Welcome to ELB phrasal master guide. This article explains the purpose and grammar of phrasal verbs, and describes how they fit into sentences (as adapted from the book Word Order In English Sentences).

It also provides a list of phrasal verbs with definitions and examples, separated alphabetically by core verbs. It currently contains over 400 phrasal verbs to learn, which I will update to a total of over 700 (with comparative categories and exercises to follow). Some root verbs have links with separate pages going into more detail.

What are phrasal verbs?
How to learn phrasal verbs
How phrasal verbs fit in a sentence
Phrasal Verbs Master List
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with B
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with C
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with D
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with E
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with F
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with G
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with H
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with J
Phrasal Verbs Beginning with K

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

Phrasal verbs are multi-verb words that form a single meaning, acting as one grammatical unit. They combine a core verb with a particle, which typically looks like a preposition but actually serves as part of the verb phrase.

turn (verb) + up (particle) = turn up – to arrive, usually without planning
I turned up at the party at 8 pm.

Combined, the verb and the particle (or particles) create a specific meaning different to the original verb. Phrasal verb meanings are often quite nuanced, and may be difficult to guess, hence the need for master lists such as the one below, demonstrating different meanings.

How to Learn Phrasal Verbs

Because they have to be learnt individually, it is hard to master phrasal verbs, but this directory covers many of the major ones. There are many lists like this out there, and many books on the subject, so I’m merely giving this my own spin. As well as growing this list to over 700 verbs and definitions, I intend to add more examples of the phrasal verbs in longer, prose exercises, as the best way to study them is by seeing them in practical use.

You can learn phrasal verbs by using lists such as this to build your vocabulary, but it is probably best to take one core verb or topic of phrasal verbs at a time and focus on that, rather than trying to lots of very different verbs at once. It’s also worth looking out for phrasal verbs in everyday use, such as in online articles or newspapers, or in spoken English on TV and in film. Make a note of such verbs and refer back to a list like this for a definition – then try to use it yourself!

How Phrasal Verbs Fit in a Sentence

As phrasal verbs are formed from more than one word, they often interact with objects in different ways to regular verbs. Phrasal verbs and verbs connected to sentences with prepositions and adverbs usually use similar word order, and you might not see the difference in some sentences. For example:

I turned off the television. (off as a particle of turn off, to disable)
I fell off my chair. (off as a preposition showing a direction)

However, phrasal verb particles move with different grammatical rules to prepositions or adverbs. Prepositions typically come at the beginning of a noun phrase, to connect the noun to another idea. With objects this usually means the preposition directly follows the verb, but a phrasal verb particle can have two positions, either before or after the object:

Bill turned on the light.
Bill turned the light on.

Phrasal verbs without an object should usually be kept together, with the particle directly following the verb.

Try to keep up.
Try to keep up with the rest of the class. (NOT Try to keep with the rest of the class up.)

When a phrasal verb has an object, the particle can often go either before or after the object.

She gave back the expensive gift.
She gave the expensive gift back.

When the object is a pronoun, however, the particle MUST go after the object.

She gave it back. (NOT She gave back it.)
We looked it up. (NOT We looked up it.)

Generally, if the object contains more than one word, the particle comes before the object. This is more a matter of style, to be clear.

The boy kept up his high marks. (NOT The boy kept his high marks up.)

If the verb and object are followed by a prepositional phrase, it is also best to put the particle before the object, so you do not stack prepositions. Again, this is not a strict grammar rule, but it make sentences clearer.

She picked up her pen in the classroom. (NOT She picked her pen up in the classroom.)

Some phrasal verbs have more than one additional word, usually an adverb particle and a preposition, for example, to get on with (to get along, to continue or to dedicate time to). These multi-word phrasal verbs should not be separated, even with pronouns.

Rupert got on with the report.
Rupert got on with
We will look out for your sister in Chicago.
We will look out for her in Chicago.

Phrasal Verbs Master List

Below is a master list of phrasal verbs with definitions and examples, divided alphabetically. There are currently over 140 examples of phrasal verbs, which I will eventually expand to a list of over 700. Click to expand each heading into a table. The examples use a variety of general English, academic English and business English to give a range of styles.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A

act	act on / act upon	Take action based on received information.	Henry acted on the reports of coming rain and bought a new umbrella.
			The police immediately acted upon the call about a robbery.
	act out	Perform with actions and gestures.	The children acted out a miniature production of Shakespeare.
	act out	Express negative emotions through action.	Clive was overtired, and acted out by throwing his cake on the floor.
	act up	Behave badly or strangely.	My son is acting up today, I think he ate too much sugar.
add	add on	Calculate in addition to an existing sum.	Remember to add on a tip when you pay the restaurant bill.
	add up	Make a total, usually for sums.	When I added up all the prices, the pile of clothes cost too much.
	add up	Make sense.	They said he was the murderer, but the evidence didn’t add up.
agree	agree with	Affect positively; usually used with “not” to show a bad consequence.	The long plane ride did not agree with me, I feel awfully ill.
aim	aim at	Target, literally for weapons or figuratively for an audience.	This book is aimed at intermediate learners.
allow	allow for	Consider as part of a plan.	Always allow for delays when travelling by train.
angle	angle for	Try to achieve through indirect means.	Lisa was angling for a promotion by bringing her boss cookies each morning.
answer	answer back	Respond negatively, usually to a figure of authority.	When they told her to go to bed, the child answered back with a terrible word.
	answer for	Guarantee / vouch for.	I’ll answer for Jim, he’s a wonderful plumber.
	answer for	Be held responsible for.	Someone will answer for the theft of my sandwich.
	answer to	Be accountable to / justify.	Erica disliked working in the family business because she always had to answer to her mother.
	answer to	Respond to particular name.	My dog is named Rex, but he also answers to Pup.
argue	argue down (1)	Defeat someone in an argument, debate or discussion.	She successfully argued down her political opponent.
	argue down (2)	Negotiate a lower price.	Ron argued down the salesman from £150 to £100.
ask	ask about / ask after	Ask how someone is, usually relating to health and life circumstances.	I saw Wendy at the weekend, she asked about you.
	ask around	Ask different people for either help or information.	I’m not sure which teachers drive to work so I’ll ask around.
	ask in	Invite someone inside, usually to a place of residence.	I would ask you in but my apartment is a mess.
	ask out	Invite someone on a date, or generally to become romantically involved.	Drew asked her out to dinner at the most expensive restaurant in town.
	ask over / ask round	Invite, usually to an owned or hosted location.	We’ll ask everyone over to watch a movie at our house this Friday.
auction	auction off	Sell something in an auction.	He auctioned off his model train collection, hoping to get the best price from collectors.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with B

back	back away / back off / back up	Go backwards / retreat.	The chef backed off once the cooker started to make a hissing sound.
	back down	Give up a position in a conflict, usually relating to an argument.	Carl was trying to convince them the car was blue, but he backed down when he saw the photos.
	back into (1)	Reverse into a space, usually when parking a vehicle.	She hates backing into her driveway because the entrance is so tight.
	back into (2)	Hit something when moving backwards, usually relating to a vehicle.	He backed into a bollard and dented the car.
	back out / back out of [something]	Abandon an agreed arrangement.	The investors backed out when they discovered the hotel was infested with rats.
			Herman backed out of the deal because he ran out of money.
	back up (1)	Support, either in a situation where a position is uncertain or to face an opposing force.	The numbers backed up his claims that the red shoes were most popular.
			Jimmy wasn’t tough, but his brothers always backed him up when he got in trouble.
	back up (2)	Make a copy / secure data.	Our company backs up our most important files on the Cloud every day.
	back up (3)	Create a blockage.	I wanted to drive through town, but Main Street was all backed up with traffic.
bargain	bargain down	Negotiate a lower price.	We bargained down the merchant and got the scarf for half the price.
bash	bash [something] about	Assault physically.	He got so angry with his computer that he bashed the monitor about.
	bash in	Break, damage or injure by physical force.	The fireman bashed in the door to rescue the cat.
	bash out	Produce something quickly, without much preparation (particularly writing).	She bashed out a letter quickly, to get it in the afternoon post.
be	be above	Be superior to, either in behaviour or rank.	I dislike Roger, but I am above arguing with him.
	be after	Try to get / find.	Tim has been after a new car for months, but they are all too expensive.
	be along	Arrive.	The train should be along soon.
	be away	Be somewhere else, such as on holiday.	Jane is away in France until next week.
	be cut out for	Be suitable, have the necessary qualities.	Ian was not cut out for working as an acrobat.
	be cut up	Be upset.	We were very cut up about our daughter losing the chess tournament.
	be down	Be unhappy.	Julia has been down since she lost her cat.
	be fed up	Be frustrated.	The cyclist was fed up with the rain.
	be in for	Be able to expect something, usually negative.	The polls suggest the President is in for a tough election.
	be on about	Talk about, usually implying unfocused or repetitive discussion.	I wasn’t sure what the news reporters were on about.
	be on to	Realise/discover truth.	Now he had proof she never went to the swimming pool, he was on to her.
	be out for	Pursue or seek, particularly for selfish reasons.	William was out for revenge since the children broke his window.
	be taken aback	Be surprised or shocked.	I was very taken aback when I saw my expensive phone bill.
	be taken with	Like something.	Chloe was taken with the new boy in class.
	be there for	Be available for, particularly for support in times of need.	Her cousins were always there for her when she needed them.
	be up	Be out of bed.	It’s 10am and my wife is still not up.
bear	bear down on	Move towards, usually with intimidating force.	The exit was close, but the security guards were bearing down on him.
	bear on	Affect / influence.	The name of the manufacturer bears importantly on her opinion of phones.
	bear out	Confirm the truth of something.	His growing belly bears out Isla’s theory that Fred is not really on a diet.
	bear up under	Endure pressure / deal with difficult situation.	Will my porch bear up under this snow?
	bear with	Be patient.	Waiting times are longer than usual, please bear with us.
beat	beat down	Strong downward force, often refers to sunshine or a fight.	With the sun beating down, they needed more water.
	beat off	Resist/defeat competition, often used literally for a fight.	She beat off three attackers with her bare hands.
	beat out	Narrowly win in competition.	Ed beat out five runners approaching the finishing line at the same time.
	beat up	Attack violently.	The boys beat up the janitor and stole his mop.
	beat [oneself] up	Feel bad/guilty about something.	It wasn’t your fault, don’t beat yourself up about it.
bend	bend down	Lower the upper half of your body.	I dropped my pen, can you bend down and get it?
believe	believe in	Feel confident in something / someone.	Tobi believes in fairies.
big	big up	Exaggerate importance.	The report bigs up the role Jim played in the campaign.
	bite off	Tear a part of something with teeth.	Rina bit off a piece of the chocolate bar.
black	black out	Loose consciousness / awareness.	I blacked out after drinking too many beers – I can’t remember anything!
blast	blast off	Leave the ground with force, usually for a spaceship or rocket.	The shuttled blasted off into space at 9 am.
block	block in	Obstruct by putting an object in the way of another, usually used for vehicles.	Mr Jonson could not leave his driveway because a parked car had blocked him in.
	block off	Obstruct a possible route of movement.	The neighbours blocked off their road for a street party.
blow	blow away (1)	Impress very much.	I was blown away by how good her book was.
	blow away (2)	Disperse by power of air.	The wind blew our umbrella away.
	blow away (3)	Kill, usually by gunfire or explosive.	The gangsters blew away their rivals in a hail of bullet.
	blow down / blow over (1)	Knock down by wind.	Our fence was blown down in the storm.
	blow in	Arrive suddenly / unexpectedly.	Aunt Dora blew in on the bus last night and hasn’t stopped nagging us since.
	blow off	Fail to keep an appointment.	Ulrich blew off his morning meetings to spend more time with his children.
	blow out	Extinguish by blowing.	The girl blew out all the candles on her birthday cake.
	blow over (2)	Pass naturally/with time.	The political climate seems bad right now but I’m sure it will blow over.
	blow up (1)	Enlarge (usually an image).	We blew up a picture of her face to cover the whole wall.
	blow up (2)	Explode.	After I shook my beer can too hard it blew up in my hand.
	blow [something] up (3)	Cause to explode.	They blew up the dam to divert the river through the valley.
	blow [something] up (4)	Inflate.	The man blew up the bouncy castle in only ten minutes.
boil	boil up	Increase a negative emotion.	My frustration boiled up the longer I spent on the phone.
	boil down to	Summarise a reason / explanation.	Her decision boils down to whether or not to move to New York.
bone	bone up on	Intensive / rapid study of a specific topic.	The whole class will be boning up on grammar for tomorrow’s test.
book	book in	Check in at a hotel.	Nina booked into the best hotel in town.
break	break away	Separate from something.	The younger students broke away to start their own project.
	break down (1)	Stop functioning properly/develop a fault, for an object.	Robert’s van broke down halfway to Edinburgh.
	break down (2)	Suffer mental collapse, for a person.	Harriet broke down and cried when she heard the news.
	break [something] down (3)	Divide into smaller parts.	It’s a complicated plan, so let me break it down for you.
	break in (1) / break into (1)	To enter a place illegally, often by force.	The thieves broke into the safe and stole the jewels.
	break [something] in (2)	Wear or use a new object enough to make it feel comfortable.	It took Sandy three weeks to break in her new boots.
	break into (2)	Successfully enter a difficult area of activity (particularly professional).	Alvin finally broke into the theatre with a leading role in 39 Steps.
	break into (3)	Start something suddenly/unexpectedly.	The girls were so happy they broke into song.
	break even	Neither gain nor lose.	After some wins and losses, we actually broke even at the casino.
	break off (1)	Remove a part of something with force.	Kiera pulled the door too hard and broke off the hinges.
	break off (2)	End something abruptly (also used for ending relationships).	The teacher broke off his lecture as soon as the bell rang.
	break out	Escape from a place or situation.	Four men broke out of the prison last night.
	break through	Get through a barrier or a surface by force (literal or figurative).	The squirrel broke through the screen and stole all the nuts.
	break up (1)	Split up a fight.	Ralph broke up the fight by spraying the boys with a hose.
	break up (2)	End a relationship.	Lola broke up with Dennis because he never cooked dinner.
	break up (3)	Separate into smaller parts.	There was only one cookie, so Mum broke it up and gave everyone a piece.
bring	bring about	Cause to happen.	The protests brought about a lot of discussion in Parliament.
	bring back (1)	Cause a recollection.	The smell of hot chocolate always brings back memories of my trip to Belgium.
	bring back (2)	Return something borrowed or absent for a time (literally for an object but also for abstract ideas like fashion).	Oliver finally brought back my scissors, which I gave him last year.
	bring down (1)	Reduce, particularly for prices.	The computer shop have brought down all their prices for Christmas.
	bring down (2)	Cause something to stop functioning, including systems, governments or creatures (e.g. through injury/death).	The women’s stirke brought down the whole company.
	bring [someone] down (3)	Make sad/miserable.	Losing her favourite pen has really brought Erin down.
	bring forward	Do sooner than planned.	I’m bringing forward my plans to go away to avoid the school holidays.
	bring over / bring round	Deliver something casually (including people).	Don’t panic, Jenni is bringing over more wine soon.
	bring out	Reveal something (usually from another location, but also for qualities and emotions).	The team brought out a new striker for the second half of the match.
	bring up (1)	Introduce a topic for discussion.	He was reluctant to bring it up, but had to ask about her strange new haircut.
	bring up (2)	Elevate something to a higher level.	Hiring Billy has brought up the standard of our whole workforce.
	bring [someone] up (3)	Raise (for a child).	We brought up our son to always speak politely.
brush	brush off (1)	Remove something with a sweeping motion, usually by hand.	She brushed the dust off her skirt.
	brush off (2)	Ignore / pay little regard to.	I tried to speak to the manager but his assistant brushed me off.
	brush up	Review / renew a skill or knowledge that hasn’t been used recently.	Catrina brushed up on her Japanese before travelling to Tokyo.
build	build in / build into	Add a part to something during the creative process.	Samsung builds excellent cameras into their phones.
	build up	Encourage an exaggerated or particularly enthusiastic impression of something.	I can’t wait to see the Grand Canyon, everyone builds it up so much!
	build up to	Gradually introduce something.	The orchestra got more and more dramatic as they built up to the finale.
bump	bump into	Meet by accident or unexpectedly.	Wendy randomly bumped into Bill outside the shop this morning.
burn	burn down	Destory with fire, usually something that can be reduced in height.	The crazy teenagers burnt down the school shed.
	burn out (1)	Run out of fuel for a fire.	The candle burnt out just after they entered the cellar.
	burn out (2)	Completely run out of energy / enthusiasm.	Vivian studied so hard she burnt out just before the exams.
	burn up	Destroy with fire, usually something that can be completely reduced by fire.	To make sure no one discovered them, the pirates burnt up all their treasure maps.
burst	burst out	Suddenly say or do something.	She burst out laughing when she saw Gary’s new earring.
butt	butt in	Interrupt abruptly.	Mike is so rude, he always butts in while others are talking.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with C

call	call around	Call a number of different places, usually by phone.	I called around town to ask which pet shops were open.
	call back	Call again (by phone).	Jerry rang while you were out and said she will call back later.
	call in (1)	Request someone come to help.	The pipe’s leaking, call in a plumber!
	call in (2)	Visit casually, usually for a short time.	Lola quickly called in on Mary to borrow her camera.
	call in (3)	Demand repayment of a debt.	Julia called in a favour from the mayor to avoid paying a parking fine.
	call off	Cancel a planned event.	The festival was called off because of the rain.
	call up	Phone.	Sam called up his parents to give them the good news.
calm	calm down	Become emotionally calmer.	Freda was so angry, it took her hours to calm down.
cancel	cancel out	Create a balance (in contrast to something).	Our boss’s generosity cancels out his bad temper.
cap	cap off	Finish or complete, often with some decisive action.	The Eagles capped off the game with a brilliant field goal.
care	care for	Like, often used with a negative.	Penny never cared for blueberries.
carry	carried away	Take an emotion or action to an extreme.	He was enjoying painting so much he got carried away and didn’t notice the time.
	carry forward	Progress something.	The project leader carried forward what they had learnt to the new assignment.
	carry off	Succeed or win.	Hillary carried off the first prize for fencing
	carry on	Continue.	Despite the noise outside, Wesley carried on reading like nothing had happened.
	carry out (1)	Move something from one place to another by lifting.	This box is very heavy, can you help me carry it out to my car?
	carry out (2)	Complete a task.	He carried out many dangerous missions for the special forces.
	carry over	Assign something to be completed later (usually in business).	Four items had to be carried over to the next meeting.
catch	catch on	Start to understand or become able (usually after not immediately understanding).	It was a difficult dance but she quickly caught on.
	catch up	Reach something that is ahead of you.	The runner was so far ahead, no one could catch up to him.
	catch up with	Get up to date with someone (or something, e.g. a TV show).	I hadn’t seen Rita in years, so we caught up over a coffee.
cheat	cheat on	Be emotionally or physically unfaithful to someone.	Erin’s husband cheated on her with his colleague.
check	check in	Officially register at a hotel or for a flight (usually upon arrival).	We’ll go up to our room right after we check in.
	check into	Investigate.	Clive hired a new accountant to check into the discrepencies in the financial records.
	check out	Officially register as leaving a hotel or other establishment.	It’s hotel policy that you must check out by 11am.
	check [something] out	Investigate in detail (formally) or observe something (informally).	Check out that Ferrari in the driveway!
cheer	cheer up	Become or make happier.	Teri bought ice cream to help cheer Ben up.
chicken	chicken out	Avoid doing something from fear.	Ian chickened out of trying to get into the club.
chip	chip in	Contribute towards something (usually as a group).	Everyone chipped in for Carl’s retirement gift.
chop	chop up	Cut something into small pieces with a sharp tool.	The chef chopped up all the carrots for the stew.
clean	clean out	Thoroughly clean or empty an interior space.	It took us two hours to clean out the attic.
	clean up	Clean or tidy.	We need to clean up this broken glass before Mum gets home!
clear	clear out	Completely remove things from a place.	Nina cleared out the garage so she could fit in the new van.
	clear up	Resolve a problem or misunderstanding.	They cleared up by the confusion by hiring a translator.
clog	clog up	Block flow, for instance with a stoppage in a pipe.	The sink overflowed because the drain was clogged up by hair.
close	close down	Permanently close a business or service.	Our favourite restaurant closed down after the rat incident.
	close off	Block access to somewhere.	Police closed off the street after the explosion.
come	come about	When something happens.	The revolution came about because the rich people would not share.
	come across (1)	How something seems/is perceived by others.	Michael came across very knowledgable with his facts about penguins.
	come across (2)	Find or discover.	I came across an old Roman coin whilst digging in the garden.
	come apart	When something breaks or separates into pieces (literal or figurative).	The bike came apart because the bolts were not tight enough.
	come back	Return to a location.	He’s been upset since he came back from the war.
	come down	Move to a lower position, or from north to south.	Chris’s cat won’t come down from the tree.
	come down to	When a situation leads to a defining outcome.	The contest came down to whether or not Hugh could score 40 points with one dart.
	come down with	Become symptomatic of an illness.	I’ve got a sore throat, I may be coming down with the flu.
	come forward	Volunteer to do something or give information.	When the police asked for witnesses, four people came forward.
	come in	Enter somewhere.	Bob came into the room and gasped at the mess.
	come off	Be removed from something previously attached to.	I can’t boil the kettle because the plug came off.
	come on	Appear on television or other broadcast media.	I have to hurry home, my show comes on at 9pm!
	come out	Leave somewhere.	When Mr Jones came out of the barbers, he looked like a new man.
	come over	Visit casually.	Do you want to come over for a cup of tea?
	come through	Arrival of something expected or anticipated.	The email finally came through just before midnight.
	come up	Appearance or occurrence of something, usually unexpected.	He couldn’t get to the meeting because something came up at home.
	come up with	Find a solution, have a new idea or produce something new.	Erika will come up with a new design for the website soon.
con	con into	Persuade someone to do something through deception.	My friends conned me into going to the mall by saying there would be free ice cream.
	con out of	Persuade someone to give something up through deception.	The salesman conned us out of £50 for fake boots.
cool	cool down	Lose temperature / calm emotionally.	Leave the pans to cool off before you pour water on them.
	cool off	Lose temperature / calm emotionally.	After losing the big account, Tim needed some time to cool off before going back to work.
count	count on	Rely on.	We’re counting on Ryan to bring balloons to the party.
	count up	Count all parts of something.	She counted up all the students and realised there were not enough books.
cover	cover up	Conceal, usually by using something else.	They covered up the stain with a cloth.
crack	crack down	Take heavy action against wrongdoing.	The librarians are cracking down on eating in the library.
cross	cross off	Cancel something from a list.	Fiona worked all morning, crossing off all her chores.
	cross over	Move from one side to another.	Though he disagreed at first, Evan crossed over to Eva’s thinking after she explained.
cut	cut back (1)	Spend less money.	The Robertsons cut back their spending to save up for a holiday.
	cut down / cut back (2)	Do less or consume less of something.	You need to cut down your coffee consumption, it’s making you stressed.
	cut off (1)	Completely remove or separate a part of something by cutting it.	George cut off his shirt sleeves to make a vest.
	cut off (2)	Break communications.	We were talking on the phone but got cut off by the storm.
	cut out	Remove something from within something else by cutting.	I cut out a discount coupon from a magazine.
	cut up	Cut something into many pieces.	She cut up a newspaper so she could use it to pad the hamster cage.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with D

decide	decide upon	Choose, select.	Bob wanted all the shoes, but eventually decided upon the orange ones.
die	die away	Gradually decline (particularly with sounds).	The sound of the bell died away as we got further from it.
	die back	When a plant appears to die for the winter, but the roots remain alive.	The foliage died back around December but was thick again by April.
	die down	Decrease or become quieter.	The shouts died down later in the day as the protesters got more tired.
	die for	Greatly desire.	Do you have any beer? I’m dying for a drink.
	die off	Become extinct.	The red squirrels of England died off after the grey squirrels arrived.
	die out	Become extinct or disappear.	The dinosaurs died out billions of years ago.
dig	dig in	Begin eating, with enthusiasm.	After the hike, everyone dug in to their sandwiches.
	dig into	Reach into something (physically) or investigate for detail (figuratively).	He dug into his pocket for some loose change.
deal	deal with	Resolve a problem (often used with a threat of punishment, when referring to people).	Rob promised to deal with the squeaky door.
do	do away with	Dispose of, abolish (or kill, when referring to people).	We’re doing away with alcohol this month.
	do over (1)	Start again, with an aim to improve.	Andi’s essay was such a mess she decided to do it over from the start.
	do over (2)	Attack / beat severely.	The Carlito’s did over Young Bobby outside the butcher’s shop.
	do with	Use or place something somewhere, usually in questions or negatives.	What you done with my pen?
	do without	Cope without relying on something.	I could do without this much tea every day.
doze	doze off	Fall asleep, usually unintentionally.	The play was so boring, he kept dozing off.
dress	dress down (1)	Wear informal clothes.	She usually wears suits to work, but today she was dressed down in jeans.
	dress down (2)	Verbally reprimand.	The chef dressed down his assistant for adding too much pepper to the sauce.
	dress up	Wear a costume or clothing for a special occasion.	The children were dressed up as fairies for Halloween.
drop	drop in / drop by / drop over	Visit casually, usually without making plans.	Vince dropped by to check on Daisy because she wasn’t answering the phone.
	drop off (1)	Gradually decline.	Sales for sandals dropped off after summer.
	drop off (2)	Deliver.	They dropped off my new computer yesterday.
	drop out	Quit a course or leave school without qualifying.	Charlie dropped out of university after his first year to work in a bookshop.
dry	dry off	Dry something, usually quickly.	Rona spilt water on her skirt but dried it off quickly with a cloth.
	dry out	Dry the interior of something.	I’m drying out my boots because they have a hole in them.
	dry up (1)	When all moisture evaporates or disappears.	There’s been so little rain this year, the river is drying up.
	dry up (2)	Dry items washed in a kitchen.	If I wash the dishes, will you dry up?

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with E

eat	eat out	Have food away from home.	We’re going to eat out somewhere fancy for my birthday.
empty	empty out	Remove everything from somewhere.	Harry emptied out the garage to make space for his new car.
end	end up	How something results, planned or unplanned.	Jess didn’t have enough money for the bus so she ended up walking home.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with F

fall	fall apart	When something breaks, either into parts or completely.	The model airplane fell apart when she tried to move it.
	fall behind	Move relatively slower / lose ground on someone or something.	I didn’t do my homework often enough, and fell behind the rest of the class.
	fall down	Fall to the ground.	The house fell down because the foundations weren’t strong enough.
	fall for (1)	Be intensely attracted to someone or something.	Leanne fell for the new office manager from the first second she saw him.
	fall for (2)	Be tricked into believing something.	Be careful not to fall for the latest email scam.
	fall off	Drop to a lower level (unplanned).	Her picture fell off the wall and the frame broke.
	fall out	Fall from or through something.	I almost fell out the window while trying to wave at Ian.
	fall over	Fall from upright to the ground.	The jogger tripped on a log and fell over.
	fall through	When things do not go as planned, particularly when a deal is not completed.	The big merger fell through at the last minute when the CEO disappeared.
fawn	fawn over	Excessively praise, flatter or pay attention to.	Tyler clearly likes Jessica, he’s been fawning over her all weekend.
feed	feed off	Eat something as part of a diet.	Snakes often feed off live rodents.
	feed on	Give as a food (usually regularly).	They feed the birds on organic seed.
	feed up	Give as a restorative food (or with a purpose to gain weight).	After two months in the desert, they needed to feed the travellers up.
feel	feel up	Touch sexually, grope.	It’s horrible when men try to feel up women they do not know.
	feel up to	Have the right energy or mood for something.	Victor didn’t feel up to going to the pub after his run.
fight	fight back	Defend against an attack or competition.	The Rovers played poorly in the first half, but fought back in the second half of the game.
figure	figure on	Predict or plan for something.	I’ve got an umbrella because I figured on this rain.
	figure out	Solve, realise or otherwise resolve a problem or confusion.	It took ten minutes to figure out where we were on the map.
fill	fill in / out	Add information to a document or form.	The receptionist asked us to fill out all our personal details before seeing the consultant.
	fill up	Fill completely.	I’ll fill up the petrol tank before we drive to your aunt’s.
find	find out	Discover something.	Earl only found out about the birthday surprise by mistake.
fix	fix up (1)	Make plans or arrangements on someone else’s behalf.	We thought Trish and Neil would get along so we fixed them up on a date.
	fix up (2)	Repair or restore.	My cousin fixes up old cars and sells them.
flip	flip out	Snap / lose control emotionally.	When Dad sees the broken window he’s going to flip out!
float	float around	Drift without a particular location or destination.	Some suspicious men have been floating around outside the office.
follow	follow up	Take further action on something, often to learn more information.	Howard followed up on the seminar by emailing to thank everyone for coming.
fool	fool around (1)	Spend time doing trivial / silly things.	Kendra would do much better in her exams if she stopped fooling around playing computer games.
	fool around (2)	Be unfaithful, romantically.	Mrs Peterson never forgave her husband for fooling around on her.
freak	freak out	Snap / lose control emotionally, usually irrationally.	If someone doesn’t give me a coffee soon I’m going to freak out!

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with G

get	get across	Make understandable, communicate or explain.	They struggled to get across how serious climate change was.
	get ahead	Progress, particularly in a professional environment.	It takes a lot of hard work to get ahead in the legal profession.
	get ahead of	Advance before something.	He drove extra fast to get ahead of the bus.
	get along (1)	Have a good relationship.	I always get along with children.
	get along (2)	Leave.	We must get along soon or we will miss the last train home.
	get around to	Do something that has been previously delayed.	This weekend, can you finally get around to cleaning the car?
	get away	Escape.	Once we broke the locks, we got away from the prison by stealing a boat.
	get away with	Do something (usually not allowed) without consequences.	Mary got away with not doing her homework by giving the teacher chocolate.
	get back	Return.	You must tell me about your holiday when you get back.
	get [something] back	Retrieve something.	She was using my pen all day before I got it back.
	get back at	Get revenge.	Ricky got back at his sister by stealing the last bit of cake.
	get back to	Communicate at a later time, usually to add information or return a call.	I’m not sure of the figures right now, but I’ll get back to you with them in an hour.
	get behind (1)	Progress relatively slower, usually in work or education.	He’s getting behind the other students because he keeps skipping class.
	get behind (2)	Support.	Now that’s an ice cream flavour I can really get behind!
	get by	Pass / move around.	It was difficult to get by slow traffic on the narrow road.
	get down	Move to a lower level, or otherwise leave a raised surface.	What are you doing on the table? Get down at once!
	get in	Arrive or enter somewhere.	Let me know when Mr Jones gets into the office, please.
	get in touch	Contact, usually after some time without communication.	Kylie needed to get in touch with her long lost aunt about the missing jewels.
	get off	Leave a form of transport (except for a car).	Make sure you get off the train in Chicester.
	get off on	Take pleasure from something.	Pablo really gets off on winning chess tournaments.
	get on	Move your body onto a specific part.	We get on our knees to pray.
	get out	Leave or escape (including a car).	When I get out of this job, I’m going for a long holiday.
	get out of	Receive something positive from.	She got a lot of experience out of working at the bank.
	get over	Move over the top of an object, to the other side.	They used the step to get over the fence.
	get over with	Complete something (usually unwelcome) that needs to be finished.	The kitchen needs a lot of cleaning, let’s just get it over with.
	get through	Accurately communicate an idea.	Mr Fredricks somehow got through to even the most difficult students.
	get to	Arrive, or help someone else travel, somewhere.	Tina got to the shop early to change the display before opening time.
	get together	Met / socialise.	I can’t wait to get together with all my friends over Christmas.
	get up (1)	Rise from bed / sleeping.	Joey gets up at 6am every morning.
	get up (2)	Move to a higher level.	To find the Complaints deparment, you need to somehow get up to the 23rd Floor.
give	give away	Give for free.	Our neighbours are giving away all their furniture because they are moving to France.
	give [something] back	Return something to its owner.	I must remember to give back the pot we borrowed from Felicia.
	give in	Surrender.	After hours of nagging, Jamie’s dad gave in and let her watch TV.
	give out	Distribute.	The charity gave out care packages to everyone whose house was flooded.
	give up	Stop before completing a task, usually because it is difficult or problematic.	She gave up studying Japanese to learn Mandarin instead.
go	go about	Make efforts to do something.	He is going about writing this report with a very positive attitude.
	go after	Pursue a goal, usually with strong determination.	Lulu is going after her dream of playing piano professionally.
	go ahead	Proceed with something previously uncertain.	The bridge did not look safe, but we decided to go ahead and cross it.
	go along with	Accept an opinion or other idea.	We went along with their plan to install solar panels in every house.
	go around (1)	Follow a circular route.	Dina and Lou went around the park six times whilst chatting.
	go around (2)	Avoid an obstacle.	There’s a rock in the road, go around it!
	go away	Leave a place (or person).	Sasha is going away for the summer.
	go back	Return to a location.	The Knutsons go back to Switzerland every November.
	go back on	Fail to fulfil a promise or agreement.	The government went back on their promise of free school meals because it was expensive.
	go beyond	Do or be more than is expected.	Our software proposal went beyond the specifications they asked for.
	go by	Pass something, usually at a speed.	I didn’t even see the motorbike go by.
	go down	Move to a lower position / level.	Stock prices have been going down all week because of the investigation.
	go for	Pursue a goal, usually with strong determination.	Nina is going for first prize in the pie competition, no matter what.
	go in / into	Enter.	The doctor is waiting in his office, please go in.
	go in for (1)	Enter for a specific reason.	She went in for her injection.
	go in for (2)	Like or otherwise tolerate (usually used in the negative).	I don’t often go in for horror films.
	go off (1)	Leave, usually abruptly / without announcement.	He wasn’t enjoying the party so he went off without telling anyone.
	go off (2)	Spoil / go bad, usually for food.	The fridge stinks, I think something has gone off!
	go on (1)	Take place, usually for a longer event.	The street party went on all night.
	go on (2)	Continue, usually when communicating something.	She forgot what she was saying, but they were all waiting for her to go on.
	go on about	Talk about, often used to suggest it is boring or repetitive.	I hate talking to Roland; he always goes on about trains, trains, trains.
	go out	Leave an interior location, often to mean leave home for an evening.	Let’s go out to the club tonight!
	go over	Review / check.	Anna went over her essay six times before she was happy to submit it.
	go through with	Do something you previously committed to (often something difficult or reluctant).	Are you actually going through with your idea to run sixteen marathons?
	go up	Move to a higher position or level.	I want to go up the Eiffel Tower when we visit Paris.
	go up to	Approach.	Go up to the front desk and give them your name.
	go with	Accompany.	We went with our daughter to the fun fair.
	go without	Make do without something expected.	Cinthia is going without alcohol this January for charity.
goof	goof around / off	Spend time doing trivial / silly things.	You should be working instead of goofing around on your phone.
grow	grow apart	Gradually become less friendly/familiar.	When Alicia moved to another city, we really grew apart.
	grow back	Regrow.	Mrs White is growing back the potato plant that the dogs dug up.
	grow out of	Become too big or mature for something.	Our son keeps growing out of his new clothes.
	grow up	Become an adult / more mature.	Billy wants to be a doctor when he grows up.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with H

hand	hand back	Return something to someone.	When you had some water, hand the bottle back to me.
	hand down	Give something to a new owner.	Erin handed down all her old dresses to her younger sister.
	hand in	Give something to a person of authority.	The class handed in their test papers to the teacher.
	hand out	Distribute something for free.	The company are handing out free pencils to help people remember their name.
	hand over	Give something, usually when requested by authority.	After seeing the mess, Mum made me hand over my crayons.
hang	hang around	Spend time somewhere, casually.	I will hang around the office after work in case you need me.
	hang on (1)	Wait, usually as a command.	Hang on a moment while I tie my shoes!
	hang on (2)	Hold something for support or comfort	The stairs are slippy, so hang on to that railing.
	hang on (3)	Keep, often for longer than is usually expected.	I needed to return my new shoes after one month; fortunately, I hung on to the receipt.
	hang out	Hang something, usually to dry.	Bob spent twenty minutes hanging out sheets in the garden.
	hang up	Hang something on a hook or similar fixing.	We hung up our pictures on nails in the hall.
have	have on	Wear clothing or cosmetics.	What colour t-shirt does he have on?
head	head back	Return to a location.	It was getting dark, so the children decided to head back home.
	head for	When a situation becomes more likely.	Dulwich FC had played well all season, and were heading for promotion to the next league.
	head toward	Move to a particular destination.	The couple headed toward the lights of downtown for their night out.
hear	hear about	Learn news about something, usually casually.	Have you heard about the new appartments they’re building in town?
	hear of	Know about something.	No one had heard of Eric until he did a film with Brad Pitt.
heat	heat up	Increase the warmth of something.	Ryan heated up leftover casserole for dinner.
help	help out	Assist with something.	Can you help out at the soup kitchen this Friday?
hit	hit on (1)	Have an idea.	Isaac Netwon hit on the idea of gravity while under an apple tree.
	hit on (2)	Flirt.	Cameron was terrible at hitting on girls, so he just read books.
hold	hold against	Bear something against someone.	Don’t hold his extra weight against him, Bobby can run very fast.
	hold back	Resist doing something or showing emotion.	I want you to tell me what you really think of my art, don’t hold back.
	hold off (1)	Resist or stop an attack.	Winston held off the wild dogs with a stick while Emma called for help.
	hold off (2)	Delay.	Janice has been holding off on checking for her exam results.
	hold on	Wait.	If you hold on for ten minutes, Mr Roberts will see you after his meeting.
	hold onto	Hold, usually firmly, with hands.	Lana held onto the strange suitcase until the man came back to collect it.
	hold out	Extend your hand or an object.	Silvia held out her hand to greet the Prime Minister.
	hold up	Raise something.	Alan please hold up your poster so the whole class can see it.
hook	hook up (1)	Connect devices together.	The technician hooked up my monitor to the wrong computer.
	hook up (2)	Meet someone, casually or romantically.	Gary hooked up with David during the Paris conference.
hunt	hunt out	Search until you find something.	Praya spent an hour hunting out the report in the archives.
	hurry up	Rush.	The train is coming, hurry up or you will miss it!

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with J

jack	jack up	Increase or raise.	Shops are jacking up the price of chocolate before Easter.
jam	jam on	Apply forcefully.	I had to jam on the brakes to avoid a hitting a deer.
jaw	jaw away	Talk aimlessly, usually at length.	Jill and Fred enjoyed jawing away all afternoon in the garden.
jazz	jazz up	Enhance to make more interesting or attractive.	He jazzed up with Toyota with bright yellow hubcaps.
jump	jump around	Move erratically.	The children had too much sugar and were jumping around all afternoon.
	jump at	Accept with enthusiasm.	Marie jumped at the chance to play basketball for her office.
	jump in	Join in with something.	We’ve need an extra player, do you want to jump in?
	jump off	Leave an elevated position.	Liam jumped off the highest diving board.
	jump on (1)	Board something.	She was in such a rush that she jumped on the wrong bus.
	jump on (2)	Attack, usually verbally.	The teacher really jumped on Eli for being late.
	jump out (1)	Alight a vehicle.	If we park by the shop, can you jump out and get me some chocolate?
	jump out (2)	Stand out.	My sister’s artwork really stood out at the show, it was so colourful.
	jump to	Start something with enthusiasm.	The twins were so keen to watch TV, they jumped straight to completing their chores.
	jump up	Move to a higher position.	Our hockey team has jumped up to the next division.

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with K

keep	keep around	Keep something nearby.	I always keep a pen around in case I have any good ideas.
	keep at	Persevere.	It was a tough course, but the students kept at it.
	keep away	Remain at a distance.	Uncle Wendall should be kept away from the drinks cabinet.
	keep back	Stay away.	We were careful to keep back while the man juggled knives.
	keep down	Maintain a low volume or height.	Mrs Hillary asked Kyle to keep his music down while she made a call.
	keep from	Resist or prevent doing something.	The snow kept us from getting home early.
	keep off	Avoid touching something.	The children were instructed to keep their hands off the fresh cookies.
	keep on	Continue.	Vinnie kept on trying to open the stubborn jar of pickles for hours.
	keep to	Maintain a position, stance, schedule or promise.	We will meet two times a week, if everyone keeps to the schedule.
	keep up (1)	Continue consistently.	These results are excellent – keep up the good work!
	keep up (2)	Match speed or other rate of progression.	I just can’t keep up with Joey at school; he completes his exercises so quickly.
key	key to	Plan to suit particular people or situations.	The cowboy party was keyed to a younger crowd.
kick	kick about	Discuss or otherwise casually test.	Let’s kick about a few ideas for the new project.
	kick back	Illegally pay extra money within a deal.	The politican got in trouble for kicking back money to his family.
	kick in	When something influential starts to take effect, usually drugs.	Simon had a headache for an hour before the aspirin kicked in.
	kick out	Expel.	Brenda was kicked out of the book club because she never read.
knock	knock off (1)	Finish a job, usually ending a workday.	The doctor knocked off early on Friday.
	knock off (2)	Make something fall off an elevated position.	Marty got in trouble for knocking the vase off the table with his ball.
	knock out	Strike hard enough to make unconcious.	The boxer won the fight by knocking out his opponent.
	knock over	Make something fall over.	The dog knocked over my wine glass.

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ELB Phrasal Verbs Master List: Grammar, Definitions and Examples for 400+ Verbs

What Are Phrasal Verbs?

How to Learn Phrasal Verbs

How Phrasal Verbs Fit in a Sentence

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with A

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with B

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with C

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with D

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with E

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with F

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with G

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with H

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with J

Phrasal Verbs Beginning with K

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