An Extensive List of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal Verb Meaning Example

abide by To respect or obey a If you want to keep your job here, you
decision, a law or a rule must abide by our rules.

account for To explain, give a reason I hope you can account for the time
you were out!

add up To make sense, seem The facts in the case just don’t add up.
reasonable

advise against To recommend not doing I advise against walking alone in this
something neighborhood.

agree with To have the same opinion I agree with you. I think you should go
as someone else. as well.

allow for To take into consideration We need to allow for unexpected

charges along the way.

1. To plead or make a 1. He appealed to the court to change

appeal to request its decision.
2. To be attractive or 2. A vacation of sunbathing
interesting doesn’t appeal to me.

apply for To make a formal request He applied for a scholarship for next
for something (job, permit, semester.
loan etc.)
back away To move backwards, in fear When he saw the bear, he backed
 or dislike away in fright.
back down To withdraw, concede Local authorities backed down on their
defeat threats to build on that part of the beach.
back up 1. To give support or 1. I’m going to be very strict with him. I
encouragement hope you’ll back me up on this?
2. To make a copy of (file, 2. You should back up all your computer
program, etc.) files in a secure location.

bank on To base your hopes on I’m banking on you to help with the
something / someone charity event.
black out To faint, lose Jenna fell in the parking lot and blacked
consciousness out.
block off To separate using a barrier. The police blocked off the street after
the explosion.
blow up 1. To explode 1. Tommy blew up the red balloon.
2. To get angry 2. Don’t blow up at me. It’s not my
fault.

boil down to To be summarized as It all boils down to who has more

power.
boot up To start a computer by You need to boot up your computer
loading an operating before you begin to work.
system or program
break away To separate from a crowd One of the wolves broke away from his
pack.
break down 1. To go out of order, 1. The washing machine broke down so
cease to function we had to call in the repair technician.
2. To lose control of one’s 2. John broke down when he heard the
emotions news.

break into To enter by force Burglars broke into my car last night.
break out To start suddenly Rioting broke out after the government
raised the fuel prices again.
break out of To escape from a place by Several prisoners broke out of jail.
force
break up To come to an end She broke up with Daniel after dating
(marriage, relationship) him for five years.
bring up To raise (a child) Sara is bringing up her children by
 herself.
brush up on To improve, refresh one’s I must brush up on my French before
knowledge of something going to Paris next month.
bump into To meet by chance or I bumped into Adam at the bank. He
unexpectedly says “hello”.
burn out 1. stop (something) 1. The light bulb burnt out. Please
working change it.
2. become exhausted from 2. She needs to work fewer hours.
over-working Otherwise she will burn out.

call back To return a phone call Could please call back in ten minutes?
call off To cancel The game was called off because of bad
weather.
calm down To become more relaxed, It took Kylie several hours to calm
less angry or upset down after she saw the accident.
carry on To continue The soldiers carried on walking in order
to get to their post before dark.
carry out 1. To do something as 1. His orders were carried out to the
specified (a plan, an letter.
order, a threat) 2. That company does not carry
2. To perform or conduct out tests on animals.
(test, experiment)

check in To register at a hotel or They said I must check in at least three

airport hours before my flight.
check out 1. To pay one’s bill and 1. Donna checked out of the hotel this
leave (a hotel) morning.
2. To investigate 2. I don’t know if this price is correct.
I’ll check it out online.

clam up To refuse to speak When the police started asking questions,

the suspect clammed up.
clamp down on To act strictly to prevent The local authorities have decided
something to clamp down on illegal parking in
handicapped parking places.
come across 1. To find by chance 1. I was cleaning up and came
2. To appear, seem, make across some old photos of you.
 an impression 2. The politician came across as a
complete fool during the TV interview.

come forward To present oneself Has the owner of the winning lotto
ticket come forward?
count on To rely or depend on (for You can count on me to keep your
help) secret.
cut down on To reduce in number or I’ve decided to cut down on the amount
size of sweets I eat.
cut out 1. To remove using scissors 1. She cut out a coupon from the
2. To stop doing something newspaper.
2. You need to cut out all red meat from
your diet.

deal with To handle, take care of Catherine is not good at dealing

(problem, situation) with stress.
die down To calm down, become less After the storm died down, we went
strong outside to see the damage it had caused.
do without To manage without She didn’t get a salary this month, so
she’ll have to do without extra treats.
drag on To last longer than The suspect’s trial dragged on longer
expected than we had expected!
draw up To write (contract, They drew up a contract and had me
agreement, document) sign it.
dress up wear elegant clothes Their wedding gave us a chance to dress
up and get out of the house.
drop in To visit, usually on the way Why don’t you drop in to see us on your
somewhere way home?
drop off 1. To deliver someone or 1. I’ll drop off the papers later today.
something 2. I often drop off in front of the TV.
2. To fall asleep

drop out To leave school without Zack dropped out of college and joined
finishing the army.
ease off To reduce, become less Traffic usually eases off about 7pm
severe or slow down (pain,
traffic, work)
end in To finish in a certain way; Her marriage ended in divorce.
 result in
end up To finally reach a state, If you don’t improve your work habits,
place or action you’ll end up being fired.
fall through To fail; doesn’t happen His plans to trek through South
America fell through when he got sick.
figure out To understand, find the He’s trying to figure out how to earn
answer enough money to go on the trip to Spain.
fill out To complete (a form/an Please fill out the enclosed form and
application) return it as soon as possible.
find out To discover or obtain I’m going to to find out who’s
information responsible for the power cut.
focus on To concentrate on Tom had difficultty focusing on work
something the day before his holiday started.
get along To be on good terms; work It’s important to get along with your
(with) well with team supervisor.
get at To imply What are you getting at? Do you think
I’m to blame?
get away To escape I think we should get away for the
weekend.
get by To manage to cope or to Students without jobs have a hard
survive time getting by.
get in To enter When did you get in last night?
get into To enter How did you get into your car without
(+noun) the keys?
get off 1. To leave (bus, train, 1. You should get off the train in Kings
plane) Heath.
2. To remove 2. I can’t get the ink stain off my shirt.

get on To board (bus, train, plane) I’m trying to get on the flight to
Brussels.
get on with To continue to do; make After they split up, she had a hard
(something) progress time getting on with her life.
get on (well) To have a good He doesnt get on very well with the
with relationship with other members of the committee.
(somebody)
get out To leave He had a hard time getting out of
Newark because of the snow?
get out of To avoid doing something Edna’s trying to get out of working the
 night shift.
get over To recover from (illness, Has she gotten over the flu?
disappointment)
get over To recover from (illness, Mary had the chickenpox last week but
disappointment) she got over it.
get rid of To eliminate Please get rid of that old t-shirt. It’s so
ragged.
get together To meet each other Let’s get together for your birthday on
Saturday.
get up To rise, leave bed Will you please get up? You’ve got a
class in 20 minutes.
give in 1. To cease opposition; 1. We will never give in to the terrorists’
yield demands.
2. To To hand in; submit 2. I’ll give in my paper tomorrow.

give up To stop doing something Morris gave up drinking 10 years ago.

go through To experience Andy went through a lot of pain after
his mother died.
grow up To spend one’s childhood; He’s like Peter Pan. He never really grew
develop; become an adult up at all.
hand in To submit (report, Please hand in your papers before
homework) Friday.
hand out To distribute Susan volunteered at the shelter where
she handed out warm clothes.
hang out To spend time in a Which pub does the team hang out at
particular place or with a after the game?
group of friends
hang up To end a phone If you hang up now, I’ll never speak to
conversation you again.
hold on 1. To wait 1. Please hold on and a representative
2. To grip tightly will answer your call.
2. She was so scared on the rollercoaster
ride that she held on for dear life.

hurry up To be quick, act speedily Hurry up and finish your lunch or we’ll
miss the train.
iron out To resolve by discussion, The two countries met at the conference
eliminate differences to iron out their differences.
join in To participate Yes David, you can join in the discussion
any time you like.
join up 1. To engage in, become a 1. There was a war on, so some kids
member of were only sixteen when they joined
2. To meet and unite with up.
2. Let’s separate now and join up later
at the restaurant.

keep on To continue doing If you keep on making that noise I will

something get annoyed.
keep up with To stay at the same level I read the paper every day to keep up
as someone or something with the news.
kick off To begin, start The rugby match kicked off at 3 o’clock.
leave out To omit, not mention Please check your form again and make
sure nothing is left out.
let down To disappoint I feel so let down because they
promised me a puppy but all I got was a
doll.
look after To take care of Andy can you look after your sister until
I get back?
look down on To consider as inferior She’s such a snob. She always looks
down on anyone who is poor.
look on To be a spectator at an If you don’t want to take part in the
event game you can look on for now.
look for To try to find something Harry went to the shop to look for a
new computer.
look forward to To await or anticipate with I’m looking forward to my birthday.
pleasure It’s in two days time.
look up to To admire I always looked up to my father. He
was a great man.
make fun of To laugh at/ make jokes It’s not nice to make fun of people in
about wheelchairs.
make up To invent (excuse, story) That’s a good excuse. Did you make
up it up yourself?
mix up To mistake one thing or She had so many cats that she
person for another kept mixing up their names.
move in To arrive in a new home or Did you hear? Our new neighbors
office are moving in this afternoon.
move out To leave your home/office When are you moving out? We need
for another one. your office for the new guy.
nod off To fall asleep You were so tired after the game that
you nodded off on the couch.
own up To admit or confess Come on. Own up. We know you did it!
something
pass away To die Your grandfather passed
away peacefully in his sleep last night.
pass out To faint He didn’t drink enough water so
he passed out at the end of the race.
pay back To reimburse I’ll pay you back as soon as I get the
loan.
put off To postpone, arrange a Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you
later date can do today.
put on To turn on, switch on It’s very dark in here. Please put on the
light on.
put out To extinguish The fire fighters were able to put
out fire in ten minutes.
put up To accommodate, give I can put you up until the weekend but
somebody a bed then I’m going away.
pick up To collect somebody I’ll pick you up at around 7:00 to take
you to the airport.
point out To indicate/direct attention As I already pointed out, there was a
to something mistake in your calculation.
rely on To count on, depend on, You can rely on me. I always arrive on
trust time.
rule out To eliminate Since he had a sound alibi, the
police ruled him out as a suspect.
run away To escape from a place or He ran away from home and joined the
suddenly leave circus.
run into To meet by accident or I’m so glad I ran into you. I need to ask
unexpectedly (also: bump you something.
into)
run out of To have no more of We’ve run out of milk. I’ll just pop next
something. door to borrow some.
set off To start a journey; Let’s set off early to miss the rush hour
traffic.
set up To start a business They set up their own company when
they were still in high school.
shop around To compare prices Don’t buy that. Let’s shop around and
see if we can find something cheaper.
show off To brag or want to be He’s such a show off. He has to tell
admired everybody about his new computer.
show up To appear/arrive I don’t think she’ll show up tonight. Her
daughter is sick.
shut up To be silent, stop talking Shut up, you’re spoiling the movie!
(impolite)
sit down To take a seat I think you should sit down. It’s bad
news.
stand up To rise from a sitting The whole stadium stood up for the
position national anthem.
stick up for To defend My big brother always stuck up for me
when I got into a fight.
take after To resemble, in Angie really takes after her
appearance or character grandmother.
take care of To look after Please take care of my cat when I’m
away.
take off To leave the ground The plane will take off as soon as the
fog lifts.
take on To hire or engage staff I hear they’re taking on extra staff for
this event.
take out To remove; extract Please take out your mobile phones and
turn them off.
tell off To reprimand/criticize The coach told her off for not trying
severely hard enough.
think over To consider Take your time and think it over before
you decide.
try on To wear something to see Go ahead, try it on and see if it fits?
if it suits or fits
turn down To refuse I asked her out but
she turned me down flat.
use up To finish a product (so that Your parents used up all the coffee!
there’s none left)
watch out To be careful Watch out! There’s a dog in the road.
wear out 1. To become unusable 1. Julie wore out her shoes running the
2. To become very tired marathons.
2. Julie was worn out after all that
running.

work out 1. To do physical exercise 1. You should work out twice a week at
2. To find a solution or the gym.
calculate something 2. Can you work this out? I’m no good
at math.

wipe off To clean (board, table). I’ll wash up if you wipe off the table.