A list of the most common English phrasal verbs

What are phrasal verbs? Also known as compound verbs, these are those verbs that change their meaning when accompanied by an adverb or preposition. This makes it inconvenient to translate them literally.

If you want to speak English like a native, you must learn a lot of phrasal verbs. They’re an inescapable component of English that will enhance your communication skills.

In this article, we invite you to discover our list of the 25 phrasal verbs that are used most often in English. You’re getting so close to your goal of becoming an expert in the language of Shakespeare!


1. Add up

This refers to the action of adding.

We added up the apples. There were 12.

We can also use it to mention that something is meaningful, logical, and makes sense.

Her story doesn’t add up. I think she’s lying.

 

2. Blow up

Little by little, you’ll realise that phrasal verbs enrich the semantics of English exponentially. Each one can have different meanings and uses depending on the context.

Blow up means “explode”, like a bomb, for example. Someone’s temper can also “explode”, meaning that they become quite angry. A third meaning is “to inflate” or “to fill something with air”, like a balloon.

Could you please blow up those balloons?

The building was blown up by a bomb.

When I said I couldn’t go to her party, she blew up.

 

3. Bring up

This means “to nurture”, “to raise”, or “to teach” a child. It implies accompaniment, care, and protection from the earliest stages of life.

Their grandparents brought them up because their parents were always travelling.

It’s also used when someone wants to bring up an event, memory, or comment from the past. This usually happens a lot in marriages, when one spouse makes a criticism, for example: 

Don’t bring up the fight again, please!

 

4. Call off

Do you recall that the words ON/OFF are used for light switches? When off accompanies a verb, it will give that connotation of “reject” or “turn off” to the verb that precedes it.

For example, call off means “to stop doing” or “to stop planning” something.

Maria called off the wedding. She decided she didn’t love him.

We also use it to suggest a person control their animal to stop it from attacking something.

Call off your dog! He’s attacking my cat.

 

5. Carry on

Adding on to a verb gives you a sense of continuity or permanence in time.

Sorry I interrupted, carry on talking…

Carry on may also suggest childish behaviour.

The little boy was carrying on, shouting and kicking all day long.

 

 

6. Come across

You can use this compound verb when you perceive something in particular from a person or situation.

Julia came across as a bit bossy.

It’s also used when you meet someone by chance or by coincidence. Even though it’s been said that nothing in life happens by chance…

Luis was leaving the fruit shop when he came across Tom. What a coincidence!

 

7. Come up with

This is a verb that you might use a lot, especially if you are studying mathematics or trying to build a chair. Come up with means “to find a solution”. What a relief!

We finally came up with a solution to the problem!

 

8. Fall apart

This verb, unlike the previous one, can be used in situations that could be somewhat disappointing. For example, to mention that something has broken, or worse, that a life project, such as a marriage, has dissolved.

My cake fell apart when I tried to cut it.

After the divorce, she fell apart.


 

9. Get along

Wow! This phrasal verb can really mean many different things. Have you ever met someone and felt that immediate connection? That’s the first use of this verb:

We’re not together anymore, but we get along great.

The second meaning is “to progress”:

How are you getting along at playing the guitar?

You can also use it to say, in a very diplomatic and decent way, that you’ve got to leave.

It was lovely to see you, but my friend has to get along. She has a class.

Finally, it means that someone’s getting older.

Her grandma is getting along. She’s almost 99.

 

10. Get away

The word away implies leaving or a distance. We can use get away to say that we want to go out, flee, or even in a symbolic sense, escape the consequences of something.

I can’t wait to get away from the city.

The thieves managed to get away in a stolen car.

Yvonne is always lying. I can’t understand how she gets away with it.

 

 

11. Get over

The word over suggests being above something. For example, when you’re being supportive and tell a friend, “Hey, get over it. Everything will be fine.”

So, get over can be “to overcome a fear”, “to stop worrying about something”, or “to recover from illness”.

I got over my fear of flying.

Kylie finally got over her ex-boyfriend.

Have you heard? Dave has gotten over the flu.

 

12. Give up

This verb can have two interpretations: to throw in the towel or to abandon something.

It’s not always good to surrender in life, we must continue fighting until we achieve our goals.

If you’re talking about a vice, though, it’s quite the opposite. In this case, giving up is the best option.

We all gave up smoking on January 1st.

 

13. Go on

Do you remember when Celine Dion sang “My Heart Will Go On” in Titanic? That is, my heart will continue, it won’t give up.

This also happens when someone is telling you something and you encourage them to continue talking and say, “Go on, go on.”

They landed in Paris and then went on to Montpellier.

Go on! Try it, it’s delicious.

 

14. Hold on

This verb suggests clinging to or holding something for a long time.

Hold on to the railing, that way you won’t fall.

I’ll hold on to my job until May.

 

15. Look after

This is often used in hospitals or nurseries. It means “to care for”.

The nurse looked after the patient for months until he was better.

 

 

 

16. Look forward to

When something excites you and you can’t find the time to do it, you use this verb. If you’re overworked, you can’t wait to go to the beach or to a five-star hotel. What a treat!

William is really looking forward to going on holiday.

 

17. Look up

You can use this to mention that something is improving. It’s also used to say that you’re looking for something in the dictionary or on Google, for example.

The economy is finally looking up.

Let’s look up his number in the yellow pages.

 

18. Make out

Make out isn’t just kissing your partner romantically. It can also be writing a cheque or trying to understand what someone is saying.

Have you ever watched a movie in English and couldn’t understand a single word? Well, that’s completely normal. Keep practicing and eventually, you’ll be able to make out more vocabulary.

Who shall I make the cheque out to?

I can’t make out what you’re saying. Can you speak louder?

We made out in the back of his car.

 

19. Pass out

Have you ever fainted? This can happen if you neglect your diet, exercise excessively, or even have a major scare.

Losing consciousness isn’t a fun experience, but if it happens to you in an English-speaking country, at least you’ll know how to explain to the doctor what’s happened.

It also means “to deliver” things like merchandise or products.

Lisa was so tired that she got home and passed out on the sofa.

I passed out leaflets with information on our course.

 

20. Pull over

This scene is often repeated in films: a police officer is following a suspicious vehicle that has exceeded the speed limit. Incidentally, the driver has no documents or has something hidden in the trunk of their car. The police officer yells “Pull over!” meaning to stop the vehicle on the side of the road. 

Does the police officer uncover what’s hidden in the vehicle? Wait for the next episode to find out.

That looks like a lovely restaurant. Can you pull the car over and park?

 

21. Put down

If the scene from the previous film gets complicated, the suspect may try to pull out a gun. What might the police officer say? “Put that down!”

This also means putting something on the floor, writing something on paper, or making a deposit.

You can put the suitcases down in the bedroom.

He put down his memories to write a book when he was older.

My husband and I are going to put down some money to buy that house downtown.

It may also be used when you euthanise an animal, especially at the vet.

Jessica had to have her rabbit put down. It was very sick.

 

22. Put off

One of our main defects can definitely be that of procrastination. Put off means “to cancel” or “to postpone”.

Another meaning is to discourage or make you not want something.

Graham was so tired he put the shopping off until next week.

You’re putting me off my food. Stop talking about insects!

 

23. Put up with

There are sometimes unbearable situations or people who drive us crazy and test our resilience like city traffic, obnoxious people, or a fly in your soup.

You decide how far you can put up with these things, that is, if you tolerate or resist them. The important thing is that you don’t lose your temper or lose control.

My mother won’t put up with my sisters or me swearing.

 

24. Turn up

There is a party starting in your home. What’s the first thing you do? Turn up the volume.

Then a person appears that you haven’t seen for a long time. She turned up at the party.

We can also use it to mention that we found something after an exhaustive search…which is usually the TV remote control.

Oh! My phone turned up in my bed!

As always, Julian turned up late.

Please turn the music up, I love this song!

 

25. Watch out

We can use this compound verb to warn someone of a danger on the spot.

For example, if there’s a gap in the road or something is falling, you can simply say, “Watch out!” You can also warn someone using a more elaborate sentence like:

Watch out in the mountains; there are bears there!

 

 

 

That’s enough, right? These are only a small fraction of all the phrasal verbs that exist in English. By learning and improving your phrasal verbs, you’ll become a student with effective and efficient communication.

Remember you can’t interpret phrasal verbs literally, but you can use either the context or a dictionary to deduce what they mean.

We hope that you’ve learned a lot. If you want to improve your English, follow our journal, download the app, or sign up for our online English course.

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150 comments

  1. Kate, you really thought up a great collection of phrasal verbs. I think students should keep on using phrasal verbs in their English conversations. It’s great that students can always count on nice English learning sites like ABA English to help them pick up useful tips and brush up their English 🙂

  2. Hello….
    Is their any difference between England’s English, Australian English and American English. Please help.
    And also tell me can we make different sentences using any phrasal verb like blow up.I mean who many sentences can we make on one phrasal verb.

  3. Its so very helpfull, specialy in my studies
    Thanks for this information 🙂

  4. Thanks!! I learnt alot from this wonderful post!! ( I am an English learner 🙂 )

  5. it help me soooooooooooooooooo much thanksssssssss

  6. thankyou sooooooooooooooo much becoz tis helped in my exams..:) 😀 😛

  7. Thank you so much

  8. Thanks lots! your post really helps me to understand about phrasal verbs 🙂
    is all of phrasal verbs informal?

  9. 1.”which places have you been?” -this one is correct.
    2.”which places had you been?” -this one is wrong.

    Can you please tell me why the 2nd one is wrong. And suppose I visited Russia last year. Then what should I say ‘I have been in Russia last year’ or ‘I had been in Russia last year’.

    • Hi San,

      We would say “What places have you been to?”.

      If you visited RUssian last year, you would say “I was in Russia last year” because it is a finished action in the past.

  10. OMG, I really loved this post!! I have never thought of teaching phrasal verbs this way… Thanks Kate

  11. Hello Kate,

    Next year I’ll be studying in England in high school.
    I was checking phrasal verbs but I don’t know what else
    to do to be prepared for next year.

    Thanks

    • Hi,

      Thanks for your comment. Studying and memorising the phrasal verbs is very important. I hope you learn a lot in England and have a great experience. 🙂

  12. I really helpful for me thank you :]

  13. Hi mam its rahul from india….please give some tips for competative english grammer..

  14. Kate, I am working on a paper/presentation, and I am wondering what source(s) you used to establish the “most useful” PVs, or if you and your experiences were the major sources.
    Thanks so much!

  15. WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IDIOMS AND PHRASAL VERB?

    • Hi Ajit,

      Thanks for your question.

      Phrasal verbs are made up of a normal verb + preposition which then changes the meaning of the verb.
      Idioms on the other hand are set phrases in English which have a specific meaning and can’t normally be translated literally to other languages.

      Good luck! 🙂

  16. Thanx a lot of u for your wonderful job.

  17. Mohamed swdaqathulla

    It is useful and very easy to understand.Thanks for this activity

    • Hi Mohamed,

      Thanks for your feedback. I’m glad that you found this blog post useful and easy to understand 🙂

  18. I found the list really helpful. Kate, Thank you for transferring your knowledge to us.

  19. it has given me immense knowledge otherwise i was nothing in english . i dont have the worlds to thanks you

    • Hi Parvesh,

      I’m glad that your English is improving thanks to the blog. Keep up the good work. 🙂

  20. Hi… Myself Govind. I learned English from starting and always study in English medium school. But now l cant speak enlish or write. So please help me frnd

  21. Hello, i woul like to ask
    for this phrasal verb put up… is correct if i say: Can you put up all your toys and leave them on the box? or put up is just to say : put your hands up!!!

    • Hello Paulina!
      In American English you can say “Can you put up all your toys and leave them IN the box?”, because it means to place something in a container or storage.
      If you want to be understood both by British and Americans, you could use “put away” instead.
      Hope it helps! 😉

  22. Hello, i woul like to ask
    for this phrasal verb put up… is correct if i say: Can you put up all your toys and leave them on the box? or put up is just to say : put your hands up!!!

    • Hello Paulina!
      In American English you can say “Can you put up all your toys and leave them IN the box?”, because it means to place something in a container or storage.
      If you want to be understood both by British and Americans, you could use “put away” instead.
      Hope it helps! 😉

  23. I would add “figure out” to the list of common phrasal verbs

  24. I would add “figure out” to the list of common phrasal verbs

  25. I am begiiners want to learn from very basics …….so plz help me MAM!!!!

  26. I am begiiners want to learn from very basics …….so plz help me MAM!!!!

  27. Kate You so beautiful, I felt in love with you in the first sight!.

  28. Kate You so beautiful, I felt in love with you in the first sight!.

  29. Hi! I’m Sanae, I’m from Morocco. I really liked this site , it’s very beneficial. I will try to memorize those phrasal verbs through puting each verb in a sentence . Thanks for everything. Go on

    • Hello Sanae! Thank you, you’re so kind!
      Using the phrasal verbs in sentences is a very good way to learn them! Good job! 😉

  30. Hi! I’m Sanae, I’m from Morocco. I really liked this site , it’s very beneficial. I will try to memorize those phrasal verbs through puting each verb in a sentence . Thanks for everything. Go on

    • Hello Sanae! Thank you, you’re so kind!
      Using the phrasal verbs in sentences is a very good way to learn them! Good job! 😉

  31. Hi Kate! My curiosity of most useful phrasal verbs brought me here. Yass! I ended up enjoying some other posts and having this site bookmarked in the end.
    Thank you so much for running this site. You’re so kind and I wish you all the joy in life! Please keep doing what you do; spreading love through helping other at being better with English like this.

    • Wow Arvin! Those are really kind words of you!
      I really hope you’ll keep on following this blog (you can chek out our other social networks for more useful content)
      Wish you all the best too! 🙂

  32. Hi Kate! My curiosity of most useful phrasal verbs brought me here. Yass! I ended up enjoying some other posts and having this site bookmarked in the end.
    Thank you so much for running this site. You’re so kind and I wish you all the joy in life! Please keep doing what you do; spreading love through helping other at being better with English like this.

    • Wow Arvin! Those are really kind words of you!
      I really hope you’ll keep on following this blog (you can chek out our other social networks for more useful content)
      Wish you all the best too! 🙂

  33. Hi Kate
    I’m Mertcan from Turkiye.This website is so benefical to develop my vocabulary skills.I want to thank you for posts.Please keep going to share .

  34. Hi Kate
    I’m Mertcan from Turkiye.This website is so benefical to develop my vocabulary skills.I want to thank you for posts.Please keep going to share .

  35. Can you please tell me a phrasal verb which means no longer useful

    • Hi Anusha,

      Thanks for your question. A phrasal verb which means that something is no longer useful or no longer functions well could be “to wear out”. For example: “The jacket is worn out”.

  36. Can you please tell me a phrasal verb which means no longer useful

    • Hi Anusha,

      Thanks for your question. A phrasal verb which means that something is no longer useful or no longer functions well could be “to wear out”. For example: “The jacket is worn out”.

  37. I also teach ESL, I was very surprised while I was making a list of phrasal verbs for my students, how many of them use ‘up’. Seems optimistic!

    • Hi John,

      Yes, there definitely are a lot of phrasal verbs which which use “up”. Good luck to your students in their studies.

  38. I also teach ESL, I was very surprised while I was making a list of phrasal verbs for my students, how many of them use ‘up’. Seems optimistic!

    • Hi John,

      Yes, there definitely are a lot of phrasal verbs which which use “up”. Good luck to your students in their studies.

  39. Hey Kate,
    I think, you have a zeal to share the things with all among from your best & I would also like to be in contact with you like persons forever….
    It is nice experience to read your phrasal verbs and would must try to entirely put up these all.

    Thanks

  40. Hey Kate,
    I think, you have a zeal to share the things with all among from your best & I would also like to be in contact with you like persons forever….
    It is nice experience to read your phrasal verbs and would must try to entirely put up these all.

    Thanks

  41. Lovely
    no PDF??

    • Hi Laure,

      Thanks for your comment. You could copy the text and save it in a word document so that you have a copy of it on your computer to refer to in future. 🙂

  42. Lovely
    no PDF??

    • Hi Laure,

      Thanks for your comment. You could copy the text and save it in a word document so that you have a copy of it on your computer to refer to in future. 🙂

  43. Hi Kate, I love your post, but I have a question about the methodology. How do you know these are the 25 most useful phrasal verbs?

    • Hi,

      Thanks for your question! These phrasal verbs are used on a very regular basis and have many different contexts making them very useful indeed.

      Good luck with them. 😉

  44. Hi Kate, I love your post, but I have a question about the methodology. How do you know these are the 25 most useful phrasal verbs?

    • Hi,

      Thanks for your question! These phrasal verbs are used on a very regular basis and have many different contexts making them very useful indeed.

      Good luck with them. 😉

  45. Really wonderful collections. Love your efforts. Carry on! Just carry on! One day i’ll be a very good writer 🙂

  46. Really wonderful collections. Love your efforts. Carry on! Just carry on! One day i’ll be a very good writer 🙂

  47. Thank you very much I ll use it in my daily conversation until pass away.

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