home from work. You don't have to take a taxi. You live fairly close to me, so I'll be happy to drop youoff.
drop in (on)	(and usually usually without scheduling a specific time)	If you're in town next month, we'd love to see you. Please try to drop in. (Please try todrop in on us.
drop by	visit informally (and usually without scheduling a specific time)	If you're in town next month, we'd love to see you. Please try to drop by the house.
drop out (of)	stop attending / leave school or an organization	No, Paul isn't at the university. He dropped out. / He dropped out of school.
draw out	prolong something (usually far beyond the normal limits)	I thought that speech would never end. The speaker could have said everything important in about five minutes, but he drew the speech out for over an hour!
eat out	have a meal in a restaurant	I'm too tired to cook tonight. Why don't we eat out?
egg on	urge / encourage greatly toward doing something (usually something negative)	At first Bob and Chuck were just having a mild argument, but Bob's friends eggedthem on until they started fighting.
end up	finally arrive at; arrive at an unexpected place	We got lost last night and ended up in the next town.
face up to	admit to; take responsibility for	You can't pretend that you're doing OK in this course, Joe. Sooner or later, you'll have to face up to the fact that you're failing it.
fall through	not happen. (Note: describes something that was planned but didn't happen.)	We had originally intended to go to Mexico for our vacation, but our trip fell throughwhen I got sick.
feel up to	feel strong enough or comfortable enough to do something	I know the accident was a terrible shock. Do you feel up to talking about it?
figure out	logically find the answer to a problem; solve a problem by thinking about it carefully	For a long time I couldn't understand the last problem, but I finally figured it out.
fill in	add information to a form	The office needs to know your home address and phone number. Could you fill themin on this form?
fill in for	temporarily do someone else's work; temporarily substitute for another person	Professor Newton is in the hospital and won't be able to teach for the rest of the term. Do you know who's going to fill in for her?
fill out	complete a form by adding required information	Of course I completed my application! I filled it out and mailed it over three weeks ago!
find out (about)	learn / get information (about)	I'm sorry that you didn't know the meeting had been canceled. I didn't find out (find out about it) myself until just a few minutes ago.
get across	make something understood; communicate something understandably	Alan is really intelligent but sometimes he has problems getting his ideas across.
get along (with)	have a friendly relationship (with); be friendly (toward)	Why can't you and your sister get along? Everyone else gets along with her just fine!
get around	avoid having to do something	Teresa got around the required math classes by doing well on a math proficiency test.
get around to	do something eventually	I really should wash the dishes, but I don't feel like it. Maybe I'll get around to them tomorrow morning.
get by	survive, financially, in a difficult situation	It's going to be hard to pay the rent now that you've lost your job, but somehow we'llget by.
get in	enter a small, closed vehicle	I don't know where Carole was going. She just got in her car and drove away.
get on	enter a large, closed vehicle	I'm sorry, but you're too late to say goodbye to Angela. She got on the plane about 20 minutes ago.
get off	leave a large, closed vehicle	When you get off the bus, cross the street, turn right on Oak Street, and keep going until you're at the corner of Oak and Lincoln Boulevard.
get out of	leave a small, closed vehicle	There's something wrong with the garage door opener. You'll have to get out of the car and open it by hand.
get over	finish. (Note: for individual activities, not ones that happen again and again.)	What time do your classes get over?
get rid of	dismiss someone; fire someone from a job; cause someone to leave	The treasurer of the XYZ company was spending too much money so the company president got rid of him.
get up	leave bed after sleeping and begin your daily activities	You'll have to get up much earlier than usual tomorrow. We have to leave by no later than 6:00 AM.
give up	stop doing something (usually a habit)	He knows smoking isn't good for his health, but he can't give it up.
go out with	have a date with	You went out with Sharon last night, didn't you?
go with	look pleasing together. (Note: for clothes, furniture, etc.)	You should buy that shirt. It will go well with your dark brown suit.
goof off	be lazy; do nothing in particular	A: "Do you have any special plans for your vacation?" B: "No. I'm just going to stay home and goof off."
grow up	spend the years between being a child and being an adult	Did you know that Frank grew up in Malaysia?
hand in	submit homework, an assignment, etc	You'd better get started on your report. You know that you have to hand it in at 8:30 tomorrow morning!
hand out	distribute	Why don't you have a course description and list of assignments? The teacher handed them out on the first day of class.
hang up	end a phone conversation by replacing the receiver	I'd like to talk longer, but I'd better hang up. My sister needs to make a call.
have to do with	be about	This class has to do with the behavior of people in groups.
hold up	raise; lift to a higher-than-normal position delay rob; threaten someone with harm unless he/she gives her/his money or other valuable things.	The winner of the race proudly held his trophy up for all to see. I'm sorry I'm late. There was an accident on the freeway and traffic held me up. Sarah is very upset. When she was walking home last night, two men held her upand took her purse and jewelry
iron out	mutually reach an agreement; mutually resolve difficulties	Yes, I know we disagree on lots of things, Susan, but we can iron them out.
jack up	raise / life by using a jack raise (used for prices)	We'll have to jack the back of the car up before we can change the tire. The car dealer bought my old Ford for $750 and jacked the price up to $1,500 when they sold it.
jump all over	severely scold someone; berate someone	Arthur is really upset. His boss jumped all over him because he's been late for work three times this week.
keep on	continue	I'm not ready to stop yet. I think I'll keep on working for a while.
kick out	expel; force someone to leave because of his/her poor performance or unacceptable behavior	Jim's club kicked him out because he didn't pay his dues or come to meetings.
knock out	make unconscious	The boxing match ended when one boxer knocked the other one out.
knock oneself out	work much harder than normal or than what is expected	We completed the project on timebecause of Chuck. He knocked himself out to be sure we didn't miss the deadline.
lay off	dismiss someone from a job because of lack of work or money (not because of poor performance)	I feel really sorry Sally's family. Her father was laid off yesterday.
leave out	forget; omit	Oh, no! When I made the list of those who attended the meeting, I left your nameout!
let down	disappoint	I know I let you down when I didn't do what I promised. I'm really sorry.
let up	become less intense or slower	It's been raining hard for a long time. Will it ever let up?
look back on	remember; reflect on / consider something in the past	When they looked back on their many years together, they realized that their marriage had been a very happy one.
look down on	hold in contempt; regard as inferior	It's not surprising that Fred has few friends. He seems to look down on anyone who doesn't like the same things that he does.
look forward to	anticipate pleasantly; think about a pleasant thing before it happens	I'm really looking forward to vacation. I can't wait for it to begin!
look in on	visit in order to check something's / someone's condition	My father just came home from the hospital. I plan to look in on him today after I finish work.
look into	investigate / get more details about something	Someone said there was a meeting at 9:30 but I haven't heard anything about it. Shall I look into it?
look like	resemble (in appearance)	Does he look like his father or his mother?
look over	check; review	I think I may have some typos in this report. Could you look it over?
look up	find something in a reference work	I'm sorry, but I don't know what that word means. I'll have to look it up.
look up to	respect	Everyone looks up to Joyce because she always makes time to help others.
luck out	be unexpectedly lucky	Gloria was worried because she wasn't prepared to give a report at the meeting, but she lucked out because the meeting was postponed.
make fun of	make jokes about (usually unkindly)	I agree that Bob looks ridiculous since he shaved his head, but don't make fun ofhim. You'll hurt his feelings.
make up	invent / create (imaginary) information	Judy's story is hard to believe. I'm sure she made it up.
make up (with)	re-establish a friendly relationship by admitting guilt	Jack and his girlfriend were very angry with each other, but last night they finallymade up with each other.
make out	see / hear something well enough to understand what it means. (Note:often negative.)	What were the last two examples that he gave? I couldn't make them out.
make for	go to or toward	Her teen-aged children are always hungry. As soon as they arrive home from school, they make for the refrigerator.
mark down	reduce the price (as an incentive to buy)	These shoes were really a bargain! The store marked them down by 40%!
mix up	cause to become confused	I didn't complete the assignment because I didn't know how. The directions mixedme up.
nod off	fall sleep (usually unintentionally)	The speech was so boring that several people in the audience nodded off before it was finished.
pan out	succeed; happen as expected (for plans). (Note: almost always negative when in statements.)	I'll be here next week after all. My trip to Chicago didn't pan out.
pass away	die	I was very sorry to hear that your grandfather passed away.
pass out	faint; lose consciousness	When Ella heard that she'd won a million dollars, she was so shocked that shepassed out.
pick out	choose; select	Billy's grandmother especially liked her birthday card because Billy had picked it outhimself.
pick up	lift; take up	Those books don't belong on the floor. Will you help me pick them up?
pick on	bully; intentionally try to make someone upset	You should be ashamed of teasing your little brother, Bob! Pick on someone your own size!
pitch in	help; join together to accomplish something	We'll be finished soon if everyone pitches in.
pull over	drive a vehicle to the side of the rode	When the policeman indicated that I should pull over, I knew he was going to give me a ticket.
put away	return something to the proper place	I just took these clothes out of the dryer. Will you help me put them away?
put off	postpone; delay; avoid	I can't put this work off any longer. If I don't do it soon, it'll be impossible to finish it in time.
put on	begin to wear; don	It's a little bit chilly outside. You'd better put a sweater on.
put up	return something to the proper place	Your toys are all over the floor, Timmy. Please put them up.
put up with	tolerate	It's really important to come to work on time. The boss won't put up with tardiness.
put back	return something to the proper place	I've finished with these books. Do you want me to put them back on the shelves?
rip off	cheat; take advantage of; charge too much	Don't even think about buying a car there. They'll rip you off.
round off	change from a fraction to the nearest whole number	Round all prices off to the closest whole-dollar amounts. For example, round$33.73 off to $34.00.
run into	meet by chance	Yesterday at the supermarket, Jan ran into her former roommate. Before yesterday, they hadn't seen each other for nearly five years.
run out of	use the last of	On the way home from work, Art ran out of gas.
set up	make arrangements for something	You'll see Mr. Thomas tomorrow. I've set a meeting up for 9:30 AM.
set back	cause a delay in scheduling	We've had some problems with the project that have set us back at least two days . We'll give you a progress report tomorrow.
slip up	make a mistake	You slipped up here. The amount should be $135.28, not $132.58.
stand out	be noticeably better than other similar people or things	Good job, Ann! Your work really stands out!
stand up	rise to a standing position	When the Chairperson entered the room, everyone stood up.
show up	appear	The boss was very upset when you didn't show up for the meeting. What happened?
stand for	represent	These letters seem to be an abbreviation. Do you know what they stand for?
take after	resemble; favor (in appearance) Note: used for people.	Both my sister and I take after our father.
take / bring back	return	This book is due tomorrow. I guess I should take it back to the library.
take care of	provide care for; watch one's health	Lois has been taking care of her father since he returned home from the hospital.
take off	remove (something you're wearing)	Please take your hat off when you go inside a building.
take up	begin (a hobby or leisure-time activity)	A: "Do you like to ski?" B: "I've never been skiing, but I think I'd like to take it up."
tell (someone) off	speak to someone bluntly and negatively, saying exactly what she/he did wrong	Julie was really angry at Bob; she told him off in front of all of us.
tick off	irritate someone; make someone upset or angry	It really ticks her off when someone is late for an appointment.
throw away	discard; put in the garbage	You shouldn't throw those newspapers away; they're recyclable.
throw out	discard; put in the garbage	This food smells bad. You'd better throw it out.
throw up	vomit	Paul was so nervous about his job interview that he threw up just before he left for it.
try on	wear something briefly to check its fit, how it looks, etc.	I'm not sure that jacket is large enough. May I try it on?
try out	use a machine briefly to determine how well it works	I really like the way this car looks. May I try it out?
try out (for)	try to win a place on a team or other organization	If you like to sing, you should try out for the choir.
turn around	move so that you are facing the opposite direction	Everyone turned around and stared when I entered the meeting late.
turn down	decrease the volume	Your music is giving me a headache! Please turn it down or use your headphones!
turn in	give / deliver / submit to someone	I've written my report, but I haven't turned it in.
turn off	stop by turning a handle or switch	I'm cold. Do you mind if I turn the air conditioner off?
turn on	start by turning a handle or switch	It's cold in here. I'm going to turn the heater on
wait on	serve (usually customers in a restaurant, shop, etc.)	I want to make a complaint. The person who just waited on me was very impolite.
wait for	wait until someone / something arrives or is finished with something else	When will Kenny be finished with work? I've been waiting for him for almost an hour!
wake up	stop sleeping	I usually wake up around 5:00 AM each day.
watch out for	be careful of; beware of	There's a school at the end of this block. Watch out for children crossing the street.
wear out	wear something / use something until it can no longer be worn / be used	I need a new pencil sharpener. I wore this one out.
wrap up	wear enough clothes to keep warm	It's really cold today. Be sure you wrap up when you leave the house.
write down	record something in writing	Could you tell me your e-mail address again? I want to write it down.
write up	record; report in writing	You'll need to make a report on your business meetings. Be sure you write them upas soon as possible after you return from your trip.
zonk out	fall asleep quickly because of exhaustion	I intended to go shopping after work, but I was so tired that I zonked out as soon as I got home.