Top 50 Phrasal Verbs in English

Overview:

Phrasal verbs are combinations of a verb + a preposition or adverb that create a new meaning different from the original verb. They are commonly used in English, especially in casual conversations.

For example:

• Look after → Take care of (e.g., “She looks after her younger brother.”)
• Give up → Stop doing something (e.g., “He gave up smoking.”)

Since the meaning often differs from the word’s literal meaning, learning them as complete phrases is important.

Top 50 Phrasal Verbs with Meaning & Examples:

1-10: Common Everyday Phrasal Verbs

1. Bring up – Mention a topic (She brought up an interesting point.)
2. Call off – Cancel (They called off the meeting.)
3. Carry on – Continue (He carried on with his work.)
4. Come across – Find by chance (I came across an old photo.)
5. Drop off – Deliver or fall asleep (I’ll drop you off at school. / He dropped off during class.)
6. Figure out – Understand (I can’t figure out this math problem.)
7. Get along – Have a good relationship (They get along very well.)
8. Give up – Quit (She gave up smoking last year.)
9. Go on – Continue (Please go on with your story.)
10. Hold on – Wait (Hold on a second!)

11-20: Work & Study Phrasal Verbs

11. Hand in – Submit (I handed in my homework late.)
12. Keep up – Maintain the same level (Keep up the good work!)
13. Look up – Search for information (Look up the meaning in a dictionary.)
14. Put off – Postpone (They put off the meeting to next week.)
15. Run out of – Have no more (We ran out of milk.)
16. Set up – Arrange/establish (She set up a new business.)
17. Take over – Gain control (The new manager took over the company.)
18. Turn down – Reject (She turned down the job offer.)
19. Work out – Solve/Exercise (We worked out the problem. / He works out daily.)
20. Catch up – Reach the same level (She ran fast to catch up with her friends.)

21-30: Travel & Movement Phrasal Verbs

21. Break down – Stop working (My car broke down yesterday.)
22. Check-in – Register at a hotel/airport (We checked in at 3 PM.)
23. Check out – Leave a hotel (We checked out at noon.)
24. Come back – Return (He came back late last night.)
25. Get in – Enter (She got in the car quickly.)
26. Get out – Leave (Get out of the house now!)
27. Go away – Leave (She told him to go away.)
28. Pick up – Collect someone/something (I picked up my friend from the airport.)
29. Set off – Start a journey (We set off early in the morning.)
30. Take off – Airplane leaving (The plane took off on time.)

31-40: Communication & Social Phrasal Verbs

31. Bring up – Raise a topic (He brought up an important issue.)
32. Cut off – Stop communication (The phone call was cut off.)
33. Drop by – Visit for a short time (She dropped by my house.)
34. Get back to – Reply later (I’ll get back to you soon.)
35. Hang out – Spend time with friends (We hung out at the mall.)
36. Hang up – End a phone call (She hung up suddenly.)
37. Let down – Disappoint (He let me down by not coming.)
38. Look after – Take care of (She looks after her baby sister.)
39. Put up with – Tolerate (I can’t put up with the noise.)
40. Show up – Arrive (He showed up late for the meeting.)

41-50: Other Useful Phrasal Verbs

41. Break up – End a relationship (They broke up last year.)
42. Calm down – Relax (Calm down, everything will be fine.)
43. Find out – Discover information (I found out the truth.)
44. Give in – Surrender (He gave in to pressure.)
45. Go through – Experience (She went through a tough time.)
46. Look forward to – Be excited about (I look forward to the holidays.)
47. Pass away – Die (His grandfather passed away last year.)
48. Put on – Wear clothes (He put on his jacket.)
49. Take after – Resemble a family member (She takes after her mother.)
50. Turn up – Appear or increase volume (He turned up late. / Turn up the music!)

Watch My YouTube Series on Phrasal Verbs

Want to learn phrasal verbs in a fun and easy way? Check out my YouTube channel, where I post a series on phrasal verbs with explanations and examples. Watch, learn, and improve your English fluency! 🎥📚