Phrasal Verbs

Englivio — 120 Must-know Phrasal Verbs (A–Z)

Add up

To make sense or to total.

His story doesn’t add up with the facts.
The numbers add up to a very large amount.

Agree with

To have the same opinion as someone.

I agree with your point about planning.
Many experts agree with this recommendation.

Back up

To support someone or to copy/secure data.

Can you back up your claim with evidence?
Remember to back up your files before the update.

Blow up

To explode or suddenly become very angry.

The gas leak could cause the building to blow up.
He blew up when he saw the damaged car.

Break down

To stop working (machine) or to lose control emotionally.

The car broke down on the highway.
She broke down in tears after hearing the news.

Break up

To end a relationship or to disperse a group.

They decided to break up after two years together.
The police broke up the gathering.

Bring about

To cause something to happen.

New regulations brought about improved safety.
The reform brought about major change.

Bring back

To return something or to cause memories to appear.

This song brings back childhood memories.
Please bring back the book when you finish it.

Bring up

To mention a topic or to raise a child.

Don’t bring up politics at dinner.
They brought up their children bilingually.

Brush up on

To review or improve knowledge of something.

I need to brush up on my French before the trip.
She brushed up on her coding skills over the weekend.

Call back

To return a phone call.

I will call back after the meeting.
She called back to confirm the appointment.

Call off

To cancel an event or arrangement.

They called off the picnic because of rain.
The match was called off at the last minute.

Carry on

To continue doing something.

Please carry on with your work.
They carried on despite the interruption.

Carry out

To perform or complete a task.

The team carried out the experiment successfully.
We must carry out these instructions exactly.

Catch up

To reach someone or to exchange news.

I need to catch up on my email.
Let’s meet this weekend and catch up.

Check in

To register on arrival (hotel, flight) or to report presence.

We checked in at the hotel at noon.
Please check in at reception when you arrive.

Check out

To look at something or leave a place after paying.

Check out that new restaurant on Main Street.
We checked out of the hotel early this morning.

Cheer up

To become happier or to make someone happier.

Cheer up — things will improve soon.
I brought coffee to cheer up my colleague.

Clear up

To tidy up or to resolve a problem or misunderstanding.

Can you clear up this mess?
We need to clear up that misunderstanding.

Come across

To find by chance or to give a particular impression.

I came across an old letter in the drawer.
He came across as confident in the interview.

Come back

To return to a place or to a previous state.

When did you come back from your trip?
The trend has come back into fashion.

Come up with

To produce an idea or solution.

She came up with a clever solution to the problem.
Can you come up with a shorter plan?

Count on

To rely on someone or something.

You can count on me to help you.
We were counting on good weather for the event.

Cut down on

To reduce the quantity of something.

I’m trying to cut down on sugar this month.
We need to cut down on unnecessary spending.

Cut off

To stop the supply of something or to interrupt.

They cut off the electricity for repairs.
She was cut off mid-sentence during the live show.

Deal with

To handle or manage a problem or situation.

I’ll deal with the complaint tomorrow.
She knows how to deal with difficult customers calmly.

Drop by

To visit briefly and informally.

Feel free to drop by my office this afternoon.
He dropped by to return the book.

Drop out

To leave school or an activity before finishing.

She dropped out of university to start a business.
He almost dropped out of the race because of injury.

End up

To finally be in a particular place or state.

We ended up having dinner at a small café.
He ended up working abroad for two years.

Figure out

To understand or solve something by thinking.

Can you figure out why the app crashed?
She figured out how to open the locked door.

Fill out

To complete a form or to become fuller.

Please fill out this application form.
His face filled out after months of good nutrition.

Find out

To discover information or learn something new.

I need to find out who called last night.
She found out the truth after investigating.

Get along with

To have a friendly relationship with someone.

Do you get along with your new colleagues?
They get along with each other very well.

Get back

To return to a place or to regain something.

When did you get back from vacation?
He finally got back the money he was owed.

Get over

To recover from an illness or emotional event.

It took her months to get over the breakup.
He got over the flu quickly after treatment.

Get through

To finish something difficult or to contact someone by phone.

We finally got through the long meeting.
I couldn’t get through to her by phone all evening.

Give in

To stop resisting or to agree reluctantly.

Don’t give in to pressure from others.
After hours of debate he finally gave in.

Give up

To stop trying or to quit a habit.

Never give up on your goals.
He gave up smoking last year.

Go on

To continue or to happen.

What’s going on in the next room?
The show must go on despite the rain.

Go over

To review or examine details.

Let’s go over your notes before the exam.
We went over the budget line by line.

Grow up

To become an adult or to mature.

I grew up in a small coastal town.
It’s time to grow up and take responsibility.

Grow out of

To stop a habit or to become too large to wear.

He grew out of his childhood fears.
The coat grew out of him last year.

Hang out

To spend time relaxing or socializing.

They hang out at the café every Saturday.
Do you want to hang out this evening?

Hang up

To end a phone call or to hang something on a hook.

She hung up before I could say goodbye.
Please hang up your coat on the rack.

Hold on

To wait briefly or to keep a grip on something.

Hold on, I’ll check the schedule.
She held on to the rope tightly during the climb.

Hold up

To delay or to rob (informal: hold up a bank).

The roadworks held up traffic for hours.
The store was held up in a robbery last night.

Iron out

To resolve small problems or differences.

Let’s iron out the remaining details tomorrow.
They met to iron out scheduling conflicts.

Keep on

To continue doing something.

Keep on practicing if you want to improve.
He keeps on calling despite requests to stop.

Keep up with

To stay at the same level or follow developments.

It is hard to keep up with new technology.
She works late to keep up with her coursework.

Kick off

To start an event or activity.

The festival kicks off next Friday.
Let’s kick off the project with a short meeting.

Lay off

To stop employing someone (temporarily or permanently).

The company had to lay off several workers.
He was laid off during the restructure.

Let down

To disappoint someone by failing to do what was expected.

Don’t let me down — we need your support.
He felt let down when the plan failed.

Look after

To take care of someone or something.

Can you look after my plants while I’m away?
She looks after her younger siblings every day.

Look for

To try to find something or someone.

I’m looking for my keys — have you seen them?
They are looking for a new marketing manager.

Look forward to

To anticipate something with pleasure.

I look forward to meeting you next week.
We look forward to the summer holidays each year.

Look into

To investigate or examine something.

We’ll look into the complaint immediately.
Can you look into why the server crashed?

Look up

To search for information or for something to improve.

Look up the word in the dictionary.
Things are looking up after last quarter’s sales.

Make out

To see, hear, or understand something with difficulty.

I can’t make out the handwriting on this note.
From a distance she made out a small boat on the horizon.

Make up

To invent a story/excuse or to reconcile after an argument.

She made up an excuse for being late.
They made up after their argument.

Make up for

To compensate for something lost or missed.

He bought flowers to make up for his mistake.
Extra classes will make up for the lost time.

Move on

To continue to the next thing or to recover from an event.

Let’s move on to the next topic.
She finally moved on after the breakup.

Pass away

To die (polite expression).

Her grandfather passed away peacefully last night.
They announced that the beloved author had passed away.

Pass out

To faint or to distribute something to people.

He passed out from the heat during the match.
They passed out flyers at the festival.

Pay back

To return borrowed money or to get revenge (informal).

I’ll pay you back next week.
He said he would pay back those who betrayed him.

Pick out

To choose or select something.

She picked out a dress for the party.
Can you pick out a gift for Tom?

Pick up

To collect someone or something; to learn informally.

I’ll pick you up at seven.
He picked up some Spanish while traveling.

Point out

To draw attention to something or explain an important fact.

She pointed out an error in the report.
The guide pointed out the historic buildings.

Pull over

To move a vehicle to the side of the road and stop.

The officer signaled for him to pull over.
We pulled over to let a truck pass.

Put away

To store or tidy something in its place.

Please put away your toys after playing.
She put away the winter clothes in boxes.

Put off

To delay or postpone something.

Don’t put off your assignment until the last minute.
They put off the meeting until Friday.

Put up with

To tolerate or accept something unpleasant.

I won’t put up with rude behaviour in my class.
She put up with the noise for years.

Run into

To meet someone unexpectedly or to collide with something.

I ran into an old friend at the market.
They ran into difficulties with the new software.

Run out of

To have no more of something left.

We ran out of milk this morning.
They ran out of time before completing the test.

Set off

To begin a journey or to cause something to start.

We set off early to avoid traffic.
The alarm set off a loud noise in the building.

Set up

To arrange, organize, or establish something.

They set up a new office downtown.
I will set up the equipment before the meeting.

Settle down

To become calm or to start a stable life.

The children finally settled down after the party.
They plan to settle down in a quiet town.

Show off

To display proudly, often to attract attention.

He likes to show off his new car.
Don’t show off — it’s annoying.

Show up

To appear or arrive at a place.

Only ten people showed up for the meeting.
He showed up late to the interview.

Shut down

To close permanently or to turn off a machine.

The factory was shut down last year.
Shut down the computer before leaving.

Slow down

To reduce speed or to do something more slowly.

Please slow down, you’re driving too fast.
We should slow down and think about the changes.

Sort out

To organize or to solve a problem.

We need to sort out these documents.
They sorted out the technical problem quickly.

Stand up

To rise to a standing position or to fail to meet someone as agreed.

Please stand up when the judge enters.
He stood her up at the restaurant last night.

Stick to

To continue following a plan, goal, or rule.

We must stick to the schedule to finish on time.
Try to stick to your healthy eating plan this week.

Take after

To resemble a family member in appearance or behavior.

She takes after her mother in looks.
He takes after his grandfather’s calm temperament.

Take back

To return something or to retract a statement.

I need to take back the DVD to the shop.
He took back his rude remark afterwards.

Take off

To remove clothing or when an aircraft leaves the ground.

The plane took off on time.
Please take off your shoes before entering the mosque.

Take on

To accept responsibility or to fight/compete against someone.

She took on extra duties at work last month.
He took on the champion in a friendly match.

Take over

To assume control or responsibility.

A larger firm took over the company last year.
Can you take over while I’m away?

Take up

To begin a hobby or occupy space or time.

He took up cycling during the summer.
This project takes up most of my free time.

Talk over

To discuss something with someone.

Let’s talk over the plan tonight.
They talked over their options before deciding.

Tell off

To criticize or scold someone angrily.

The teacher told off the students for misbehaving.
He was told off for missing the deadline.

Think over

To consider something carefully before deciding.

Think it over and tell me tomorrow.
She needed time to think over the job offer.

Think through

To consider consequences or results carefully.

You should think through your plan before acting.
We thought through every step in the process.

Throw away

To discard something unwanted.

Don’t throw away those receipts — keep them for now.
He threw away the broken tools.

Throw up

To vomit or to produce something suddenly.

She threw up after the roller coaster ride.
The search threw up several interesting results.

Try out

To test something to see if it works or is suitable.

We should try out the new software before buying it.
She tried out for the lead role and got it.

Turn down

To refuse or to reduce volume.

She turned down the job because of the commute.
Please turn down the music.

Turn off

To stop a device or to repel interest.

Remember to turn off the lights before you leave.
His attitude really turned off potential clients.

Turn on

To start a device or to excite interest.

Turn on the heater; it’s cold in here.
The new feature will turn on many users.

100

Turn up

To appear unexpectedly or increase volume.

He turned up unexpectedly at the party.
Could you turn up the radio a bit?

101

Use up

To consume all of something.

We’ve used up all the printer paper.
Don’t use up the flour; we need some for tomorrow.

102

Wake up

To stop sleeping or to become alert to something.

I woke up early to study for the exam.
It’s time to wake up to the new reality.

103

Warm up

To prepare physically or to become less cold.

Do a short run to warm up before the match.
The room warmed up once the sun came out.

104

Watch out

To be careful or alert to danger.

Watch out for the wet floor sign.
Watch out, there’s a car coming.

105

Watch over

To guard or protect someone or something.

She watched over the children while they played.
Volunteers watch over the site at night.

106

Wear out

To become unusable through use or to make someone very tired.

These shoes will wear out if you use them every day.
The long day completely wore out the children.

107

Work on

To spend time improving or fixing something.

She’s working on her thesis this semester.
We need to work on our presentation skills.

108

Work out

To exercise or to find a solution/resolve successfully.

She works out at the gym three times a week.
Everything worked out in the end.

109

Write down

To record information on paper.

Write down the address so you won’t forget it.
I always write down new vocabulary to study later.

110

Zero in on

To direct attention toward a particular target or problem.

The team zeroed in on the root cause of the issue.
We should zero in on the most important tasks first.

111

Zone out

To lose focus or daydream.

I tend to zone out during long meetings.
He zoned out and missed the instructions.

112

Boil down to

To be the main or most important point.

It all boils down to trust in the end.
The debate boiled down to a question of priorities.

113

Brush up on

To improve knowledge of something previously learned.

I need to brush up on my algebra before the test.
She brushed up on her French for the trip.

114

Call in

To phone someone or to request help/expertise.

We had to call in a mechanic to fix the car.
Please call in if you’ll be late for the meeting.

115

Chip in

To contribute money or help toward something.

Everyone chipped in to buy a farewell gift.
He chipped in with advice during the meeting.

116

Come up

To happen or be mentioned unexpectedly.

Something urgent came up at work so I had to leave.
Her name came up during the discussion.

117

Drop off

To deliver someone/something to a place or to fall asleep.

I’ll drop off the package on my way to work.
He dropped off while watching the movie.

118

Keep out

To prevent someone from entering a place.

Please keep out — private property.
The fence helped keep out stray animals.

119

Look back

To think about the past or review previous events.

When I look back, I see how much I’ve changed.
She often looked back fondly on her childhood.

120

Zoom in

To focus closely on details or to make an image appear closer.

Can you zoom in on that part of the picture?
The discussion zoomed in on the main problem.