100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples

Last updated on June 14th, 2025 at 05:03 pm

If you’re learning English, you’ve probably come across phrasal verbs like wake up, turn off, or look after. These little word combinations are everywhere in everyday conversations, TV shows, and books. That’s why we’ve created this helpful 100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples to make learning them easier and more fun.

Phrasal verbs are simply phrases made up of a verb and one or two short words—usually prepositions or adverbs—that together create a new meaning. They might look simple, but they can be tricky because their meanings aren’t always obvious from the words themselves.

In this lesson, you’ll find clear meanings and easy-to-understand examples for 100 of the most frequently used phrasal verbs in English.

What is a Phrasal Verb?

A phrasal verb is a type of verb that combines a verb with a preposition or adverb, or, in some cases, both a preposition and an adverb. It changes the exact meaning when it is combined with prepositions or adverbs. Let’s look at a simple example:

• Verb only: Turn – to rotate something
• Phrasal verb: Turn off – to stop something from working (like a light or computer)

👉 Turn off the light before you leave the room.

In this sentence, turn off means to stop the light from working, not just to rotate it!

Let’s see some other examples of phrasal verbs in sentences:

• He calls off his teammate from the field.
• All of his dreams break down by accident.
• The patient comes round soon
• Never give up on your studies.
• It’s tough to put up with reality.

Note: All the group verbs have changed their exact meaning when they combine with prepositions and adverbs.

100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples

A comprehensive list of 100 Phrasal Verbs in English with their meanings and examples is given below:

1. Act for

Meaning: Do something in favor
Example: Mr. Kim acts for my father.

2. Bear with

Meaning: Tolerate
Example: I can’t bear to continue with this suffering.

3. Break down

Meaning: Crush
Example: The building is going to break down.

4. Break into

Meaning: Enter or open forcibly
Example: The thief breaks into the house.

5. Break through

Meaning:  Forcefully get in
Example: The man breaks through the shop.

6. Bring up

Meaning: Adopt
Example: He brings up the child.

7. Call for

Meaning: Demand
Example: Mrs. Selina calls for some money.

8. Call-in

Meaning: Summon
Example: Please call in the envoy.

9. Carry on

Meaning: Continue
Example: Let the task carry on.

10. Come after

Meaning: Try to find or capture
Example: The police come after the robber.

11. Come from

Meaning: Originate in
Example: He comes from Denmark.

12. Come of

Meaning: To be descended from
Example: She comes of a royal family.

13. Come off

Meaning: Happen, Occur
Example: Our program will come off tomorrow.

14. Come on

Meaning: Arrive faster
Example: They came on a few minutes ago.

15. Come round

Meaning: Recover consciousness
Example: The patient will come round soon.

16. Cut down

Meaning: Reduce
Example: He has cut down the forest for no reason.

17. Cut off

Meaning: Detach
Example: Mr. Hamilton cut off his relationship with his family.

18. Fall back

Meaning: Move or turn back
Example: They fall back from their mission.

19. Fall in

Meaning: Get in line, line up
Example: The students agreed to fall in.

20. Fall in with

Meaning: Agree
Example: They are willing to fall in with the agreement.

21. Fall off

Meaning: A decrease in something
Example: The leaves are fallen off the trees.

22. Fall through

Meaning: Come to nothing, fail
Example: All of his dreams fall through by this misdeed.

23. Fall on

Meaning: Attack fiercely or unexpectedly
Example: He falls on his enemy.

24. Fall into

Meaning: Separate
Example: The apple is fallen into three parts.

25. Get by

Meaning: Manage with difficulty to live
Example: It’s impossible to get by without my father.

26. Get away

Meaning: Escape
Example: The criminal has gotten away from jail.

27. Get down

Meaning: Descend
Example: Hold the pillar or you will get down.

28. Get in

Meaning: Arrive
Example: The boy got in a few minutes ago.

29. Get into

Meaning: Ascend
Example: He gets into the bus.

30. Get off

Meaning: Escape a punishment
Example: The thief is getting off from police custody.

31. Get over

Meaning: Overcome
Example: He gets over all the difficulties.

32. Get on

Meaning: Proceed
Example: You have to get on in this way.

33. Get out

Meaning: Go out
Example: Please get out of here right now.

34. Get through

Meaning: Succeed
Example: You will be gotten through after hard work.

35. Get up

Meaning: Rise
Example: We should get up early in the morning.

36. Give away

Meaning: Makeover
Example: The principal gives away all the prizes.

37. Give in

Meaning: Cease fighting
Example: The enemies give the battle in after losing their weapon.

38. Give out

Meaning: Disclose
Example: You should give out your offense.

39. Give up

Meaning: Abandon
Example: Never give up on your study.

40. Go about

Meaning: Roaming
Example: I go about in my dream.

41. Go after

Meaning: Follow
Example: You should go after your mentor.

42. Go along with

Meaning: Consent or agree
Example: She has to go along with the incident.

43. Go away

Meaning: Leave
Example: Please go away from your workplace.

44. Go back on/upon

Meaning: Withdraw
Example: I want to go back on my opinion.

45. Go over

Meaning: Change
Example: He goes over his decision.

46. Go down

Meaning: Sink or crush 
Example: The ship is going down after hitting the stone.

47. Go for

Meaning: Decide on, choose
Example: I went for the rose flower.

48. Go in for

Meaning: Like or habitually take part in
Example: I go in for sports.

49. Go off

Meaning: Of a gun, bomb, or similar device
Example: The vehicle is going off by accident.

50. Go on

Meaning: Continue
Example: Please go on your duty.

51. Go through

Meaning: Read
Example: She goes through the sweet story.

52. Hang up

Meaning: To stop a phone conversation
Example: Due to her excessive shouting, I hung up.

53. Hang about/around

Meaning: Remain near
Example: You have to hang about yourself.

54. Hang back

Meaning: Remain behind
Example: I never hang back when you speak.

55. Hang on

Meaning: To wait for a short time
Example: Please hang on a minute I’ll be back shortly.

56. Look forward to

Meaning: Expect eagerly
Example: I look forward to doing this job.

57. Look after

Meaning: Take care of
Example: Please look after my family.

58. Look down upon

Meaning: Hate
Example: I look down upon the culprit.

59. Look for

Meaning: Search
Example: He is looking for a new job.

60. Look into

Meaning: Investigate 
Example: The police look into the incident.

61. Look on, upon

Meaning: Watch without getting involved
Example: I have looked on at the incident carefully.

62. Look out

Meaning: Be vigilant and take notice
Example: The law enforcement agency is looking out for the affected area with enough caution.

63. Look over

Meaning: To examine something
Example: The teacher looks over the students.

64. Look through

Meaning: Inspect carefully
Example: Look through the device.

65. Look at

Meaning: Gaze
Example: Please look at the window.

66. Look up

Meaning: Find out
Example: Look up the criminal urgently.

67. Look up to

Meaning: Respect
Example: We should look up to our parents.

68. Look upon

Meaning: Obey
Example: You have to look upon your responsibility.

69. Make away

Meaning: Kill
Example: He made away with himself.

70. Make of

Meaning: Make something of
Example: The table is made of wood.

71. Make out

Meaning: Understand
Example: I have made out your problem.

72. Make over

Meaning: Transfer
Example: Mr. Joseph is made over from his workplace.

73. Make up

Meaning: Complete
Example: I made up all of my tasks.

74. Make for

Meaning: Move towards a place
Example: I have to make for a new place.

75. Put away

Meaning: Leave 
Example: They put away from the country.

76. Put down

Meaning: Write something
Example: Can you put down your address on the paper?

77. Put forward

Meaning: To offer an idea
Example: He rejected all the objections put forward by the man.

78. Put off

Meaning: Take off, postpone, get rid of
Example: You must put off your bad habits.

79. Put on

Meaning: Wear
Example: I put on my shoes.

80. Put out

Meaning: Extinguish
Example: Please put out the light.

81. Put together

Meaning: Be together
Example: We should be put together in order to face any danger.

82. Put up

Meaning: Hang up
Example: The girl put up her clothes on the roof.

83. Put up with

Meaning: Tolerate
Example: He can’t put up with the torture.

84. Run after

Meaning: Chase
Example: He runs after his aim.

85. Run away 

Meaning: Flee
Example: The boy has run away from his house.

86. Run into

Meaning: Fall into, to be involved in
Example: He ran into a dangerous place.

87. Run over

 Meaning: Go over quickly as a reminder
Example: She ran over without any hesitation.

88. Run out

Meaning: Become exhausted
Example: The man is run out.

89. See off

Meaning: To bid goodbye 
Example: I am waiting to see my friend off.

90. See-through

Meaning: Detect the true nature of
Example: I see through the incident.

91. Set in

Meaning: Begin and seem likely to continue
Example: I set my study in because my examination is knocking at the door.

92. Set off

Meaning: Begin a journey
Example: He sets off by train.

93. Set up

Meaning: Establish
Example: Mr. Campbell sets up a new organization.

94. Stand against

Meaning: Oppose
Example: I want to stand against the matter.

95. Stand by

Meaning: Support
Example: He stands by his friend.

96. Take off

Meaning: Put off
Example: He takes off his clothes.

97. Turn down

Meaning: Reject
Example: He turned down your allegation, whatever you claimed.

98. Turn off

Meaning: Stop
Example: Please turn off your handset now.

99. Turn on

Meaning: Let it work
Example: We have to turn on all our activities.

100. Work at

Meaning: Be engaged in
Example: We are working at a software company.

Conclusion

To sum up, these phrasal Verbs listed in English help us make a new sentence comfortably. Learning phrasal verbs may seem challenging initially, but with practice and consistency, it becomes much easier—and even fun! We hope this 100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples has helped you. So, we have to memorize all those phrasal verbs in the list with meanings and examples as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions

📄 Worksheet: 100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs (With Answers)

Part A: Match the Phrasal Verb with Its Meaning

Match the phrasal verbs in Column A with the correct meanings from Column B.

Your Answers:

Part B: Fill in the Blanks

Choose the correct phrasal verb from the box and fill in the blanks.

(get up, turn off, break down, hang out, take off)

1. I usually __________ at 6:30 a.m. on school days.
2. Don’t forget to __________ the lights before you leave.
3. Let’s __________ at the park after class.
4. My car might __________ if I don’t take it to the mechanic.
5. The airplane will __________ in 10 minutes.

Part C: Choose the Correct Phrasal Verb

Choose the correct phrasal verb for each sentence.

1. She ________ her shoes before entering the house.
   a) took off
   b) put off
   c) broke up
2. I can’t wait to ________ my birthday party.
   a) put out
   b) look forward to
   c) give up
3. They ________ the meeting because the manager was sick.
   a) called off
   b) gave up
   c) ran out

Part D: Write Your Own Sentences

Write original sentences using the following phrasal verbs:

1. come across –
2. work out –
3. wake up –
4. pass away –
5. make up –

✏️ Answer Key:

Part A:

1. A
2. C
3. E
4. B
5. D

Part B:

1. get up
2. turn off
3. hang out
4. break down
5. take off

Part C:

1. a) took off
2. b) look forward to
3. a) called off

Part D:

(Answers will vary – here are sample responses)

1. I came across an old photo of us in the drawer.
2. They work out together every morning.
3. I wake up early to study before school.
4. His grandmother passed away peacefully.
5. She made up a funny story to make us laugh.

Have a look at these useful links:

• 100 Idioms and Phrases with meaning and examples
• What is a Sentence in English grammar?
• What are Articles in English grammar?
• 8 Parts of Speech | Definition, Types, and Examples
• 12 types of Tense in English grammar

Azizul Hakim

Azizul Hakim is the founder & CEO of englishfinders.com. He is a passionate writer, English instructor, and content creator. He has completed his graduation and post-graduation in English language and literature.