phrasal verbs list 1

7/25/2019 Phrasal Verbs List 1

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A collection of phrasal verbs

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Phrasal Verbs ListAdapted from http://www.englishclub.com

Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverbor verb +

preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study themas you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the listbelow 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 phrasalverb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it moreeasily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning.

As well as learning their meanings, you need to learn how to use phrasal verbs

properly. Some phrasal verbs require a direct object (someone/something), while

others do not. Some phrasal verbs can be separated by the object, while others

cannot. Review thisphrasal verbs grammar from time to time so that you don't forget

the rules!

Verb Meaning Example

asksomeoneout invite on a dateBrian askedJudy outtodinner and a movie.

ask aroundask many people the samequestion

I asked aroundbut nobodyhas seen my wallet.

add up tosomething equal Your purchases add up to$205.32.

backsomethingup reverseYou'll have to back upyourcar so that I can get out.

backsomeoneup supportMy wife backedme upover my decision to quit myjob.

blow up explodeThe racing car blew upafter it crashed into thefence.

blowsomethingup add airWe have to blow50balloons upfor the party.

break downstop functioning (vehicle,machine)

Our car broke downat theside of the highway in thesnowstorm.

break down get upsetThe woman broke downwhen the police told her

that her son had died.
http://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-phrasal-verbs.htmhttp://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verbs-phrasal-verbs.htm


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breaksomethingdown divide into smaller partsOur teacher brokethe finalproject downinto threeseparate parts.

break in force entry to a building

Somebody broke inlast

night and stole our stereo.

break intosomething enter forciblyThe firemen had to breakintothe room to rescue thechildren.

breaksomethinginwear something a fewtimes so that it doesn'tlook/feel new

I need to breaktheseshoes inbefore we runnext week.

break in interrupt

The TV station broke into

report the news of thepresident's death.

break up end a relationshipMy boyfriend and I brokeupbefore I moved toAmerica.

break up start laughing (informal)The kids just broke upassoon as the clown startedtalking.

break out escapeThe prisoners broke outofjail when the guardsweren't looking.

break out insomething develop a skin conditionI broke out ina rash afterour camping trip.

bringsomeonedown make unhappyThis sad music is bringingme down.

bringsomeoneup raise a child

My grandparents brought

me upafter my parentsdied.

bringsomethingup start talking about a subjectMy mother walks out of theroom when my fatherbrings upsports.

bringsomethingup vomitHe drank so much that hebroughthis dinner upinthe toilet.

call around phone many differentplaces/people We called aroundbut weweren't able to find the car


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part we needed.

callsomeoneback return a phone callI calledthe company backbut the offices were closedfor the weekend.

callsomethingoff cancelJason calledthe weddingoffbecause he wasn't inlove with his fianc.

call onsomeoneask for an answer oropinion

The professor called onme for question 1.

call onsomeone visit someoneWe called onyou last nightbut you weren't home.

callsomeoneup phoneGive me your phonenumber and I will callyouupwhen we are in town.

calm down relax after being angryYou are still mad. You needto calm downbefore youdrive the car.

not care forsomeone/something

not like (formal)I don't care forhisbehaviour.

catch up get to the same point assomeone else

You'll have to run fasterthan that if you want tocatch upwith Marty.

check inarrive and register at ahotel or airport

We will get the hotel keyswhen we check in.

check out leave a hotelYou have to check outofthe hotel before 11:00 AM.

check

someone/somethingout

look at carefully, investigateThe company checks out

all new employees.

check outsomeone/something

look at (informal)Check outthe crazy hairon that guy!

cheer up become happierShe cheered upwhen sheheard the good news.

cheersomeoneup make happierI brought you some flowersto cheeryou up.

chip in helpIf everyone chips inwecan get the kitchen painted


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by noon.

cleansomethingup tidy, cleanPlease clean upyourbedroom before you gooutside.

come acrosssomething find unexpectedlyI came acrossthese oldphotos when I was tidyingthe closet.

come apart separateThe top and bottom comeapartif you pull hardenough.

come down with

something

become sickMy nephew came downwithchicken pox this

weekend.

come forwardvolunteer for a task or togive evidence

The woman came forwardwith her husband's fingerprints.

come fromsomewhere originate inThe art of origami comesfromAsia.

count onsomeone/something

rely onI am counting onyou tomake dinner while I am out.

crosssomethingout draw a line throughPlease cross outyour oldaddress and write your newone.

cut back onsomething consume lessMy doctor wants me to cutback onsweets and fattyfoods.

cutsomethingdownmake something fall to theground

We had to cutthe old treein our yard downafter the

storm.

cut in interruptYour father cut inwhile Iwas dancing with youruncle.

cut inpull in too closely in front ofanother vehicle

The bus driver got angrywhen that car cut in.

cut instart operating (of anengine or electrical device)

The air conditioner cuts inwhen the temperature gets

to 22C.


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cutsomethingoffremove with somethingsharp

The doctors cut offhis legbecause it was severelyinjured.

cutsomethingoff stop providing

The phone company cut

offour phone because wedidn't pay the bill.

cutsomeoneoff take out of a willMy grandparents cutmyfather offwhen heremarried.

cutsomethingoutremove part of something(usually with scissors andpaper)

I cutthis ad outof thenewspaper.

dosomeone/somethingover

beat up, ransack (Br.E.,informal)

He's lucky to be alive. Hisshop was done overby astreet gang.

dosomethingover do again (N.Amer.)My teacher wants me to domy essay overbecauseshe doesn't like my topic.

do away withsomething

discardIt's time to do away withallof these old tax records.

dosomethingup fasten, close Doyour coat upbefore yougo outside. It's snowing!

dress up wear nice clothingIt's a fancy restaurant sowe have to dress up.

drop backmove back in aposition/group

Andrea dropped backtothird place when she fell offher bike.

drop in/by/overcome without an

appointment

I might drop in/by/overfor

tea sometime this week.

dropsomeone/somethingoff

take someone/somethingsomewhere and leavethem/it there

I have to dropmy sister offat work before I come over.

drop out quit a class, school etcI dropped outof Sciencebecause it was too difficult.

eat out eat at a restaurantI don't feel like cookingtonight. Let's eat out.

end up eventually reach/do/decide We ended uprenting a


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movie instead of going tothe theatre.

fall apart break into piecesMy new dress fell apartinthe washing machine.

fall down fall to the groundThe picture that you hungup last night fell downthismorning.

fall out separate from an interiorThe money must havefallen outof my pocket.

fall out(of hair, teeth) becomeloose and unattached

His hair started to fall outwhen he was only 35.

figuresomethingout understand, find the answerI need to figure outhow tofit the piano and thebookshelf in this room.

fillsomethinginto write information inblanks (Br.E.)

Please fill inthe form withyour name, address, andphone number.

fillsomethingoutto write information inblanks (N.Amer.)

The form must be filled outin capital letters.

fillsomethingup fill to the top I always fillthe water jugupwhen it is empty.

find out discoverWe don't know where helives. How can we findout?

findsomethingout discoverWe tried to keep the time ofthe party a secret, butSamantha foundit out.

getsomethingacross/over

communicate, makeunderstandable

I tried to getmy pointacross/overto the judgebut she wouldn't listen.

get along/on like each otherI was surprised how wellmy new girlfriend and mysister got along/on.

get around have mobilityMy grandfather can getaroundfine in his newwheelchair.

get away go on a vacation We worked so hard this


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year that we had to getawayfor a week.

get away with

something

do without being noticed or

punished

Jason always gets awaywithcheating in his maths

tests.

get back returnWe got backfrom ourvacation last week.

getsomethingbackreceive something you hadbefore

Liz finally gother Sciencenotes backfrom my room-mate.

get back atsomeone retaliate, take revengeMy sister got back atmefor stealing her shoes. She

stole my favourite hat.

get back intosomethingbecome interested insomething again

I finally got back intomynovel and finished it.

get onsomething step onto a vehicleWe're going to freeze outhere if you don't let us getonthe bus.

get oversomethingrecover from an illness,loss, difficulty

I just got overthe flu andnow my sister has it.

get oversomething overcome a problemThe company will have toclose if it can't get overthenew regulations.

get round tosomethingfinally find time to do(N.Amer.: get around tosomething)

I don't know when I amgoing to get round towriting the thank you cards.

get togethermeet (usually for socialreasons)

Let's get togetherfor aBBQ this weekend.

get up get out of bedI got upearly today tostudy for my exam.

get up standYou should get upand givethe elderly man your seat.

givesomeoneawayreveal hidden informationabout someone

His wife gavehim awaytothe police.

givesomeoneaway take the bride to the altarMy father gaveme awayatmy wedding.


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givesomethingaway ruin a secretMy little sister gavethesurprise party awaybyaccident.

givesomethingaway

give something to someone

for free

The library was giving

awayold books on Friday.

givesomethingback return a borrowed itemI have to givethese skatesbackto Franz before hishockey game.

give inreluctantly stop fighting orarguing

My boyfriend didn't want togo to the ballet, but hefinally gave in.

givesomethingout give to many people(usually at no cost)

They were giving outfree

perfume samples at thedepartment store.

givesomethingup quit a habitI am giving upsmoking asof January 1st.

give up stop tryingMy maths homework wastoo difficult so I gave up.

go aftersomeone follow someoneMy brother tried to go afterthe thief in his car.

go aftersomething try to achieve somethingI went aftermy dream andnow I am a publishedwriter.

go againstsomeone compete, opposeWe are going againstthebest soccer team in the citytonight.

go ahead start, proceedPlease go aheadand eatbefore the food gets cold.

go back return to a placeI have to go backhomeand get my lunch.

go outleave home to go on asocial event

We're going outfor dinnertonight.

go out withsomeone dateJesse has been going outwithLuke since they metlast winter.

go oversomething reviewPlease go overyouranswers before you submit


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your test.

go over visit someone nearbyI haven't seen Tina for along time. I think I'll gooverfor an hour or two.

go withoutsomething suffer lack or deprivationWhen I was young, wewent withoutwinter boots.

grow apart stop being friends over timeMy best friend and I grewapartafter she changedschools.

grow back regrowMy roses grew backthissummer.

grow up become an adult When Jack grows uphewants to be a fireman.

grow out ofsomething get too big forElizabeth needs a new pairof shoes because she hasgrown out ofher old ones.

grow intosomething grow big enough to fitThis bike is too big for himnow, but he should growintoit by next year.

handsomethingdown give something used tosomeone else

I handedmy old comicbooks downto my littlecousin.

handsomethingin submitI have to hand inmy essayby Friday.

handsomethingoutto distribute to a group ofpeople

We will hand outtheinvitations at the door.

handsomethingover give (usually unwillingly)

The police asked the man

to hand overhis wallet andhis weapons.

hang instay positive (N.Amer.,informal)

Hang inthere. I'm sureyou'll find a job very soon.

hang on wait a short time (informal)Hang onwhile I grab mycoat and shoes!

hang outspend time relaxing(informal)

Instead of going to theparty we are just going tohang outat my place.


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hang up end a phone callHe didn't say goodbyebefore he hung up.

holdsomeone/something

back

prevent from doing/goingI had to holdmy dog backbecause there was a cat in

the park.

holdsomethingback hide an emotionJamie held backhis tearsat his grandfather's funeral.

hold on wait a short timePlease hold onwhile Itransfer you to the SalesDepartment.

hold onto

someone/something

hold firmly using your

hands or arms

Hold ontoyour hatbecause it's very windy

outside.

holdsomeone/somethingup

robA man in a black maskheldthe bank upthismorning.

keep on doingsomething

continue doingKeep onstirring until theliquid comes to a boil.

keepsomethingfromsomeone

not tellWe keptour relationshipfromour parents for two

years.

keepsomeone/somethingout

stop from enteringTry to keepthe wet dogoutof the living room.

keepsomethingup continue at the same rateIf you keepthose resultsupyou will get into a greatcollege.

letsomeonedownfail to support or help,disappoint

I need you to be on time.Don't letme downthis

time.

letsomeonein allow to enterCan you letthe cat inbefore you go to school?

look aftersomeone/something

take care ofI have to look aftermy sickgrandmother.

look down onsomeonethink less of, considerinferior

Ever since we stole thatchocolate bar your dad haslooked down onme.

look for try to find I'm looking fora red dress


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someone/something for the wedding.

look forward tosomething

be excited about the futureI'm looking forward totheChristmas break.

look intosomething investigateWe are going to look intothe price of snowboardstoday.

look outbe careful, vigilant, andtake notice

Look out! That car's goingto hit you!

look out forsomeone/something

be especially vigilant forDon't forget to look out forsnakes on the hiking trail.

looksomethingover check, examine

Can you look overmy

essay for spellingmistakes?

looksomethingupsearch and find informationin a reference book ordatabase

We can lookher phonenumber upon the Internet.

look up tosomeone have a lot of respect forMy little sister has alwayslooked upto me.

makesomethingup invent, lie about somethingJosie made upa story

about why we were late.

make up forgive each otherWe were angry last night,but we made upatbreakfast.

makesomeoneup apply cosmetics toMy sisters mademe upformy graduation party.

mixsomethingup confuse two or more thingsI mixed upthe twins'names again!

pass away dieHis uncle passed awaylast night after a longillness.

pass out faintIt was so hot in the churchthat an elderly lady passedout.

passsomethingoutgive the same thing tomany people

The professor passedthetextbooks outbefore class.

passsomethingup decline (usually something I passed upthe job


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good) because I am afraid ofchange.

paysomeoneback return owed moneyThanks for buying myticket. I'll payyou backon

Friday.

pay forsomethingbe punished for doingsomething bad

That bully will pay forbeingmean to my little brother.

picksomethingout chooseI picked outthreesweaters for you to try on.

pointsomeone/somethingout

indicate with your fingerI'll pointmy boyfriend outwhen he runs by.

putsomethingdownput what you are holding ona surface or floor

You can putthe groceriesdownon the kitchencounter.

putsomeonedowninsult, make someone feelstupid

The students putthesubstitute teacher downbecause his pants were tooshort.

putsomethingoff postponeWe are putting offour tripuntil January because of

the hurricane.

putsomethingout extinguishThe neighbours putthe fireoutbefore the firemenarrived.

putsomethingtogether assembleI have to putthe cribtogetherbefore the babyarrives.

put up with

someone/something tolerate

I don't think I can put up

withthree small children inthe car.

putsomethingonput clothing/accessories onyour body

Don't forget to put onyournew earrings for the party.

run intosomeone/something

meet unexpectedlyI ran intoan old school-friend at the mall.

run oversomeone/something

drive a vehicle over aperson or thing

I accidentally ran overyourbicycle in the driveway.

run over/through rehearse, review Let's run over/through


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something these lines one more timebefore the show.

run away leave unexpectedly, escapeThe child ran awayfromhome and has been

missing for three days.

run out have none leftWe ran outof shampoo soI had to wash my hair withsoap.

sendsomethingback return (usually by mail)My letter got sent backtome because I used thewrong stamp.

setsomethingup arrange, organize

Our boss seta meeting up

with the president of thecompany.

setsomeoneup trick, trapThe police set upthe carthief by using a hiddencamera.

shop around compare pricesI want to shop aroundalittle before I decide onthese boots.

show offact extra special for peoplewatching (usuallyboastfully)

He always shows offonhis skateboard

sleep overstay somewhere for thenight (informal)

You should sleep overtonight if the weather is toobad to drive home.

sortsomethingout organize, resolve a problemWe need to sortthe billsoutbefore the first of themonth.

stick tosomethingcontinue doing something,limit yourself to oneparticular thing

You will lose weight if youstick tothe diet.

switchsomethingoffstop the energy flow, turnoff

The light's too bright. Couldyou switchit off.

switchsomethingonstart the energy flow, turnon

We heard the news assoon as we switched onthe car radio.

take aftersomeone resemble a family member I take aftermy mother. We


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are both impatient.

takesomethingapart purposely break into piecesHe tookthe car brakesapartand found theproblem.

takesomethingback return an itemI have to takeour new TVbackbecause it doesn'twork.

take off start to flyMy plane takes offin fiveminutes.

takesomethingoffremove something (usuallyclothing)

Take offyour socks andshoes and come in thelake!

takesomethingoutremove from a place orthing

Can you takethe garbageoutto the street for me?

takesomeoneoutpay for someone to gosomewhere with you

My grandparents tookusoutfor dinner and a movie.

tearsomethingup rip into piecesI tore upmy ex-boyfriend'sletters and gave them backto him.

think back remember (often + to,sometimes + on)

When I think backon myyouth, I wish I had studiedharder.

thinksomethingover considerI'll have to thinkthis joboffer overbefore I makemy final decision.

throwsomethingaway dispose ofWe threwour old furnitureawaywhen we won thelottery.

turnsomethingdowndecrease the volume orstrength (heat, light etc)

Please turnthe TV downwhile the guests are here.

turnsomethingdown refuseI turnedthe job downbecause I don't want tomove.

turnsomethingoffstop the energy flow, switchoff

Your mother wants you toturnthe TV offand comefor dinner.

turnsomethingon start the energy, switch on It's too dark in here. Let's


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turnsome lights on.

turnsomethingupincrease the volume orstrength (heat, light etc)

Can you turnthe musicup? This is my favouritesong.

turn up appear suddenlyOur cat turned upafter weput posters up all over theneighbourhood.

trysomethingon sample clothingI'm going to trythese jeanson, but I don't think theywill fit.

trysomethingout testI am going to trythis newbrand of detergent out.

usesomethingup finish the supplyThe kids usedall of thetoothpaste upso we needto buy some more.

wake up stop sleepingWe have to wake upearlyfor work on Monday.

warmsomeone/somethingup

increase the temperatureYou can warmyour feet upin front of the fireplace.

warm up prepare body for exercise I always warm upby doingsit-ups before I go for a run.

wear off fade awayMost of my make-up woreoffbefore I got to the party.

work out exerciseI work outat the gym threetimes a week.

work out be successful Our plan worked outfine.

worksomethingout make a calculationWe have to work outthetotal cost before we buy thehouse.

Note: Br.E.: British English; N.Amer.: North American

phrasal verbs list 1

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