A phrasal verb that combines a normal verb with an adverb or a preposition to create an entirely new verbal phrase is called the phrasal verb. A phrasal verb is a verb like pick up, turn on or get on with.
Common phrasal verbs with meanings and examples
back [x] up
Meaning: support or defend someone
Example: Don’t forget to back up your work.
break down
Meaning: stop working, especially when referring to machines
Example: The young man broke down in tears.
Carry on with
Meaning: Continue
Example: I want you to carry on with the work while I am out of the country.
Carry on
Meaning: Continue
Example: Carry on. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.
Carry on about
Meaning: Continue in an annoying way
Example: She kept carrying on about how much money she made.
Carry off
Meaning: Succeed, win
Example: He carried off the first prize in the tennis tournament.
Carry over
Meaning: Continue past a certain point
Example: The meeting carried over into lunchtime.
Carry out
Meaning: Perform a task
Example: I would like to carry out the plan.
Carry on
Meaning: Behave badly
Example: My son annoyed me by carrying on all day.
call around
Meaning: contact multiple people
Example: Roy called around to find a nearby mechanic.
calm down
Meaning: relax after an energetic or irritated state
Example: I need a few minutes to calm down after that match.
call [x] off
Meaning: cancel
Example: We called the party off. / We called off the party.
check [x] out
Meaning: verify a person or thing (can sometimes be flirtatious when used in reference to a person)
Example: I’ll check the contract out. / I’ll check out the contract.
clean up
Meaning: be extremely successful in an endeavor, such as business, sports, or gambling
Example: Our hockey team cleaned up at the tournament and went home undefeated.
come around
Meaning: change an opinion or see a new point of view
Example: I never liked seafood, but came around after trying fried calamari.
come between
Meaning: disturb a relationship
Example: After more than fifty years of marriage, nothing could come between them.
come down on
Meaning: attack or punish harshly
Example: Ever since last month’s accident, police have been coming down on drunk driving.
come down with
Meaning: become sick
Example: After sitting in the rain for hours, Chandra came down with a nasty cold.
come out of
Meaning: happen as a consequence of another event
Example: We missed a day of school, so at least some good came out of our boring class trip.
come up
Meaning: become the topic of discussion or receive attention
Example: Everyone talked about how much they enjoyed the movie, but the run time never came up in the conversation.
come up with
Meaning: think of an idea, especially as the first person to do so, or to produce a solution
Example: Sahar comes up with her best story ideas at night, so she writes them down before she forgets them.
count on
Meaning: rely or depend on
Example: If I’m ever making a mistake, I can count on my friends to warn me.
dive into
Meaning: occupy oneself with something; to pore over quickly or reach into quickly
Example: I’ll dive into that new TV show later tonight.
dress up
Meaning: wear nice clothes or put forth in the best light
Example: Abed dressed up for the award ceremony.
end up
Meaning: eventually reach some conclusion or destination
Example: After thinking for a day, he ended up taking the job.
fall apart
Meaning: break into pieces
Example: My new dress completely fell apart after just two washes.
find out
Meaning: discover or learn
Example: We’ll have to wait until the next TV episode to find out who the killer is.
Go about sth
Meaning: to deal with something
Example: I want to solve this problem but I don’t know how to go about it.
Go after sth
Meaning: to try to get something
Example: He is planning to go after his friend’s project.
Go after sb
Meaning: to try to catch or stop someone
Example: We should go after her and tell her the truth.
Go against sth/sb
Meaning: to oppose or to disagree with someone or something
Example: The people’s votes went against us.
Go ahead
Meaning: to start or to continue to do something, especially after waiting for permission
Example: Why don’t you go ahead and eat it?
Go ahead with
Meaning: to start or to continue with plans to do something
Example: It is a good idea. We should go ahead with the plan and see what happens.
Get (sth) across
Meaning: to make people understand something
Example: The teacher couldn’t get her ideas across to the students.
Get along / Get on / Get on with
Meaning: If people get along, they like each other and they have a good relationship.
Example: I can’t get along with the neighbours anymore.
Get ahead
Meaning: to be successful in the work
Example: I will get ahead at work with this project.
Get at sth
Meaning: to touch or to reach something
Example: The child can’t get at the books on the high shelf.
Get at sb
Meaning: to criticise someone repeatedly
Example: The boss always gets on me. I don’t know why he behaves like that.
Get away
Meaning: to leave or to escape from a place or a person
Example: She usually gets away from the crowds.
go for
Meaning: try or attempt to achieve something
Example: Carlos trains so hard because he is going for an Olympic gold medal.
go on
Meaning: continue doing something (see keep [x] up)
Example: The boys will go on digging until they hit a water pipe.
go over
Meaning: review or look at it again
Example: Marie went over the study guide one last time before the test.
hand in
Meaning: submit (especially an assignment)
Example: The teacher wants us to hand in our essays through email.
leave [x] out
Meaning: omit or disregard
Example: Orna left the graph out of the presentation. / Orna left out the graph from the presentation.
let [x] down
Meaning: disappoint
Example: Kamal let Marco down when he arrived late. / Kamal let down Marco when he arrived late.
let go of
Meaning: release or free
Example: Don’t let go of the rope until I’m safe.
let [x] in
Meaning: allow to enter
Example: Close the door or you’ll let the flies in!
Let on
Meaning: Make clear, evince
Example: You don’t want to let on how rich you really are.
Let off
Meaning: Cause to explode or release
Example: Stand back when you let off fireworks.
Let down
Meaning: Fail to support or help
Example: My friend, don’t let me down this time.
Let out
Meaning: Make bigger
Example: I need to let out this skirt.
Let down
Meaning: Lengthen
Example: My father is a tailor, so he can let my pants down.
let [x] know
Meaning: tell someone something
Example: Let me know as soon as Leslie texts back.
look after
Meaning: take care of someone or something
Example: Thank you for looking after me when I was sick.
look up to [x]
Meaning: admire or idolize someone
Example: I looked up to this YouTuber until I read about their scandal.
Make off
Meaning: Hurry away, escape
Example: The thieves made off before the police arrived.
Make up
Meaning: Forgive each other
Example: Alex and Mary were angry yesterday, but they made up this morning.
Make for
Meaning: Move towards
Example: He was already made for home when I arrived.
Make of
Meaning: Understand, find a reason
Example: I don’t know what to make of his behaviour.
Make out
Meaning: Decipher
Example: Anybody can’t make out her handwriting.
Make up
Meaning: Invent, lie about something
Example: Mary made up a story about why she was late.
Make up for
Meaning: Compensate for something
Example: I don’t eat dinner but I make up for it at breakfast.
mix up
Meaning: confuse something with something else
Example: It’s easy to mix up Chris Pine and Chris Pratt.
pull [x] up
Meaning: retrieve or bring something nearer
Example: Eugene pulled the document up on his computer. / Eugene pulled up the document on his computer.
put [x] on
Meaning: wear or add something to your person or an object
Example: I always put my backpack on before leaving the house. / I always put on my backpack before leaving the house.
put up with
Meaning: tolerate or condone
Example: Somehow Paz could put up with Janice’s cynical attitude.
run out of
Meaning: use all of or drain the supply of something
Example: Isabella ran out of toilet paper at the worst possible time.
see to
Meaning: make sure something is done
Example: I’ll see to watering the plants while you’re gone.
set [x] up
Meaning: arrange or organize
Example: Since no one invited me to join their study group, I set one up myself.
show off
Meaning: deliberately display abilities or accomplishments in order to impress people
Example: Panya didn’t need to shoot so many three-pointers; she was just showing off.
shut [x] off
Meaning: turn off, especially a machine
Example: Don’t forget to shut the water off after your shower. / Don’t forget to shut off the water after your shower.
Set about sth/doing sth
Meaning: to begin or start doing something
Examples: I don’t know how to set about the work.
Set about sb
Meaning: to attack someone
Example: The crowd began to set about him with stones.
Set forth
Meaning: to begin traveling
Example: We set forth at noon.
Set off
Meaning: to start a journey or trip
Example: We will set off next week.
Set off sth
Meaning: to cause a signal to start something
Example: The loud sound set off the baby’s crying.
Set out
Meaning: to leave a place and begin a journey
Example: We set out on a lonely journey.
Set out ( to do something )
Meaning: to start an activity or something with a special aim or intend
Example: She set out to protect her kids.
take after
Meaning: resemble, especially with parents and their children
Example: Li takes after his father when it comes to politics.
take [x] out
Meaning: move something outside
Example: Please take the garbage out before dinner. / Please take out the garbage before dinner.
think [x] over
Meaning: consider something
Example: When his parents suggested selling his Pokemon cards, Yosef thought it over.
throw [x] away
Meaning: dispose of something
Example: Could you throw that old burrito away? / Could you throw away that old burrito?
turn [x] down
Meaning: reject or say “no”
Example: My crush turned me down after I asked them out.
top off
Meaning: fill something to the top; to complete something in a special or spectacular way
Example: May I top off your beverage?
wait on
Meaning: serve, especially at a restaurant
Example: Billie eagerly waited at the new table of customers, hoping for a big tip.
Read into
Meaning: to believe that an action, remark, or situation has particular importance or meaning, often when this is not true
Example: Her speech is very clear. Don’t try to read anything else into it.
Read over/through
Meaning: to read something quickly from the beginning to the end
Example: You should read over your exam paper when you have finished.
Warm up
Meaning: Make something warm
Example: I’II warms up some meat for dinner.