List of English phrasal verbs Page 1 of 7

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ALPHABETICAL LIST OF ENGLISH PHRASAL VERBS

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a preposition or adverb;
the combination creates a meaning different from the original verb.

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idiom-a-day phrasal verb crossword

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Phrasal
Meaning Example
Verb
respect or obey.
A abide by (the law, a decision, If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.
a rule)
account explain, give a
I hope you can account for the money you spent!
for reason
make sense, seem
add up Her story just doesn't add up.
reasonable
have the same
agree with opinion as I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
somebody else.
take into
consideration,
allow for You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams.
include in a
calculation
answer
reply rudely Don't answer back your mother!
back
make a formal
request for
apply for something He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.
(job, permit, loan
etc.)
avail take advantage of
When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of
(oneself) something (an
the opportunity and buy some shares.
of opportunity)

move backwards, in
B back away When he saw the dog, he backed away.
fear or dislike
withdraw, concede
back down Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.
defeat
1) give support or
encouragement 1) If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up?
back up
2) make a copy of 2) It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.
(file, program, etc.)
faint, lose
black out When he fell off the horse he blacked out.
consciousness
Separate using a
block off The area was blocked off during the demonstration.
barrier.
1) explode;
1) The terrorists said the bomb would blow up at 9 o'clock.
blow up 2) be destroyed by
2) The car blew up but luckily there was nobody in it.
an explosion
boil down
be summarized as The problem boils down to a lack of money.
to

break 1) go out of order, 1) John's car broke down so he had to take the bus.
down cease to function 2) The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.
2) lose control of

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List of English phrasal verbs Page 2 of 7

one's emotions
break into enter by force Burglars broke into the house around midnight.

break out start suddenly Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.

break out escape from a place

Three prisoners broke out of jail.
of by force
come to an end
break up (marriage, After her marriage broke up, Emma went to live in London.
relationship)
bring up raise (a child) She stopped working in order to bring up her children.
improve, refresh
brush up
one's knowledge of Mary had to brush up on her Spanish before going to South America.
on
something
meet by accident or
bump into Pedro bumped into his English teacher at the supermarket.
unexpectedly
1) stop (something)
working
1) The fuse has burnt out.
burn out 2) become
2) Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.
exhausted from
over-working
butt in (on
interrupt impolitely It's rude to butt in on a conversation like that!
sthg)

C call back return a phone call I'll call you back as soon as possible.

call off cancel The meeting was called off because of the strike.
call
formally invite or
on/upon I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
request
sby
become more
calm down relaxed, less angry He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down.
or upset
carry on continue He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.
1) do something as
specified
(a plan, an order,
1) The plan was carried out to perfection.
carry out a threat)
2) Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.
2) perform or
conduct (test,
experiment)
register at a hotel or
check in For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight.
airport
1) pay one's bill and
1) Is Mr. Blair still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning.
check out leave (a hotel)
2) I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out.
2) investigate
clam up refuse to speak When the teacher arrived she clammed up.

clamp act strictly to

The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.
down on prevent something
stop operating
close
(company, When the factory closed down, the employees lost their jobs.
down
restaurant, cinema).
1) find by chance
come 1) Julie came across some photographs of her grandparents in the attic.
2) appear, seem,
across 2) The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.
make an impression
come
present oneself The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
forward
come up be faced with or
The project came up against a lot of criticism.
against opposed by
1) stop working
1) The car conked out on the motorway.
conk out 2) stop or fall asleep
2) He was so exhausted, he conked out in front of the TV.
(from exhaustion)
rely or depend on
count on I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.
(for help)
remove by drawing

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cross out a line through In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.
cut down reduce in number or
The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
on size
1) remove using
scissors 1) She cut out a picture in a magazine.
cut out
2) stop doing 2) I'm going to cut out eating between meals.
something

handle, take care of

D deal with The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.
(problem, situation)
calm down, become
die down When the applause died down, she started to sing.
less strong

do without manage without The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar.

last longer than

drag on We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!
expected
write (contract,
draw up agreement, An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties.
document)
1) wear elegant
1) Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country?
dress up clothes
2) Children love to dress up at Halloween.
2) disguise oneself
visit, usually on the
drop in I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.
way somewhere
1) deliver someone
1) I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like.
drop off or something
2) Granddad often drops off in front of the TV.
2) fall asleep
leave school without
drop out She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.
finishing

reduce, become
less severe or slow
E ease off After Christmas the workload generally eases off.
down
(pain, traffic, work)
1) eliminate
differences of
1) After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences.
even out opinion.
2) The road was evened out to make it safer.
2) become level or
regular

fall
F fail; doesn't happen Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.
through
understand, find the
figure out I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves.
answer
complete (a form/an
fill out Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
application)
discover or obtain
find out I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.
information
concentrate on
focus on The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.
something
understand; find a
figure out We'll have to figure out a way to deliver the goods faster.
solution

G get at imply What exactly are you trying to get at?

get away escape The robbers got away in a black car.

manage to cope or
get by It's difficult to get by on a low salary.
to survive

get in enter How did the burglar get in?

get into
enter How did the burglar get into the house?
(+noun)

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1) leave (bus, train,

1) You should get off the bus at Trafalgar Square.
get off plane)
2) She can't get the stain off her sweater.
2) remove
board (bus, train,
get on You can pay when you get on the bus.
plane)
get on with continue to do;
Be quiet and get on with your homework.
(something) make progress
get on
have a good
(well) with I get on very well with my colleagues.
relationship with
(somebody)
get out leave How did he get out?

get out of
leave How did he get out of the house?
(+noun)
avoid doing
get out of Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.
something
recover from
get over (illness, My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it.
disappointment)
get rid of eliminate It's difficult to get rid of old habits.

get
meet each other Let's get together for lunch on day.
together

get up rise, leave bed I usually get up at 7 o'clock.

stop doing
give up Sarah gave up smoking 5 years ago.
something

go through experience Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident.
spend one's
grow up childhood; develop; He grew up in a small village in the mountains.
become an adult

submit (report,
H hand in All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month.
homework)

hand out distribute Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.
spend time in a
particular place, Where does he hang out these days?
hang out
or with a group of Who does he hang out with?
friends
end a phone
hang up "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet."
conversation

hit at aim a blow at He hit at the wasp with the newspaper.

retaliate; reply to an
hit back When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back.
attack
hit find unexpectedly or
She hit upon an idea for her new collection.
on/upon by inspiration
-wait - 'Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Brown."
hold on
-grip tightly - She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.
be quick, act
hurry up Hurry up! We'll miss the bus.
speedily

resolve by
I iron out discussion, eliminate The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties.
differences

J join in participate She was too shy to join in the game.

-engage in, become
- John was in the Army and Tom joined up as soon as he left school.
join up a member of
- The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.
- meet and unite with

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jot down take quick notes I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.

continue doing
K keep on It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise.
something
stay at the same
keep up
level as someone or Bill walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him.
with
something
kick off begin, start The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock.

L leave out omit, not mention The child's name was left out of the report.

let down disappoint You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down!

look after take care of A babysitter looks after the children when they go out.

look ahead think of the future It's time to forget the past and look ahead.

look down
consider as inferior He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful.
on
be a spectator at an
look on Billy didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on.
event

look for try to find something Jane went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes.

look await or anticipate

I look forward to seeing you soon.
forward to with pleasure

look up to admire He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him.

make fun laugh at/ make

M The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her.
of jokes about
invent (excuse,
make up Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.
story)
mistake one thing or
mix up I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep mixing them up.
person for another
arrive in a new
move in You've bought a new house? When are you moving in?.
home or office
leave your
move out home/office for My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday.
another one.

N nod off fall asleep My grandfather often nods off in front of the television.

note down write something I'll call the station and note down the departure times.

leave a system or
O opt out decide not to I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament.
participate
admit or confess
own up The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window.
something

P pass away die The old lady passed away peacefully.

pass out faint She passed out when she heard the bad news.

pay back reimburse I'll lend you 20€ provided you pay me back before the end of the week.

postpone, arrange a

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put off later date The meeting was put off because of the strike.
put on turn on, switch on Could you put on the light please?

put out extinguish It took a long time to put out the fire.

accommodate, give
put up We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end.
somebody a bed

pick up collect somebody I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive.
indicate/direct
point out attention to She pointed out the mistake.
something

count on, depend

R rely on Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret.
on, trust

rule out eliminate The police ruled out political motives.

escape from a place

run away He ran away from home at the age of fourteen.
or suddenly leave
meet by accident or
run into unexpectedly (also: Sophie ran into Maria at the shopping centre.
bump into)
have no more of
run out of What a nuisance! We've run out of coffee.
something.

S set off start a journey; Early Saturday morning we set off for the ski slopes .

set up start a business She set up her own company 10 years ago.

shop
compare prices It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.
around
brag or want to be
show off There's David showing off in his new sports car!
admired

show up appear/arrive We expected David to come but he didn't show up.

shut up
be silent, stop
(impolite) Oh shut up, you idiot!
talking

sit down take a seat Please come in and sit down.

stick up
defend It's important to stick up for one's principles.
for

resemble, in
T take after appearance or Jamie really takes after his dad.
character
take care
look after I'll take care of your plants while you're away.
of

take off leave the ground The plane took off at 6 a.m.

take on hire or engage staff Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff.

reprimand/criticize
tell off The teacher told her off for not doing her homework.
severely

think over consider I'll have to think over the proposal before I decide.

wear something to
try on I'm not sure about the size. Can I try it on?
see if it suits or fits

turn down refuse I couldn't turn down an offer like that!

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finish a product (so

U use up The kids have used up all the toothpaste.
that there's none left)

express confidence
V vouch for in, or guarantee You can give the keys to Andy. I can vouch for him.
something

W watch out be careful Watch out! There's a car coming.

1) become unusable 1) Julie wore out her shoes visiting the city.
wear out
2) become very tired 2) At the end of the day Julie was worn out.
1) do physical
exercise 1) I work out twice a week at the gym club.
work out
2) find a solution or 2) It's expensive but I haven't worked out the exact cost yet.
calculate something
wipe off clean (board, table). The teacher asked Lee to wipe off the board.

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