PHRASAL VERBS

Meaning · Usage · Context

1
ask out
invite someone on a date
He finally asked her out for dinner.
2
back away
withdraw from a situation
She backed away from the argument.
3
back down
stop defending a position
He refused to back down during the debate.
4
back up
support someone or make a copy
Please back up your important files.
5
blow up
explode or lose temper
He blew up when he heard the bad news.
6
break down
stop working
My car broke down on the way to work.
7
break into
enter forcibly
Someone broke into the shop last night.
8
break out
escape or start suddenly
A fire broke out in the kitchen.
9
bring about
cause something to happen
The new policy brought about major changes.
10
bring up
mention or raise a child
She brought up an interesting idea.
11
call off
cancel something
They called off the meeting due to bad weather.
12
call on
visit or request
The teacher called on him to answer.
13
calm down
become relaxed
Take a deep breath and calm down.
14
carry on
continue
Despite the noise, she carried on working.
15
carry out
complete a task
The team carried out the plan successfully.
16
catch on
understand
It took him a while to catch on.
17
catch up
reach the same level
She worked hard to catch up with her classmates.
18
check in
register arrival
Please check in at the front desk.
19
check out
leave or examine
We checked out of the hotel early.
20
cheer up
become happy
A cup of coffee will cheer you up.
21
clean up
make tidy
They cleaned up the room after the party.
22
come across
find by chance
I came across an old photo yesterday.
23
come back
return
She came back from abroad last week.
24
come out
appear or be published
The book came out last month.
25
come over
visit casually
Why don’t you come over this evening?
26
come up
arise or be mentioned
This issue came up during the meeting.
27
count on
rely on
You can count on me for support.
28
cut down
reduce
He is trying to cut down on sugar.
29
cut off
disconnect
The call was suddenly cut off.
30
cut out
stop doing something
You should cut out junk food.
31
deal with
handle a problem
She knows how to deal with pressure.
32
die out
become extinct
Some traditions have died out.
33
do away with
eliminate
The company did away with outdated rules.
34
do over
repeat
He had to do the task over.
35
dress up
wear formal clothes
They dressed up for the wedding.
36
drop by
visit briefly
I’ll drop by after work.
37
drop out
leave before finishing
He dropped out of university.
38
eat out
dine outside
We often eat out on weekends.
39
end up
finally reach
He ended up working abroad.
40
fall apart
break into pieces
The old chair fell apart.
41
fall behind
lag behind
She fell behind in her studies.
42
fall for
be deceived or fall in love
He fell for the trick.
43
figure out
understand
She finally figured out the solution.
44
fill in
complete a form
Please fill in this application.
45
find out
discover
I found out the truth yesterday.
46
focus on
concentrate
You should focus on your goals.
47
get along
have good relations
They get along very well.
48
get away
escape
The thief got away quickly.
49
get back
return
I’ll get back home late.
50
get by
manage somehow
He gets by on a small salary.
51
get in
enter
She got in the car quickly.
52
get off
leave transport
We got off the bus at the next stop.
53
get on
board or have relations
He gets on well with his coworkers.
54
get over
recover from something
It took her months to get over the illness.
55
get through
succeed or finish
She got through the exam successfully.
56
give away
donate or reveal
He gave away his old clothes.
57
give back
return something
Please give back the book tomorrow.
58
give in
surrender
He finally gave in to the pressure.
59
give up
quit
She gave up smoking last year.
60
go ahead
proceed
Go ahead and start without me.
61
go back
return
They went back to their hometown.
62
go on
continue
Please go on with your story.
63
go over
review carefully
Let’s go over the report again.
64
grow up
become adult
She grew up in a small town.
65
hand in
submit
You must hand in the assignment today.
66
hand out
distribute
The teacher handed out the worksheets.
67
hang on
wait
Hang on a second, please.
68
hang out
spend time socially
They hang out at the café every weekend.
69
hold on
wait or grip tightly
Hold on to the railing.
70
hold up
delay or rob
Traffic was held up by an accident.
71
keep away
avoid
Keep away from the edge.
72
keep on
continue
He kept on talking despite the noise.
73
keep up
maintain the same level
She works hard to keep up with the class.
74
kick off
start
The meeting kicked off at 9 a.m.
75
knock out
defeat or make unconscious
The boxer knocked out his opponent.
76
lay off
dismiss from job
The company laid off many workers.
77
let down
disappoint
He felt let down by his team.
78
look after
take care of
She looks after her younger brother.
79
look for
search
I’m looking for my keys.
80
look into
investigate
The police are looking into the case.
81
look out
be careful
Look out! There’s a car coming.
82
look up
search for information
She looked up the word in the dictionary.
83
make out
understand or kiss
I couldn’t make out what he said.
84
make up
invent or reconcile
They made up after the argument.
85
move on
progress
It’s time to move on.
86
pass away
die
His grandfather passed away peacefully.
87
pass out
faint
He passed out from exhaustion.
88
pick up
collect or learn
She picked up new skills quickly.
89
point out
indicate
She pointed out the mistake.
90
pull off
succeed
They pulled off a difficult project.
91
pull out
withdraw
The company pulled out of the deal.
92
put away
store
Put away your clothes neatly.
93
put off
postpone
They put off the meeting.
94
put on
wear or pretend
He put on a jacket.
95
put out
extinguish
Firefighters put out the fire.
96
put up with
tolerate
She can’t put up with the noise.
97
run away
escape
The thief ran away.
98
run into
meet unexpectedly
I ran into an old friend.
99
run out
have no more
We’ve run out of milk.
100
set up
arrange or establish
They set up a new company.