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Phrasal Verbs

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Phrasal Verbs List

Verb

Meaning

Example

ask someone out

invite on a date

Chris asked Sara out to

dinner.

ask around

ask many people the same

question

I asked around but nobody

has seen my keys.

add up to something

equal

Your purchases add up to

$175.00

back something up

reverse

You'll have to back up your

car so that I can get out.

back someone up

support

My friend 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 the

balloons up for the party.

break down

stop functioning (vehicle,

machine)

His car broke down on the

highway.

break down

get upset

He broke down when the

doctor told him that his son
had died.

break something
down

divide into smaller parts

My teacher broke the

project down into three
separate parts.

break in

force entry to a building

Somebody broke in last

night and stole the money.

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break into something

enter forcibly

The police had to break into

the house to rescue the dog.

break something in

wear something a few times so

that it doesn't look/feel new

I need to break these shoes

in before the game.

break up

end a relationship

My girlfriend and I broke

up.

break out

escape

The prisoners broke out of

jail at night.

break out in
something

develop a skin condition

I broke out in a rash after I

used that makeup.

bring someone down

make unhappy

This sad story is bringing

me down.

bring someone up

raise a child

My parents brought me up
in a nice house.

bring something up

start talking about a subject

My girlfriend gets mad when

I bring up sports.

call around

phone many different

places/people

I called around but I wasnt

able to find anyone who had
tickets to the concert.

call someone back

return a phone call

I called my friend back but

he wasnt home.

call something off

cancel

She called the wedding off

because she found out he
cheated.

call on someone

ask for an answer or opinion

The teacher called on me for

a question.

call on someone

visit someone

I called on you last night but

you weren't home.

phone

Give me your phone number

and I will call you up when I
get to your city.

call someone up

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calm down

relax after being angry

You are so mad. You need to

calm down.

not care for

someone/something

not like (formal)

I don't care for her bad

attitude.

catch up

get to the same point as

someone else

You'll have to study a lot, if

you want to catch up in
math class.

check in

arrive and register at a hotel or

airport

What time is check in?

check out

leave a hotel

You have to check out of

the hotel before 12:00 AM.

check
someone/something
out

look at carefully, investigate

The company checks out all

new employees references.

check out
someone/something

look at (informal)

Check out the clothes on

her!

cheer up

become happier

He cheered up when he
heard the good news.

cheer someone up

make happier

I brought you some movies

to cheer you up.

chip in

help

If everyone chips in we can

finish the work faster.

clean something up

tidy, clean

My mom told me to clean

up my bedroom.

come across
something

find unexpectedly

I came across these old

photos when I was cleaning
the house.

come apart

separate

The toy will come apart if

you pull on it.

come down with

something

become sick

She came down with a cold

yesterday.

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come forward

volunteer for a task or to give

evidence

He came forward and

admitted he broke the
window.

come from
somewhere

originate in

That clothing style comes

from London.

count on
someone/something

rely on

He is counting on me to
finish the work.

cross something out

draw a line through

Please cross out the old

phone number and write
your new one.

cut back on
something

consume less

I have to cut back on candy.

cut something down

make something fall to the

ground

I have to cut the trees down.

cut something off

stop providing

The Electric company cut

off our power because we
didn't pay the bill.

cut something out

remove part of something

(usually with scissors and
paper)

He cut the picture out of the

magazine.

do something over

do again (N.Amer.)

I have to do my test over

because I got a bad grade.

do away with
something

discard

It's time to do away with all

of these old clothes.

do something up

fasten, close

Do your coat up, It's

freezing!

dress up

wear nice clothing

For the party tonight I have

to dress up.

drop back

move back in a position/group

He dropped back to last

place in the race when he
tripped.

drop in

come without an appointment

I will drop in to talk next

week.

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drop
someone/something
off

take someone/something
somewhere and leave them/it
there

Can you drop me off at the

store?

drop out

quit a class, school etc

I dropped out of school.

eat out

eat at a restaurant

Im too tired to cook tonight.

Let's eat out.

end up

eventually reach/do/decide

We ended up going to the

beach instead of the movie.

fall apart

break into pieces

His watch fell apart when

he dropped it.

fall out

separate from an interior

The keys must have fallen

out of his pocket.

figure something out

understand, find the answer

I cant figure out this math

question.

fill something in

to write information in blanks

Please fill in the form with

your name, address, and
phone number.

fill something out

to write information in blanks

This form must be filled out.

fill something up

fill to the top

I need to fill the water bottle

up because it is empty.

find out

discover

I dont know if he is coming

with us to the movie. We
need to find out?

get something across

communicate, make
understandable

I wanted to get my point

across to her but she
wouldn't listen.

get along

like each other

I hope everyone on the team

can get along.

get around

have mobility

When I get my new car, I

can get around.

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get away

go on a vacation

I hope I can get away for a

week vacation.

get away with

something

do without being noticed or

punished

My brother always gets

away with cheating on tests.

get back

return

We will get back from our

vacation next week.

get something back

receive something you had

before

Dave got his ball back from

his friend.

get back at someone

retaliate, take revenge

Im going to get back at

him for breaking my glasses.

get back into

something

become interested in
something again

I got back into going to the

gym.

get on something

step onto a vehicle

Hurry up and get on the

train, before it is full!

get over something

recover from an illness, loss,

difficulty

I just got over this cold.

get round to
something

finally find time to do get

around to something)

This week I have to get

round to painting the house.

get together

meet (usually for social

reasons)

Let's get together for dinner

tonight

get up

get out of bed

I got up early today.

give someone away

reveal hidden information

about someone

His friend gave him away to

the police.

give something away

give something to someone for

free

Im giving away my bike.

give something back

return a borrowed item

I have to give this book

back to Lisa tonight.

give in

reluctantly stop fighting or

arguing

I didnt want to go to that

movie, but I finally gave in.

give something out

give to many people (usually

at no cost)

They were giving out free

ice cream samples at the ice
cream store.

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give something up

quit a habit

I am giving up smoking.

give up

stop trying

The puzzle was too difficult

so I gave up.

go after someone

follow someone

The police tried to go after

the thief.

go after something

try to achieve something

She went after her dream

and now she is a movie star.

go against someone

compete, oppose

They are going against the

best team in the country.

go ahead

start, proceed

Please go ahead and eat.

go back

return to a place

I have to go back home and

get my keys.

go out

leave home to go on a social

event

We're going out for dinner

tonight.

go out with someone

date

Sean has been going out

with Katie for two years.

go over something

review

Please go over your answers

before you submit your test.

go over

visit someone nearby

Lets go over to Toms

house.

grow apart

stop being friends over time

After we went to different

universities we grew apart.

grow back

regrow

I cut my hair but it grew

back quickly.

grow up

become an adult

When he grows up he wants

to be a policeman.

get too big for

Children always need new

clothes, because they grow
out of them fast.

grow out of
something

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grow into something

grow big enough to fit

The shirt is too big for her

now, but she will grow into
it soon.

hand something down

give something used to

someone else

I handed my old clothes

down to my little brother.

hand something in

submit

I have to hand in my
homework by Tuesday.

hand something out

to distribute to a group of
people

The teacher will hand out

the paper when youre ready.

hang in

stay positive

Hang in there. The class

will get easier.

hang on

wait a short time (informal)

Hang on while I grab my

keys!

spend time relaxing (informal)

Instead of going to the

movie we are going to hang
out at her house.

hang up

end a phone call

He was so angry, he didnt

say goodbye. He just hung
up.

hold something back

hide an emotion

She held back her tears at

the funeral.

hold on

wait a short time

Hold on while I go get my

jacket.

hold onto
someone/something

hold firmly using your hands

or arms

Hold onto your hat because

it's very windy outside.

keep on doing
something

continue doing

Keep on talking, Im
listening.

keep something from

someone

not tell

We kept the secret from

you, because we didnt trust
you.

keep
someone/something
out

stop from entering

Keep the dog out of the car.

hang out

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let someone down

fail to support or help,

disappoint

I need you to help me. Don't

let me down.

let someone in

allow to enter

Can you let me in the house.

its cold outside?

look after
someone/something

take care of

I have to look after my

younger brother.

look down on
someone

think less of, consider inferior

Ever since I cheated on that

test, our teacher has looked
down on me.

look for
someone/something

try to find

I'm looking for a new shirt

for the party.

look forward to
something

be excited about the future

I'm looking forward to your

birthday party.

look into something

investigate

We are going to look into

the price of cars today.

look out

be careful, vigilant, and take

notice

Look out! That dog is going

to bite you.

look out for

someone/something

be especially vigilant for

You have to look out for

sharks in the water.

look something over

check, examine

Can you look over my

homework for mistakes?

look something up

search and find information in

a reference book or database

You can look his phone

number up in the
phonebook.

look up to someone

have a lot of respect for

My little brother has always

looked up to me.

make something up

invent, lie about something

Matt made up a story about

why we were late.

make up

forgive each other

We were angry yesterday,

but we made up today.

mix something up

confuse two or more things

I mixed up their names.

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pass away

die

His father passed away

yesterday.

pass out

faint

It was so hot in the hospital

that a man passed out.

pass something out

give the same thing to many

people

The teacher passed the tests

out.

pass something up

decline (usually something

good)

I passed up the job because

I am not sure I want to
move.

pay someone back

return owed money

Thanks for buying my lunch.

I'll pay you back tonight.

pay for something

be punished for doing

something bad

He will pay for hitting my

friend.

pick something out

choose

I picked out these books to

read.

point
someone/something
out

indicate with your finger

I'll point my friend out

when he walks by.

put something down

put what you are holding on a

surface or floor

You can put the bag down

on the floor.

put someone down

insult, make someone feel

stupid

The students put the new

student down because he
looked different.

put something off

postpone

Im putting off the vacation

until I finish all this work.

put something out

extinguish

The firemen put the fire out.

put something
together

assemble

I have to put the bed

together.

put up with
someone/something

tolerate

I cant put up with his

stupid jokes anymore.

put something on

put clothing/accessories on
your body

Don't forget to put on a

jacket, its cold outside.

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run into
someone/something

meet unexpectedly

I ran into an old schoolfriend at the mall.

run over
someone/something

drive a vehicle over a person

or thing

He ran over my foot with

his car.

have none left

We ran out of food in the

house, so we had to go out to
eat.

send something back

return (usually by mail)

My letter got sent back to

me because I used the wrong
address.

set something up

arrange, organize

Im going to set a meeting

up at work Tuesday.

shop around

compare prices

You should shop around to

find a better price.

show off

act extra special for people

watching (usually boastfully)

She always shows off when

shes skiing.

sleep over

stay somewhere for the night

(informal)

Im going to sleep over

tonight at my friends house.

sort something out

organize, resolve a problem

We need to sort this

problem out.

stick to something

continue doing something,

limit yourself to one particular
thing

You will lose weight if you

stick to the diet.

switch something off

stop the energy flow, turn off

Im going to bed. Could you

switch the light off.

switch something on

start the energy flow, turn on

I you want to listen to music,

switch on the radio.

take after someone

resemble a family member

I take after my father. We

look alike.

take something apart

purposely break into pieces

He took the puzzle apart

and put it back into the box.

run out

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take something back

return an item

take off

start to fly

The plane takes off in five

minutes.

take something off

remove something (usually

clothing)

Take off your jacket, its

wet!

take something out

remove from a place or thing

Can you take the garbage

out to the garbage bin?

take someone out

pay for someone to go

somewhere with you

He took me out for dinner.

tear something up

rip into pieces

I tore up my ex-girlfriend's
letters.

think something over

Consider

I'll have to think this job

offer over before I make my
final decision.

throw something
away

dispose of

Dont throw your old

clothes away I will wear
them.

turn something down

decrease the volume or

strength (heat, light etc)

Please turn the radio down

while Im studying.

turn something down

Refuse

I turned the job down

because I don't want to
move.

turn something off

stop the energy flow, switch

off

You need to turn the TV off

and finish your homework.

turn something on

start the energy, switch on

Let's turn the lights on, its

dark in here.

turn something up

increase the volume or

strength (heat, light etc)

Turn the music up. This is

my favorite song.

turn up

appear suddenly

My keys turned up after we

stopped looking for them.

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Im going to take our new

car back because it doesn't
work.

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try something on

sample clothing

I'm going to try this shirt on,

to see if it fits.

try something out

Test

I am going to try this car

out.

use something up

finish the supply

I used all of the shampoo up

so I need to buy some more.

wake up

stop sleeping

I have to wake up early for

work everyday.

warm
someone/something
up

increase the temperature

You can warm your hands

up in front of the fireplace.

warm up

prepare body for exercise

The soccer players warm up

by running before the game.

wear off

fade away

The medicine wore off, I

need to take more.

work out

Exercise

I work out at the gym

everyday.

work out

be successful

His plan worked out

perfectly.

work something out

make a calculation

We have to work out the

answer to this math question.

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