60 Common English Phrasal Verbs | Meaning & Examples

The fastest practical way to learn common English phrasal verbs is to learn the whole expression in a situation, not as a verb followed by a random short word. Pick up can mean collect someone, lift something or learn something informally. Put off can mean postpone. Look after means care for someone or something. If you know only the separate words pick, up, put, off, look and after, you may still miss what the speaker intends.

This guide answers popular questions about phrasal verbs with meanings and examples, common phrasal verbs in English, phrasal verbs for daily conversation, and how to memorise phrasal verbs. Below are 60 useful expressions organised by real-life situations, clear rules for word order, examples of different meanings, exercises, a seven-day practice plan and an answer key. The aim is to help readers understand conversations and use the phrases naturally—not simply recite a long list.

Quick answer — learn phrasal verbs in four moves:

Learn meaning + situation: “We’ve run out of milk” means there is no milk left.
Learn the grammar pattern: “Turn the light off” and “Turn it off” are correct; “Turn off it” is not.
Learn one natural example: “The driver picked us up outside the hotel.”
Test from a fresh situation: “A friend collects you from the airport. Say it in English.”
Revisit after gaps and compare similar phrases that produce different actions.

What is an English phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a construction in which a verb combines with a short particle such as up, off, out, on or over. Some constructions use two particles, such as run out of and put up with. The expression may have a meaning that is not obvious from the individual words.

Sometimes the meaning is fairly literal. “Sit down” describes moving into a sitting position. Sometimes it is partly metaphorical. “Carry on” means continue. Sometimes it is hard to predict. “Give up” can mean stop trying or abandon a habit. The whole unit matters.

English speakers use phrasal verbs in speech, messages, instructions, news and professional communication. Some are informal, while others are normal in many registers. You do not need to replace every phrasal verb with a formal single-word verb to sound educated; you need to choose words that fit your audience and purpose.

The crucial grammar rule: can the words be separated?

There are several patterns. Understanding them saves you from memorising a correct meaning with an incorrect sentence structure.

Separable phrasal verbs

With a separable expression such as turn off, you can say “Turn off the lamp” or “Turn the lamp off”. But with an ordinary object pronoun, standard word order requires “Turn it off”, not “Turn off it”. The same pattern applies to “pick her up”, “write it down”, “call it off” and “sort it out”.

The pattern matters more than the rule label. Write one example with a noun and one with a pronoun. If both work, you have learned something you can actually use when speaking.

Inseparable phrasal verbs

With look after, you say “She looks after her brother” or “She looks after him”. Do not say “She looks him after”. Similarly, “We’re looking into the problem” and “We’re looking into it” use the object after the particles.

Not all phrases that look alike have the same grammar. That is why a reliable dictionary entry and actual example are essential.

Phrasal verbs without an object

“We set off early”, “The car broke down” and “They made up” do not need an object in the senses illustrated. Some of these verbs can have other senses with different grammatical patterns. Always learn the meaning and construction together.

Reading key for the list: S means the object is movable as shown in the given sense; I means the object or complement stays after the particle(s); N means the illustrated sense is used without a direct object. These labels describe the specific examples here, not every possible meaning of the expression.

60 common phrasal verbs with meanings and examples

The following is a practical editorial selection, not a verified frequency ranking. You do not have to learn all 60 today. Choose the expressions relevant to your life, then use them in new sentences.

Group 1: everyday routines

1. wake up — N: stop sleeping. “I usually wake up at seven.”
2. get up — N: leave bed or rise from a seat. “She got up early.”
3. put on — S: dress in something. “Put your jacket on.” “Put it on.”
4. take off — S: remove clothing. “Take your shoes off.” “Take them off.”
5. turn on — S: make a device start operating. “Turn the fan on.”
6. turn off — S: make a device stop operating. “Turn it off before leaving.”
7. clean up — S: make a place clean. “We cleaned the kitchen up.”
8. tidy up — S: put things in order. “Please tidy your desk up.”
9. put away — S: return something to its proper place. “Put the tools away.”
10. run out of — I: have no supply remaining. “We’ve run out of rice.”

Practice: Your room is untidy and the fan is still running. Say two instructions using tidy up and turn off. Then tell someone what food your household has run out of. This turns vocabulary into practical action.

A common error is confusing wake up with get up. You may wake up at six and stay in bed until six thirty. The difference is not a dictionary technicality; it describes two different events.

Group 2: work, plans and meetings

11. follow up on — I: take further action about something. “I’ll follow up on the complaint.”
12. look into — I: investigate. “We need to look into the delay.”
13. sort out — S: resolve or organise. “Let’s sort the issue out.”
14. carry out — S: perform a plan, task or instruction. “The team carried out the checks.”
15. put off — S: postpone. “They put the meeting off until Friday.”
16. call off — S: cancel. “We called the event off because of the storm.”
17. set up — S: establish or arrange. “Could you set up a meeting?”
18. wrap up — S: finish or bring to a close. “Let’s wrap up the discussion.”
19. hand over — S: transfer to another person. “Please hand the documents over.”
20. go over — S: review carefully. “Can we go over the figures?”

Practice: A supplier has not replied, the deadline is approaching and your team needs a decision. Say “I’ll follow up on the supplier’s reply,” “Let’s go over the schedule,” and “We may need to put the meeting off.” Change the details and speak without reading.

Put off and call off are not interchangeable. A postponed meeting is moved to a later time; a cancelled meeting is not proceeding as originally arranged. The choice affects what other people expect to do.

Group 3: travel and movement

21. check in — N: register at a hotel or for a flight. “We checked in at reception.”
22. check out — N: complete departure formalities at a hotel. “We checked out before noon.”
23. get on — I: board a bus, train or similar vehicle. “Get on the next bus.”
24. get off — I: leave a bus, train or similar vehicle. “We got off at the station.”
25. pick up — S: collect someone or something. “I’ll pick you up at the airport.”
26. drop off — S: take someone or something to a place and leave them or it there. “She dropped the parcel off.”
27. set off — N: begin a journey. “We set off early to avoid traffic.”
28. head back — N: start returning. “We headed back before sunset.”
29. stop over — N: interrupt a longer journey for a short stay. “We stopped over in Dubai.”
30. get around — N: travel within an area. “It’s easy to get around by train.”

Practice: Describe your next trip with three phrases: “We’ll set off at …”, “We’ll get on …”, and “We’ll get off at …”. Explain how you will get around once you arrive. No travel vocabulary list is complete until you can apply the verbs to an actual route.

One common pattern is get on a bus or train, but get in a car or taxi. There are exceptions and contextual variations, but these are good everyday starting points. Learn the phrase with a typical vehicle instead of memorising get alone.

Group 4: communication and finding information

31. bring up — S: introduce a topic. “She brought the issue up during the meeting.”
32. point out — S: draw attention to something. “He pointed the mistake out.”
33. speak up — N: speak louder or express an opinion more openly. “Please speak up.”
34. get across — S: communicate an idea successfully. “She got her point across.”
35. clear up — S: remove confusion. “Can we clear up the misunderstanding?”
36. find out — S: discover information. “I found out the correct time.”
37. fill in — S: complete a form by writing information. “Please fill the form in.”
38. write down — S: record in writing. “Write the address down.”
39. read over — S: read to check or review. “I read the email over before sending it.”
40. reach out to — I: contact someone, often to seek or offer help. “We reached out to the organiser.”

Practice: You do not understand the instructions. Say “Could you clear up this point?” Then ask a colleague to “write it down” and explain that you will “read it over” later. These are related actions, not interchangeable synonyms.

Notice the pronoun placement in point it out and write it down. If the structure is awkward to remember, practise from a specific meaning cue rather than reading a rule repeatedly.

Group 5: problems and solutions

41. break down — N: stop working mechanically. “The car broke down.”
42. back up — S: create a safety copy of digital data. “Back your files up.”
43. work out — S: solve or find an answer. “We worked the problem out.”
44. figure out — S: understand or solve. “I finally figured it out.”
45. deal with — I: take action to handle something. “We’re dealing with the problem.”
46. fall behind — N: fail to keep pace. “The project fell behind.”
47. catch up — N: return to the expected progress or level. “We need to catch up.”
48. give up — N: stop trying, in this sense. “Don’t give up after one attempt.”
49. start over — N: begin again. “Let’s start over with a clearer plan.”
50. hold on — N: wait briefly or keep holding, depending on context. “Hold on a moment.”

Practice: A computer stopped working and you had not saved the document. Use broke down, back up, start over and catch up in a short explanation. Focus on the relationship between events: what happened, what must be done, and what can prevent a repeat.

Work out has many other uses, including exercise. “I work out at the gym” is not about solving an equation. You must learn the relevant meaning from the context and grammar.

Group 6: people and relationships

51. get along with — I: have a good relationship with someone. “I get along with my neighbours.”
52. look after — I: care for someone or something. “She looks after her grandfather.”
53. run into — I: meet unexpectedly, in this sense. “I ran into an old friend.”
54. catch up with — I: exchange news after time apart. “I caught up with my cousin.”
55. come across — I: find or encounter by chance. “I came across an old photograph.”
56. open up — N: become willing to share personal feelings. “He opened up slowly.”
57. let down — S: disappoint. “I don’t want to let my team down.”
58. stand up for — I: defend or support someone or something. “She stood up for a colleague.”
59. make up — N: become friendly again after an argument. “They made up yesterday.”
60. fall out with — I: have an argument that damages a relationship. “He fell out with his brother.”

Practice: Say how two friends repaired a disagreement: “They fell out last week, but they made up yesterday.” Then describe meeting someone unexpectedly: “I ran into an old colleague.” Do not confuse run into in this social sense with its literal use in a collision.

When using personal expressions such as open up, respect the other person’s boundaries. The phrase describes greater willingness to share; it is not an invitation to pressure someone into discussing private matters.

One phrasal verb, several meanings

The same expression may change meaning with context. Pick up can mean lift a dropped object, collect a friend by car, receive a signal, or acquire a skill informally. Take off can mean remove clothing, or—in a different construction—leave the ground in an aircraft. Break down can mean stop working or, in another sense, become emotionally overwhelmed.

To avoid false certainty, make sense cards, not only word cards. For pick up, keep one card for collecting a person and another for learning something informally. Do not assume that the first meaning will fit every sentence you read.

Here is a useful test:

“Could you pick me up at seven?” — collect me by vehicle.
“She picked up some Italian while travelling.” — learned it informally.
“Please pick up the book.” — lift it from a surface.

The phrase is the same, but the task and surrounding words select the meaning.

Which phrasal verbs sound too informal?

Register matters, but there is no rule that every phrasal verb is informal. “We will carry out the inspection” is comfortable in professional English. “Please fill in the form” is normal in instructions. “Let’s sort it out” may be more conversational than “Let us resolve the matter”, but both can be appropriate in different settings.

Choose by meaning, audience and context. A formal report might say “The event was cancelled” rather than “The event was called off”; neither automatically makes the writing better. If a phrasal verb is more precise or natural, use it.

Avoid replacing simple English mechanically with a Latin-derived verb to seem advanced. Effective vocabulary helps the listener identify the action, not the speaker’s sophistication.

How to memorise phrasal verbs without memorising a thousand lines

First organise the words by situation. If you travel often, start with check in, check out, pick up, drop off, get on, and get off. If you work in customer service, start with look into, follow up on, sort out, get back to and clear up.

Second, practise contrasts. Put off delays; call off cancels. Get on boards; get off leaves. Fall behind loses progress; catch up restores progress. These comparisons make the meanings easier to discriminate than a disconnected list.

Third, make a card that prompts a sentence. Front: “The manager decides tomorrow’s meeting will not happen. Use a two-word phrasal verb.” Back: “The manager called off the meeting.” Then add the pronoun test: “The manager called it off.”

Finally, revisit the phrase in a different scenario later. One correct repetition while the list is open is not yet durable knowledge. Test yourself from an unfamiliar prompt with the model hidden.

Four complete dialogues using phrasal verbs

Dialogue 1: a missed delivery

Customer: “Could you look into my missing parcel?” Support: “Of course. I’ll follow up on the delivery record.” Customer: “Could you get back to me when you have an update?” Support: “Yes. We’ll try to sort out the issue as quickly as we can.”

Here, looking into something means investigating. Following up involves further action. Sorting it out means resolving it. Do not assume that an investigation is already a resolution.

Dialogue 2: changed travel plans

A: “What time do we set off?” B: “Six thirty. I’ll pick you up at your house.” A: “Great. Can you drop me off at the main entrance?” B: “Yes, and we can head back before dark.”

The phrases reveal a journey from departure to collection to arrival and return. Practise by swapping the times and places.

Dialogue 3: fixing a document

A: “Can we go over the proposal?” B: “Yes. I need to point out two errors.” A: “Let’s clear up the figures first.” B: “I’ll write down the corrections and hand over the revised version.”

This is a sequence of review, identification, clarification, recording and delivery. It shows how verb phrases connect to real processes.

Dialogue 4: catching up with a friend

A: “I ran into Emma yesterday.” B: “Really? I haven’t seen her for years.” A: “We caught up over coffee.” B: “Did you get along?” A: “Of course. She was pleased to see me.”

The phrases describe social encounters and relationships. One expression can be replaced with a simpler alternative if the audience does not know it; the purpose is understanding, not idiom density.

The seven-day phrasal-verb learning plan

Day 1: choose ten everyday expressions. Practise their meanings and make five spoken sentences.
Day 2: retrieve Day 1 expressions; study separable ones using object pronouns.
Day 3: choose a set for work or travel. Compare expressions that are easy to confuse.
Day 4: listen for the phrases in a short conversation and check the actual meaning.
Day 5: practise five problem-solving expressions and use them in a realistic scenario.
Day 6: study several multi-meaning expressions and write distinct examples for each meaning.
Day 7: test twenty expressions from situations rather than from the printed list; revisit weak ones later.

If this is too many new expressions, reduce the number. A smaller inventory that you can use correctly is more valuable than a large inventory you can only recognise.

Twenty practice questions: which phrasal verb fits?

Complete these with an appropriate expression from this guide. You may need to change the tense.

We have no coffee left. We have ____ coffee.
The meeting will not happen. The manager ____ it ____.
The meeting is moved to Friday. We will ____ it ____.
The car stopped working. It ____ ____.
Please complete the form. Please ____ it ____.
Collect me at the airport. Please ____ me ____.
Leave me at the hotel. Please ____ me ____.
Review these figures. Please ____ them ____.
Investigate the complaint. We will ____ ____ it.
Stop trying? No. Do not ____ ____.
Please wait briefly. ____ ____ a moment.
Defend your colleague. ____ ____ ____ your colleague.
The friends repaired their argument. They ____ ____.
We lost progress on the project. We ____ ____.
We need to return to the expected pace. We must ____ ____.
Remove your shoes. ____ them ____.
Save a copy of your files. ____ them ____.
I met an old friend unexpectedly. I ____ ____ an old friend.
Please make the meaning clear. Let’s ____ ____ the confusion.
The team will perform the inspection. They will ____ ____ the inspection.

Checked answer key

run out of; 2. called off; 3. put off; 4. broke down; 5. fill in; 6. pick up; 7. drop off; 8. go over; 9. look into; 10. give up; 11. hold on; 12. stand up for; 13. made up; 14. fell behind; 15. catch up; 16. take off; 17. back up; 18. ran into; 19. clear up; 20. carry out.

Read the completed sentence aloud. A correct answer must have the right meaning and the right word order. For question 2, “The manager called it off” works; “The manager called off it” does not.

Frequent phrasal-verb mistakes

“Turn off it.” Say “Turn it off.”
“Look her after.” Say “Look after her.”
“We called off it.” Say “We called it off.”
“I ran out milk.” Say “I ran out of milk.”
“The plane took off the ground” may be grammatical in some literal contexts, but the normal travel report is “The plane took off.”
“I caught up my work” is less natural than “I caught up on my work” when you mean returning to the expected level of completed work.
“We will look into about the issue.” Say “We will look into the issue.”
“I will reach out him.” Say “I will reach out to him.”

Do not overgeneralise these corrections to every meaning or regional use. Use a reputable learner’s dictionary to verify the particular phrase and context you need.

Frequently asked questions

What are phrasal verbs in simple English?

They are combinations of a verb with one or more short particles that form a meaningful expression, such as give up, look after or run out of.

What is the best way to learn phrasal verbs quickly?

Group them by realistic situations, learn complete examples and grammar, retrieve them without the list and use them in new conversations or messages.

How many phrasal verbs should I study daily?

Start with a manageable group you can understand and test. There is no reliable universal number for every learner.

Can a phrasal verb have more than one meaning?

Yes. Pick up, take off and work out are common examples. Record the senses separately when they appear in different contexts.

What is a separable phrasal verb?

It is a verb-particle combination that permits the object between its components in the relevant sense, as in “Turn the light off”. With a pronoun, “Turn it off” is the normal pattern.

Can I use phrasal verbs in formal English?

Some are appropriate in formal writing; others are conversational. Check the particular expression, meaning and audience rather than assuming all phrasal verbs are informal.

What is the difference between ‘put off’ and ‘call off’?

In the examples here, put off means postpone while call off means cancel. These are different practical outcomes.

Do I need to memorise 1,000 phrasal verbs?

No. Start with the expressions you regularly meet and need. Understanding and correct use matter more than reaching an arbitrary list length.

Are phrasal verbs the same as idioms?

They overlap in some cases, but not all phrasal verbs are idiomatic and not all idioms are phrasal verbs. A construction such as sit down can have a straightforward meaning.

How can I check whether a phrasal verb is separable?

Consult its dictionary grammar pattern and test a natural sentence with a noun and pronoun. Do not guess from the particle alone.

Research, sources and next reading

The British Council grammar guide to phrasal verbs explains separable and inseparable patterns with examples. The Cambridge Dictionary introduction to phrasal verbs discusses meaning, use and natural register.

For a shorter rules-first introduction, see How to Learn English Phrasal Verbs Quickly and Correctly. That Quick Notes article explains the core mechanics; this longer guide is a situation-based bank of 60 examples and practice tasks. For listening to phrasal verbs in speech, continue with English Vocabulary Through Listening. For recall and review, see How to Remember English Words and the eduKateSG Vocabulary Hub.

Start with six expressions you could use today. Learn their meanings and sentence patterns, say them without reading and then change the situation. A phrasal verb becomes useful vocabulary when you know what action it describes and can place the words correctly.

How to Learn English Vocabulary Quickly | Common English Phrasal Verbs