These 87 phrasal verbs are the ones you’ll hear most in everyday English: break down, come up with, figure out, give up and more. Each has a simple meaning and an example sentence, because the verb alone rarely tells you what a phrasal verb means.
| # | Word | Meaning | Level | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | break down | stop working or functioning correctly | B1 | My car broke down on the way to the beach. |
| 2 | break out | start suddenly, usually something unwanted | B1 | A fire broke out in the old building last night. |
| 3 | break up | end a relationship or an organization | B1 | They decided to break up after three years together. |
| 4 | bring about | cause something to happen | B2 | The new policy will bring about significant changes in education. |
| 5 | bring up | mention a topic for discussion | B1 | She decided to bring up the issue during the meeting. |
| 6 | call back | return a phone call | A2 | I will call you back after I finish my work. |
| 7 | call off | cancel something that was planned | B1 | They had to call off the picnic due to the rain. |
| 8 | carry on | continue doing something | A2 | Please carry on with your work while I step out. |
| 9 | carry out | perform or complete a task or duty | B1 | She was asked to carry out the research project. |
| 10 | check in | register upon arrival at a hotel or airport | A2 | We need to check in at the airport two hours early. |
| 11 | check out | leave a hotel after paying the bill | A2 | We will check out of the hotel at noon. |
| 12 | come across | find by chance or unexpectedly | B2 | I came across an old photo while cleaning my room. |
| 13 | come back | return to a place | A1 | She will come back from vacation next week. |
| 14 | come up | be mentioned or occur | B1 | The topic will come up in tomorrow's discussion. |
| 15 | come up with | think of or produce an idea or plan | B1 | She came up with a great solution to the problem. |
| 16 | count on | rely on someone or something | B1 | You can count on me to help you with this project. |
| 17 | cut down | reduce the amount of something | B2 | We need to cut down on our spending this month. |
| 18 | cut off | remove or separate by cutting | B1 | He cut off a piece of paper to write on. |
| 19 | deal with | manage or handle a situation | B1 | It's hard to deal with all this stress at work. |
| 20 | drop off | take someone or something to a place and leave it | A2 | Can you drop me off at the train station, please? |
| 21 | end up | finally arrive at a situation or place | B1 | We ended up going to a different restaurant altogether. |
| 22 | fall apart | break into pieces or fail completely | B2 | My old shoes are starting to fall apart now. |
| 23 | fall behind | not keep up with progress or competition | B1 | If you don't study, you might fall behind in class. |
| 24 | figure out | understand or find the solution to something | B1 | Can you figure out this math problem on your own? |
| 25 | fill in | complete a form or document | A2 | Please fill in your details on this application form. |
| 26 | fill out | complete a form by providing information | A2 | You need to fill out this form before the appointment. |
| 27 | find out | discover information | B1 | I need to find out what time the meeting starts. |
| 28 | follow up | check on someone or something after a previous action | B2 | I will follow up with you next week about the project. |
| 29 | get along | have a friendly relationship with someone | B1 | Do you get along well with your neighbors? |
| 30 | get away | escape or leave a place | B1 | We hope to get away for a short vacation soon. |
| 31 | get back | return to a place after being away | A1 | I will get back home late tonight. |
| 32 | get by | manage to survive with limited resources | B2 | It’s hard to get by on such a low salary. |
| 33 | get over | recover from something (like an illness or loss) | B2 | It took her a while to get over the flu. |
| 34 | get up | rise from bed after sleeping | A1 | I usually get up at 7 AM every day. |
| 35 | give away | offer something for free | B1 | They decided to give away old clothes to charity. |
| 36 | give back | return something to its owner | A2 | Please give back the book when you are done reading. |
| 37 | give in | surrender or admit defeat | B2 | He didn't want to give in, but he had no choice. |
| 38 | give up | stop trying or quit a task | A2 | I won’t give up on my dreams, no matter what. |
| 39 | go on | continue or proceed with something | A2 | Please go on with your story; it’s very interesting. |
| 40 | go over | review or examine something carefully | B2 | Let’s go over the plan one more time before starting. |
| 41 | grow up | to become an adult or older person | A2 | Children grow up so fast these days. |
| 42 | hand in | to give something to someone in authority | B1 | Please hand in your assignments by Friday. |
| 43 | hand out | to give something to several people | B1 | The teacher will hand out the exams soon. |
| 44 | hang on | to wait for a short time | A2 | Hang on a second while I grab my bag. |
| 45 | hang out | to spend time relaxing or socializing | A2 | They love to hang out at the mall after school. |
| 46 | hold on | to wait for a moment | A2 | Hold on, I'll be right back with your order. |
| 47 | keep on | to continue doing something | B1 | Keep on practicing if you want to improve. |
| 48 | keep up | to continue at the same level or pace | B1 | It's hard to keep up with all the work. |
| 49 | look after | to take care of someone or something | A2 | I have to look after my younger brother today. |
| 50 | look for | to search for something or someone | A2 | I am looking for my keys everywhere. |
| 51 | look forward to | to be excited about something that will happen | B1 | I look forward to visiting my friend next week. |
| 52 | look into | to investigate or explore something | B2 | We will look into the problem and find a solution. |
| 53 | look up | to search for information about something | B1 | You can look up words in the dictionary. |
| 54 | make up | invent a story or excuse that is not true | B1 | He made up an excuse for being late to the meeting. |
| 55 | move on | to begin doing something new | B1 | It's time to move on to the next topic. |
| 56 | pass away | to die, often softly or gently | B2 | Their grandmother passed away last year. |
| 57 | pass out | to lose consciousness or faint | B2 | He almost passed out from the heat. |
| 58 | pick up | to lift something or someone | A2 | I will pick up the groceries on my way home. |
| 59 | point out | to tell someone about something important | B1 | She pointed out the mistakes in my report. |
| 60 | pull over | to move a vehicle to the side of the road | B1 | The police officer asked him to pull over. |
| 61 | put off | to delay something to a later time | B2 | Don't put off studying for your exams. |
| 62 | put on | to dress oneself in something | A2 | I need to put on my shoes before we leave. |
| 63 | put up with | to tolerate or endure something unpleasant | B2 | I cannot put up with his rudeness any longer. |
| 64 | run into | meet someone unexpectedly or by chance | B1 | I ran into my old friend at the supermarket yesterday. |
| 65 | run out | use all of something and have none left | A2 | We ran out of milk, so I need to buy some. |
| 66 | set up | to establish or arrange something | B1 | They set up the event in the park. |
| 67 | show up | to appear or arrive at a place | B2 | He always shows up late to meetings. |
| 68 | shut down | to close something permanently or temporarily | B2 | The company decided to shut down the factory. |
| 69 | sort out | to organize or resolve something | B1 | We need to sort out the problems in our project. |
| 70 | stand out | to be very noticeable or different | B1 | Her bright dress made her stand out at the party. |
| 71 | take off | to remove something, especially clothing | A2 | Please take off your shoes before entering. |
| 72 | take over | to gain control of something | B2 | He will take over the job when she leaves. |
| 73 | take up | to start a new hobby or activity | B1 | She decided to take up painting during her spare time. |
| 74 | tear down | to destroy a building or structure | B2 | They will tear down the old building next week. |
| 75 | think over | to consider something carefully | B2 | I need to think over your proposal before deciding. |
| 76 | throw away | to dispose of something you no longer want | A2 | Don't throw away those old books; they are valuable. |
| 77 | try on | to put on clothes to see if they fit | A2 | You should try on those shoes before buying them. |
| 78 | turn down | to refuse an offer or request | B1 | She turned down the job offer because of the salary. |
| 79 | turn off | to stop a machine or light from operating | A2 | Please turn off the lights when you leave. |
| 80 | turn on | to start a machine or light operating | A2 | Can you turn on the air conditioner, please? |
| 81 | turn out | to happen in a particular way | B1 | The event turned out to be more popular than expected. |
| 82 | turn up | to arrive or be found unexpectedly | A2 | She didn't turn up for the meeting yesterday. |
| 83 | use up | to finish a supply of something | B1 | We used up all the sugar for the cake. |
| 84 | wake up | to stop sleeping | A1 | I usually wake up at 7 a.m. every day. |
| 85 | work out | to find a solution or calculate something | B1 | She worked out the answer to the math problem. |
| 86 | wrap up | to finish something or put it in a package | B2 | Let's wrap up this meeting before it gets too late. |
| 87 | write down | to record information on paper | A2 | Please write down your ideas for the project. |
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