Essential English Phrasal Verbs and Meanings

Enhance your English vocabulary and comprehension with this comprehensive list of common phrasal verbs and their essential meanings. Mastering these verbs is crucial for natural and effective communication.

Phrasal Verbs with "Bite"

• Bite off: To separate with the teeth.

Phrasal Verbs with "Bring"

• Bring back: To return something.
• Bring down: To reduce, to lower.
• Bring forward: To advance (a date or time).
• Bring in: To earn (money) / to introduce, invite.
• Bring on: To cause (something to happen), to produce.
• Bring out: To launch (a product), to publish.
• Bring up: To raise (a subject) / to educate, rear (children).

Phrasal Verbs with "Climb"

• Climb down: To descend / to get out of bed.

Phrasal Verbs with "Come"

• Come across: To find by chance.
• Come along: To come, happen / to accompany.
• Come apart: To break into pieces, disintegrate.
• Come down on: To scold, reprimand.
• Come in: To enter, arrive.
• Come into: To enter / to inherit.
• Come round: To visit / to regain consciousness.
• Come through: To survive (a difficult situation) / to pass through something.
• Come up with: To propose an idea, to devise a plan.

Phrasal Verbs with "Count"

• Count on: To rely on, to trust someone.

Phrasal Verbs with "Get"

• Get back: To return.
• Get by: To manage (with difficulty), to cope (with little money).
• Get in: To enter, to arrive.
• Get into: To enter (e.g., a university, a habit).
• Get off: To alight (from a bus, train, etc.).

Phrasal Verbs with "Hand"

• Hand in: To submit (e.g., a paper, homework).

Phrasal Verbs with "Keep"

• Keep off: To stay away from, to avoid (e.g., a restricted area).
• Keep on: To continue.
• Keep out: To prevent entry / to prohibit entry.
• Keep up with: To stay abreast of (information) / to maintain pace with (someone/something).

Phrasal Verbs with "Knock"

• Knock over: To run over, to overturn / to spill.

Phrasal Verbs with "Let"

• Let down: To disappoint, to fail / to lower.
• Let on: To reveal, to disclose.
• Let up: To lessen, to abate, to stop (e.g., rain).

Phrasal Verbs with "Lock"

• Lock up: To imprison someone / to secure by locking.

Phrasal Verbs with "Look"

• Look at: To observe, to examine.
• Look back: To recall, to remember the past.
• Look down on: To despise, to scorn.
• Look over: To examine quickly, to inspect.

Phrasal Verbs with "Make"

• Make for: To head towards, to go to.
• Make off with: To steal, to abscond with.
• Make up: To invent (a story) / to reconcile (after an argument) / to apply cosmetics.
• Make up for: To compensate for.

Phrasal Verbs with "Move"

• Move away: To relocate / to depart.
• Move out: To vacate a residence.

Phrasal Verbs with "Pass"

• Pass by: To go past, to visit briefly.

Phrasal Verbs with "Point"

• Point out: To indicate, to draw attention to.

Phrasal Verbs with "Pour"

• Pour down: To rain heavily, to flow copiously.

Phrasal Verbs with "Pull"

• Pull back: To retreat, to withdraw.
• Pull into: To arrive (e.g., a train at a station).

Phrasal Verbs with "Put"

• Put down: To humiliate, to criticize / to place on a surface.
• Put forward: To propose, to present.
• Put off: To postpone, to deter.
• Put out: To extinguish (a fire), to inconvenience.
• Put through: To connect (a call) / to subject someone to (a difficult experience).
• Put up: To build, to erect / to raise (prices), to accommodate.
• Put up with: To endure, to tolerate.

Phrasal Verbs with "Run"

• Run away: To escape, to flee.

Phrasal Verbs with "See"

• See into: To investigate, to understand deeply.
• See off: To bid farewell to someone departing.
• See out: To accompany someone to the exit / to last until the end.
• See through: To discern the truth / to complete (a task).
• See to: To deal with, to attend to.
• See up: To establish or set up (a business).

Phrasal Verbs with "Show"

• Show off: To boast, to display ostentatiously.

Phrasal Verbs with "Sit"

• Sit back: To relax, to recline.

Phrasal Verbs with "Split"

• Split up: To separate, to disband.

Phrasal Verbs with "Stand"

• Stand by: To support, to remain loyal to.
• Stand for: To represent, to symbolize.
• Stand in for: To replace someone.
• Stand out: To be noticeable, to excel.
• Stand up: To rise to one's feet.
• Stand up to: To confront, to resist.

Phrasal Verbs with "Turn"

• Turn away: To refuse entry, to send away / to avert one's gaze.
• Turn in: To go to bed / to surrender, to report to authorities.
• Turn into: To become, to transform into.
• Turn on: To activate (a device), to excite / to attack.
• Turn out: To attend (an event), to result (good/bad) / to extinguish (a light).
• Turn around: To rotate, to change direction / to improve (a situation).
• Turn up: To arrive, to appear / to increase volume.

Phrasal Verbs with "Use"

• Use up: To consume entirely, to exhaust.

Phrasal Verbs with "Walk"

• Walk away from: To abandon, to leave behind.
• Walk out: To leave abruptly, to go on strike.