English Phrasal Verb Dictionary
Browse our list of English phrasal verbs, providing meanings and example sentences for a total of 3,603 phrasal verbs.
What is a Phrasal Verb?
Phrasal verbs (also called multi-word verbs) are idiomatic expressions, combining verbs and prepositions to make new verbs whose meaning is often not obvious from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. They are widely used in both written and spoken English, and new ones are formed all the time as they are a flexible way of creating new terms.
A phrasal verb consists of a verb and a preposition or adverb that modifies or changes the meaning; 'give up' is a phrasal verb that means 'stop doing' something, which is very different from 'give'. The word or words that modify a verb in this manner can also go under the name particle.
Phrasal verbs can be divided into groups:
Intransitive verbs
These don't take an object
Example: They had an argument, but they've made up now.
Inseparable verbs
The object must come after the particle.
Example: They are looking after their grandchildren.
Separable verbs
With some separable verbs, the object must come between the verb and the particle:
The quality of their work sets them apart from their rivals.
In our phrasal verb list, we classify these as Separable [obligatory]
With some separable verbs, the object can before or after the particle, though when a pronoun is used it comes before the particle:
Example: Turn the TV off.
Example: Turn off the TV.
Example: Turn it off.
In our phrasal verb list, we classify these as Separable [optional]
Our Phrasal Verbs List
Click on the A-Z menu to browse our phrasal verb list alphabetically. Click on a verb to see the definition, example sentences, whether it is British or American English, and whether it is separable or not.
Our phrasal verbs dictionary includes entries from around the world submitted by numerous contributors. It covers both modern language and older phrases. If you know of phrasal verbs in English that you feel should be included here, please use our online form to let us know about it. Please note that all submissions are reviewed for validity and accuracy by our Editor.
Common Phrasal Verbs
Below we've highlighted 50 of the most popular and common phrasal verbs, with meanings and example sentences:
| Phrasal Verb | Common Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Act on | To take action because of something like information received | The police were ACTING ON a tip from an informer and caught the gang red-handed. |
| Act up | Behave badly or strangely | My computer's ACTING UP; I think I might have a virus. |
| Add up to | Have a certain result | Trains delays are getting worse and with the high fares, it all ADDS UP TO misery for the commuters. |
| Agree with | Affect- usually used in the negative to show that something has had a negative effect, especially is it makes you feel bad | I feel terrible- that food didn't AGREE WITH my stomach. |
| Amount to | Total | Their rent bills AMOUNTED TO ten thousand a year. |
| Answer back | To reply rudely to someone in authority | Her mother was shocked when she started ANSWERING her BACK and refusing to help. |
| Answer for | Be held responsible for a problem | The government should be made to ANSWER FOR their failure to sort out the problem. |
| Ask about | Ask how someone is doing, especially professionally and in terms of health | He ASKED ABOUT my father. |
| Ask after | Enquire about someone's health, how life is going | Jenny rang earlier and ASKED AFTER you, so I told her you were fine. |
| Ask around | Ask a number of people for information of help | I have no idea, but I'll ASK AROUND at work and see if anyone can help. |
| Ask around | Invite someone | We ASKED them AROUND for dinner. |
| Ask for | To provoke a negative reaction | You're ASKING FOR trouble. |
| Ask for | Request to have or be given | I ASKED FOR the menu. |
| Ask in | To invite somebody into your house | 'Jon's at the door.' 'ASK him IN.' |
| Ask out | To invite someone for a date | He wanted to ASK her OUT but was too shy. |
| Ask over | Invite | They have ASKED us OVER for drinks on Friday. |
| Ask round | Invite someone | We ASKED John ROUND for diner. |
| Call off | Cancel | The concert had to be CALLED OFF because the singer went down with a bad case of flu. |
| Calm down | Stop being angry or emotionally excited | When I lose my temper, it takes ages for me to CALM DOWN again. |
| Carry on | Continue | CARRY ON quietly with your work until the substitute teacher arrives. |
| Catch up | Reach someone who was ahead of you | He started well, but I CAUGHT him UP on the third lap. |
| Do over | Do something again from the beginning, especially because you did it badly the first time | OK, we'll DO it OVER, but try to sing the right words this time. |
| Eat out | Eat in a restaurant | We couldn't be bothered to cook so we ATE OUT last night. |
| Eat up | Consume | This car EATS UP petrol. |
| Figure out | Find the answer to a problem | The police couldn't FIGURE OUT how the burglars had got into the warehouse. |
| Give up | Surrender, stop trying | I can't think of the answer; I GIVE UP. |
| Go over | Look at something, revise | We WENT OVER our notes before the exam. |
| Hack into | Break into a computer system | He HACKED INTO the government database and stole a lot of data. |
| Hang around | Stay in a place | They HANG AROUND the station most of the day. |
| Hang out | Spend time socially | He HANGS OUT in the pub The Monarch; he's there most nights. |
| Hold on | Wait | Could you HOLD ON for a minute; she'll be free in a moment. |
| Keep on | Continue doing something | He KEPT ON trying and succeeded in the end. |
| Keep up | Maintain a continuous action, persist | First I phoned you and left a message that you should phone me; then you phoned and I was out, so you left a message; then...! How long can we KEEP this UP without ever speaking to each other directly? |
| Look for | Try to find | I've been LOOKING FOR all their hidden files, but I can't find them anywhere. |
| Make do with | Accept something less satisfactory because there's no alternative | There's no coffee, so we'll have to MAKE DO WITH tea. |
| Pass out | Faint, lose consciousness | He got so drunk that he PASSED OUT. |
| Pass up | Decline a chance | She PASSED UP the opportunity to go to university because she'd been offered a job. |
| Pick up | Collect | While you're in town, can you PICK UP my trousers from the Dry Cleaner? |
| Put off | Postpone | The concert's been PUT OFF until next month because the singer's got a throat infection. |
| Put on | Start wearing | I PUT my coat ON before we went out. |
| Take off | When a plane departs or leaves the ground | The flight for Dublin TOOK OFF on time. |
| Throw away | Discard something when no longer needed | I THREW the alarm clock AWAY because it had stopped working. |
| Turn down | Reduce volume, temperature, etc. | The room was too hot, so she TURNED the heating DOWN. |
| Turn off | Stop a machine | I TURNED the TV OFF and went to bed. |
| Turn on | Start a machine | I TURNED the radio ON to get the weather forecast. |
| Turn up | Increase volume, temperature, etc. | I TURNED the music UP full blast. |
| Wake up | Stop sleeping | I WOKE UP at half past six this morning. |
| Walk off with | Win easily | He WALKED OFF WITH the award. |
| Work out | Find the answer or solution | I couldn't WORK OUT all the answers to the crossword puzzle. |
| Work out | Exercise | She went to the gym three times a week to WORK OUT |
The latest 30 entries added to our Phrasal Verbs database:
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Enter single words here. Use the infinitive without 'to' for a verb. If you enter 'go', it will list all the phrasal verbs with 'go'. If you enter a preposition or particle in the box, like 'up', you can look at all the phrasal verbs containing 'up'.
If you have any suggestions for phrasal verbs that are not listed here, you can submit them to us using our online form.