Phrasal Verbs List - English Study Material & Notes

The Phrasal verbs are certain verbs which are followed by certain prepositions or Adverbs, which give a new significance to them. For instance ;

She backed up my claims.
She backed out the contract.

In the first sentence the meaning of phrasal verb is supported. While in the second sentence, the meaning of ‘backed out of’ means withdrew from.
Hence, by adding prepositions or Adverbs to the verbs, different meanings are achieved. Phrasal verbs are a significant part of English language. They are primarily used in spoken and informal text. In formal and academic writing, phrasal verbs are better avoided.

Transitive Phrasal Verbs:

In transitive phrasal verb, there is always an object. These phrasal verbs have three words. For example;

My sister dropped out of school before she could graduate.

Intransitive Phrasal Verbs:

In the intransitive phrasal verb, there is no object in the sentence. These phrasal verbs are not followed by an object. For example;

Once you leave prison, you can always go back again.

Phrasal Verb	It’s Meaning	An Example
ask around	ask multiple people the same question	I asked around but nobody has seen my car.
add up to xyz	equals to xyz	Your purchases add up to $3200.
back abc up	to support	My mother backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
blow xyz up	add air	We have to blow 90 balloons up for the party.
break down	stop functioning (vehicle, machine)	Our car broke down at the side of the freeway in the snowstorm.
call someone back	return a phone call	I called the company back but the offices were closed for the holiday.
call xyz off	cancel	Jack called the wedding off because he wasn’t in love with his fiancé.
calm down	relax after being angry	You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the truck.
cut xyz off	stop providing	The company cut off our phone because we didn’t pay the bill.
cut someone off	take out of a will	My grandparents cut my mother off when she remarried.
drop back	move back in a position/group	Andrew dropped back to third place when he fell off his bike.
drop in/by/over	come without an appointment	I might drop in/by/over for coffee sometime this week.
drop out	quit a class, school etc	I dropped out of Arts because it was too difficult.
eat out	eat at a restaurant	I don’t feel like cooking dinner. Let’s eat out.
end up	eventually reach/do/decide	We ended up renting a film instead of going to the theatre.
fall apart	break into pieces	My new dress fell apart in the washing machine today.
fall down	fall to the ground	The picture that you hung up last night fell down today.
fall out	separate from an interior	The money must have fallen out of her pocket.
find xyz out	discover	We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Sam found it out.
get xyz across/over	communicate, make understandable	I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but he wouldn’t listen.
get around	have mobility	My grandmother can get around fine in her new wheelchair.
get away	go on a vacation	We worked so hard this month that we had to get away for a week.
get away with xyz	do without being noticed or punished	Jack always gets away with cheating in his maths tests.
get back	return	We got back from our vacation last weekend.
get xyz back	receive xyz you had before	Sara finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate.
get together	meet (usually for social reasons)	Let’s get together for a movie this weekend.
get up	stand	You should get up and give the elderly woman your seat.
give someone away	reveal hidden information about someone	His boss gave him away to the police.
give someone away	take the bride to the altar	My father gave me away at my wedding.
give xyz away	ruin a secret	My little brother gave the surprise party away by accident.
give xyz away	give xyz to someone for free	The library was giving away old books on Thursday.
go after someone	follow someone	My sister tried to go after the thief in her car.
go after xyz	try to achieve xyz	I went after my dream and now I am a published writer and scholar.
go against someone	compete, oppose	We are going against the best soccer team in the league tonight.
grow apart	stop being friends over time	My best friend and I grew apart after he changed schools.
hand xyz down	give xyz used to someone else	I handed my old comic books down to my little cousin sister.
hang in	stay positive (N.Amer., informal)	Hang in there. I’m sure you’ll find a vacancy very soon.
hold someone/xyz back	prevent from doing/going	I had to hold my dog back because there was a dog in the park.
hold someone/xyzup	rob	A man in a black mask held the bank up this evening.
keep on doing xyz	continue doing	Keep on stirring until the syrup comes to a boil.
let someone down	fail to support or help, disappoint	I need you to finish the project. Don’t let me down this time.
let someone in	allow to enter	Can you let the dog in before you go to work?
look after someone/xyz	take care of	I have to look after my sick grandfather.
look down on someone	think less of, consider inferior	Ever since we stole that car your dad has looked down on me.
look for someone/xyz	try to find	I’m looking for a white dress for the wedding.
look xyz up	search and find information in a reference book or database	We can look her phone number up in the directory.
look up to someone	have a lot of respect for	My little brother has always looked up to me.
mix xyz up	confuse two or more things	I mixed up the twins’ names yet again!
pass away	die	His uncle passed away last evening after a long illness.
put xyz down	put what you are holding on a surface or floor	You can put the groceries down on the counter.
put someone down	insult, make someone feel stupid	The students put the substitute teacher down because her skirt were too short.
put up with someone/xyz	tolerate	I don’t think I can put up with three young children in the car.
put xyz on	put clothing/accessories on your body	Don’t forget to put on your new stockings for the party.
run into someone/xyz	meet unexpectedly	I ran into an old friend at the new mall.
run over someone/xyz	drive a vehicle over a person or thing	I accidentally ran over your bike in the driveway.
run out	have none left	We ran out of detergent so I had to wash my clothes with soap.
set someone up	trick, trap	The police set up the car thief by using a bait.
shop around	compare prices	I want to shop around a little before I decide on these pants.
stick to xyz	continue doing xyz, limit yourself to one particular thing	You will lose weight if you stick to the diet regime.
switch xyz off	stop the energy flow, turn off	This light’s too bright. Could you switch it off.
take xyz back	return an item	I have to take our new Dishwasher back because it doesn’t work.
take off	start to fly	My plane takes off in five hours and two minutes.
tear xyz up	rip into pieces	I tore up my husband’s letters and gave them back to him.
throw xyz away	dispose of	We threw our old computer away when we won the lottery.
try xyz on	sample clothing	I’m going to try these pants on, but I don’t think they will fit.
try xyz out	test	I am going to try this new brand of soap out.
use xyz up	finish the supply	The kids used all of the flour up so we need to buy some more.
wake up	stop sleeping	We have to wake up early for work on Sunday.
wear off	fade away	Most of her make-up wore off before she got to the party.
work out	be successful	Their plan worked out fine.