Common Phrasal Verbs
Below we've highlighted 50 of the most popular and common phrasal verbs, with meanings and example sentences:
| Phrasal Verb | Common Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Act on | To take action because of something like information received | The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed. |
| Act up | Behave badly or strangely | My computer's ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus. |
| Add up to | Have a certain result | Trains delays are getting worse and with the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters. |
| Agree with | Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad | I feel terrible- that food didn't AGREE WITH my stomach. |
| Amount to | Total | Their rent bills AMOUNTED TO ten thousand a year. |
| Answer back | To reply rudely to someone in authority | Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help. |
| Answer for | Be held responsible for a problem | The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem. |
| Ask about | Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health | He ASKED ABOUT my father. |
| Ask after | Enquire about someone's health, how life is going | Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine. |
| Ask around | Ask a number of people for information of help | I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help. |
| Ask around | Invite someone | We ASKED them AROUND for dinner. |
| Ask for | To provoke a negative reaction | You're ASKING FOR trouble. |
| Ask for | Request to have or be given | I ASKED FOR the menu. |
| Ask in | To invite somebody into your house | 'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.' |
| Ask out | To invite someone for a date | He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy. |
| Ask over | Invite | They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday. |
| Ask round | Invite someone | We ASKED John ROUND for diner. |
| Call off | Cancel | The concert had to be CALLED OFF because the singer went down with a bad case of flu. |
| Calm down | Stop being angry or emotionally excited | When I lose my temper, it takes ages for me to CALM DOWN again. |
| Carry on | Continue | CARRY ON quietly with your work until the substitute teacher arrives. |
| Catch up | Reach someone who was ahead of you | He started well, but I CAUGHT him UP on the third lap. |
| Do over | Do something again from the beginning, especially because you did it badly the first time | OK, we'll DO it OVER, but try to sing the right words this time. |
| Eat out | Eat in a restaurant | We couldn't be bothered to cook so we ATE OUT last night. |
| Eat up | Consume | This car EATS UP petrol. |
| Figure out | Find the answer to a problem | The police couldn't FIGURE OUT how the burglars had got into the warehouse. |
| Give up | Surrender, stop trying | I can't think of the answer; I GIVE UP. |
| Go over | Look at something, revise | We WENT OVER our notes before the exam. |
| Hack into | Break into a computer system | He HACKED INTO the government database and stole a lot of data. |
| Hang around | Stay in a place | They HANG AROUND the station most of the day. |
| Hang out | Spend time socially | He HANGS OUT in the pub The Monarch; he's there most nights. |
| Hold on | Wait | Could you HOLD ON for a minute; she'll be free in a moment. |
| Keep on | Continue doing something | He KEPT ON trying and succeeded in the end. |
| Keep up | Maintain a continuous action, persist | First I phoned you and left a message that you should phone me; then you phoned and I was out, so you left a message; then...! How long can we KEEP this UP without ever speaking to each other directly? |
| Look for | Try to find | I've been LOOKING FOR all their hidden files, but I can't find them anywhere. |
| Make do with | Accept something less satisfactory because there's no alternative | There's no coffee, so we'll have to MAKE DO WITH tea. |
| Pass out | Faint, lose consciousness | He got so drunk that he PASSED OUT. |
| Pass up | Decline a chance | She PASSED UP the opportunity to go to university because she'd been offered a job. |
| Pick up | Collect | While you're in town, can you PICK UP my trousers from the Dry Cleaner? |
| Put off | Postpone | The concert's been PUT OFF until next month because the singer's got a throat infection. |
| Put on | Start wearing | I PUT my coat ON before we went out. |
| Take off | When a plane departs or leaves the ground | The flight for Dublin TOOK OFF on time. |
| Throw away | Discard something when no longer needed | I THREW the alarm clock AWAY because it had stopped working. |
| Turn down | Reduce volume, temperature, etc. | The room was too hot, so she TURNED the heating DOWN. |
| Turn off | Stop a machine | I TURNED the TV OFF and went to bed. |
| Turn on | Start a machine | I TURNED the radio ON to get the weather forecast. |
| Turn up | Increase volume, temperature, etc. | I TURNED the music UP full blast. |
| Wake up | Stop sleeping | I WOKE UP at half past six this morning. |
| Walk off with | Win easily | He WALKED OFF WITH the award. |
| Work out | Find the answer or solution | I couldn't WORK OUT all the answers to the crossword puzzle. |
| Work out | Exercise | She went to the gym three times a week to WORK OUT |