30 Common Phrasal Verbs in English With Examples
Phrasal verbs are the reason so many learners feel confident with grammar rules but still struggle to sound natural in real conversation. A verb like "give up" has almost nothing to do with the meaning of "give" or "up" on their own — and that gap between the individual words and the actual meaning is exactly what makes these phrasal examples worth learning as complete chunks, not word by word.
Below are 30 of the most commonly used phrasal verbs, grouped by topic, with a clear meaning and a real example sentence for each.
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb combines a verb with one or two particles (prepositions or adverbs like "up," "off," "out," "on") to create a new meaning that's often completely different from the original verb.
| Verb | + Particle | New Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| give | up | to stop trying |
| look | after | to take care of |
| run | into | to meet by chance |
30 Common Phrasal Verbs, Grouped by Topic
Daily Routines
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| wake up | stop sleeping | I wake up at 6am every day. |
| get up | get out of bed | She gets up early on weekdays. |
| put on | dress in | He put on his jacket before leaving. |
| turn off | switch off a device | Please turn off the lights. |
| turn on | switch on a device | Can you turn on the TV? |
Work and Study
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hand in | submit | Please hand in your homework by Friday. |
| look into | investigate | We're looking into the issue now. |
| figure out | understand after thinking | I finally figured out the solution. |
| catch up | reach the same level | She's catching up on missed lessons. |
| carry on | continue | Please carry on with your work. |
| go over | review | Let's go over the report together. |
Relationships and Communication
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| get along | have a good relationship | My sister and I get along really well. |
| fall out | stop being friends | They fell out over a small argument. |
| bring up | mention a topic | She brought up the schedule change. |
| look after | take care of | He looks after his grandmother on weekends. |
| make up | reconcile after a fight | They made up after the argument. |
| call off | cancel | They called off the meeting. |
Life Decisions and Change
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| give up | stop trying | Don't give up on your goals. |
| set up | establish or arrange | They set up a new business last year. |
| move in | begin living somewhere | We're moving in next month. |
| settle down | start a stable life | He wants to settle down in the countryside. |
| take over | assume control | She took over the family business. |
| get over | recover from | It took him months to get over the loss. |
Everyday Situations
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| run out of | have none left | We ran out of milk this morning. |
| run into | meet by chance | I ran into an old friend at the store. |
| pick up | collect / learn casually | Can you pick up some bread on the way home? |
| drop off | deliver / leave someone somewhere | I'll drop off the kids at school. |
| break down | stop working (machine) / lose control (emotion) | The car broke down on the highway. |
| put off | postpone | They put off the trip until next week. |
| show up | arrive, appear | He showed up late to the meeting. |
Separable vs. Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
One extra rule worth knowing: some phrasal verbs allow the object to go in the middle, and some don't.
| Type | Example |
|---|---|
| Separable | Turn off the light. / Turn the light off. / Turn it off. (pronouns must go in the middle) |
| Inseparable | Look after the kids. / Look after them. (never: Look the kids after) |
There's no universal rule for which category a phrasal verb falls into — it has to be learned per verb, which is another reason grouping by topic and practicing full sentences works better than memorizing isolated definitions.
A Teaching Tip: Teach Phrasal Verbs in Scenes, Not Lists
Isolated phrasal verb lists are hard to retain because there's no story connecting them. Instead, I build a short scene using 5–6 related verbs together — a morning routine scene ("wake up," "get up," "put on," "turn on the news," "pick up breakfast") sticks far better than the same six verbs presented as unrelated flashcards.
Try This: Practice Exercise
Fill in the blank with the correct phrasal verb from this article.
- I need to ___ the report before the deadline. (submit)
- We ___ of coffee, so I need to buy more.
- She ___ her old classmate at the airport. (met by chance)
- Please don't ___ — you're almost finished! (stop trying)
- Can you ___ the lights before you leave?
Answer key: 1. hand in 2. ran out 3. ran into 4. give up 5. turn off
Related Vocabulary and Grammar Guides
Phrasal verbs pair naturally with everyday topic vocabulary — our food vocabulary guide is a good next stop if you want to build topic-based fluency the same way. For sentence structures that often combine with phrasal verbs, our reported speech examples guide is useful once these feel comfortable.
FAQ
Why are phrasal verbs so hard to learn?
Because their meaning usually can't be guessed from the individual words — "give up" has nothing to do with literally giving something upward. They have to be learned as complete units, similar to vocabulary rather than grammar rules.
Are phrasal verbs used in formal English?
Some are (like "carry out" or "set up"), but many phrasal verbs are more common in spoken, informal English. Formal writing often prefers a single-word equivalent (e.g., "postpone" instead of "put off").
What's the difference between a separable and inseparable phrasal verb?
With separable phrasal verbs, the object can go between the verb and particle ("turn the light off"). With inseparable ones, the object must come after the whole phrase ("look after the kids," never "look the kids after").
What's the best way to memorize phrasal verbs?
Learn them in topic groups and full example sentences rather than as an alphabetical list — context makes the meaning stick far better than isolated definitions.
Explore more vocabulary and grammar guides in the Worksheets section of English by Teacher Yassine, or return to the homepage.
External reference: Cambridge Dictionary: Phrasal verbs and multi-word verbs.