Phrasal Verbs List
This is a list of about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below 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 phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. 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 the grammar lesson on phrasal verbs from time to time so that you don't forget the rules!
| Verb | Meaning | Example | |
| ask someone out | invite on a date | Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. | |
| ask around | ask many people the same question | I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet. | |
| add up to something | equal | Your purchases add up to $205.32. | |
| back something up | reverse | You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out. | |
| back someone up | support | My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job. | |
| blow up | explode | The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence. | |
| blow something up | add air | We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party. | |
| break down | stop functioning (vehicle, machine) | Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. | |
| break down | get upset | The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died. | |
| break something down | divide into smaller parts | Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts. | |
| break in | force entry to a building | Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo. | |
| break into something | enter forcibly | The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children. | |
| break something in | wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new | I need to break these shoes in before we run next week. | |
| break in | interrupt | The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death. | |
| break up | end a relationship | My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America. | |
| break up | start laughing (informal) | The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking. | |
| break out | escape | The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking. | |
| break out in something | develop a skin condition起水疱 | I broke out in a rash after our camping trip. | |
| bring someone down | make unhappy | This sad music is bringing me down. | |
| bring someone up | raise a child | My grandparents brought me up after my parents died. | |
| bring something up | start talking about a subject | My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports. | |
| bring something up | vomit 呕吐，吐出 | He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet. | |
| call around | phone many different places/people | We called around but we weren't able to find the car part we needed. | |
| call someone back | return a phone call | I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend. | |
| call something off | cancel | Jason called the wedding off because he wasn't in love with his fiancé. | |
| call on someone | ask for an answer or opinion | The professor called on me for question 1. | |
| call on someone | visit someone | We called on you last night but you weren't home. | |
| call someone up | phone | Give me your phone number and I will call you up when we are in town. | |
| calm down | relax after being angry | You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car. | |
| not care for someone/something | not like (formal) | I don't care for his behaviour. | |
| catch up | get to the same point as someone else | You'll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty. | |
| check in | arrive and register at a hotel or airport | We will get the hotel keys when we check in. | |
| check out | leave a hotel | You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM. | |
| check someone/something out | look at carefully, investigate | The company checks out all new employees. | |
| check out someone/something | look at (informal) | Check out the crazy hair on that guy! | |
| cheer up | become happier | She cheered up when she heard the good news. | |
| cheer someone up | make happier | I brought you some flowers to cheer you up. | |
| chip in | help | If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon. | |
| clean something up | tidy, clean | Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside. | |
| come across something | find unexpectedly | I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet. | |
| come apart | separate | The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough. | |
| come down with something | become sick | My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend. | |
| come forward | volunteer for a task or to give evidence | The woman came forward with her hu*****and's finger prints. | |
| come from somewhere | originate in | The art of origami comes from Asia. | |
| count on someone/something | rely on | I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out. | |
| cross something out | draw a line through | Please cross out your old address and write your new one. | |
| cut back on something | consume less | My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods. | |
| cut something down | make something fall to the ground | We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after the storm. | |
| cut in | interrupt | Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle. | |
| cut in | pull in too closely in front of another vehicle | The bus driver got angry when that car cut in. | |
| cut in | start operating (of an engine or electrical device) | The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C. | |
| cut something off | remove with something sharp | The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured. | |
| cut something off | stop providing | The phone company cut off our phone because we didn't pay the bill. | |
| cut someone off | take out of a will剥夺...的继承权 | My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried. | |
| cut something out | remove part of something (usually with scissors and paper) | I cut this ad out of the newspaper. | |
| do someone/something over | beat up, ransack洗劫, 掠夺 (Br.E., informal) | He's lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street gang. | |
| do something over | do again (N.Amer.) | My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she doesn't like my topic. | |
| do away with something | discard | It's time to do away with all of these old tax records. | |
| do something up | fasten, close | Do your coat up before you go outside. It's snowing! | |
| dress up | wear nice clothing | It's a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up. | |
| drop back | move back in a position/group | Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike. | |
| drop in/by/over | come without an appointment | I might drop in/by/over for tea some time this week. | |
| drop someone/something off | take someone/something somewhere and leave them/it there | I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over. | |
| drop out | quit a class, school etc | I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult. | |
| eat out | eat at a restaurant | I don't feel like cooking tonight. Let's eat out. | |
| end up | eventually reach/do/decide | We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre. | |
| fall apart | break into pieces | My new dress fell apart in the washing machine. | |
| fall down | fall to the ground | The picture that you hung up last night fell down this morning. | |
| fall out | separate from an interior | The money must have fallen out of my pocket. | |
| fall out | (of hair, teeth) become loose and unattached | His hair started to fall out when he was only 35. | |
| figure something out | understand, find the answer | I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room. | |
| fill something in | to write information in blanks (Br.E.) | Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number. | |
| fill something out | to write information in blanks (N.Amer.) | The form must be filled out in capital letters. | |
| fill something up | fill to the top | I always fill the water jug up when it is empty. | |
| find out | discover | We don't know where he lives. How can we find out? | |
| find something out | discover | We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, | |
