The 120 most useful phrasal verbs list

Phrasal verbs are one of the love to hate them areas of the English language, but love them or hate them, they are a vital area to understand before taking an exam, hence this list of phrasal verbs. As you progress through levels of exams, especially Cambridge exams, you’ll notice phrasal verbs coming up more and more often. At A2 you’ll see useful phrasal verbs such as wake up, by B1 you will start to see common phrasal verbs like find out, when you get to B2 you’ll be expected to know less frequent phrasal verbs such as call off, and in C1 you’ll be expected to not only understand, but to use a wide variety of essential phrasal verbs with ease. With our comprehensive phrasal verbs list below, you’ll find the 120 most useful ones which every B2 or C1 student should know.

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs, for those who may be unfamiliar, are multi-word verbs that consist of a base verb and one or more particles, which together create a new meaning. They are a unique and essential aspect of the English language and are widely used in both casual conversation and writing.

From a grammatical perspective, phrasal verbs can function as either transitive or intransitive verbs, depending on the meaning they convey. Transitive phrasal verbs require an object, while intransitive phrasal verbs do not. For example, “take off” is a transitive phrasal verb that requires an object, as in “take off your shoes.” On the other hand, “wake up” is an intransitive phrasal verb, as in “I woke up early this morning.” There is no direct object connected to the verb “wake up”.

Phrasal verbs can also have different meanings depending on the context in which they are used. This is because the particles that make up phrasal verbs can change the meaning of the base verb. For example, “look up” can mean to search for information, as in “I’m going to look up the meaning of that word.” However, “look up” can also mean to raise your eyes or head, as in “She looked up at the sky.”

It’s worth mentioning that some phrasal verbs can consist of two particles, adding even more complexity to the meaning they convey. These double-particle phrasal verbs can be challenging to understand and use correctly, but with practice, they can greatly enhance your language skills. For example, the phrasal verb “look up to” means to admire or respect someone, as in “I look up to my father for his wisdom and kindness.” The two particles work together to create a new meaning that is distinct from the meanings of the individual words.

So, why is it important to learn phrasal verbs? Including phrasal verbs in your conversations and writing can greatly enhance your language skills and make you sound more confident and fluent in English. It’s a fantastic way to showcase your mastery of the language and leave a lasting impression on others.

How to use the phrasal verbs list in the classroom

Here are a few simple, but effective, activities to use with phrasal verbs in the classroom:

• Phrasal verb pictionary – The fact that phrasal verbs are delexicalised makes them perfect for pictionary. Students will have to stretch their imaginations to draw the words separately or together. *Working in a socially distant or online classroom? No problem, use mini-whiteboards or online whiteboards to keep this essential classroom game alive.
• Phrasal verb taboo – Everyone’s favourite, taboo works amazingly with phrasal verbs. Phrasal verbs often have a Latinate synonym or a phrase that explains the meaning. These synonyms come in handy when you later need phrasal verbs for an exam.
• Make your own transformations – Think of the solution sentence that uses a phrasal verb, then think of a synonymous sentence. Using the preposition as the key word, would you be able to recreate the key word transformation using the phrasal verb?
• Story time – Think of a story from your life and write it out using as many phrasal verbs as possible. Then test phrasal verb knowledge by cutting them out of the story and seeing if you can recreate it.
• True or false – Write 5 sentences about yourself using the phrasal verbs list. Can others guess what is true and what is false?

But how are phrasal verbs connect to English exams? In Cambridge exams, you’re likely to see them come up in the Use of English paper. Here are 10 key word transformation questions using phrasal verbs. Just because phrasal verbs get you down, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick up your game.

Phrasal verbs list

Here’s our 120 most useful phrasal verbs list. These verbs have come from years of exams, classes, course books and students who have struggled with this language. The list of phrasal verbs is also available on Quizlet to use as self-study or to practise in class.

PHRASAL VERBS QUIZLET CARDS

Tim’s Free Lesson Plans has designed a useful Quizlet set with this list of phrasal verbs with missing prepositions. Check it out here!

Download

If you can use all of these verbs, consider yourself an expert. Here’s the list of phrasal verbs in a downloadable pdf.

List of phrasal verbs

1. back down – stop demanding something
2. break down – stop working
3. break up – to end; to separate (a marriage / a relationship / etc.)
4. bring up (a child) – raise (a child)
5. bump into – to meet someone unexpectedly
6. call for – demand / request
7. call off – cancel (an event)
8. carry on – continue
9. catch on – to become popular (an idea or a style); to understand
10. cheer up – make happier
11. come across – find by chance
12. come into (money) – inherit
13. come round – come to your house
14. come up with (an idea) – think of and suggest an idea
15. come up – be mentioned, arise or appear (in class / an exam / a meeting)
16. count on – to rely on
17. cut down on – reduce the amount you consume
18. cut off – separate / isolate / interrupt
19. cut out – stop doing / eating something
20. do up – fasten, button up clothes; repair, redecorate or modernize a building or room
21. dress up – put on different clothes in order to disguise yourself
22. drop by – to visit informally or unexpectedly
23. drop off – to take something (or someone) to a place and leave it there
24. drop out – stop taking part in (a competition, a university, etc.)
25. end up – an end result of something planned or unplanned
26. fall for (someone) – fall in love with
27. fall out with (someone) – argue and stop being friendly with someone
28. find out – discover
29. follow up – find out more about something; take further action
30. get along with (someone) – have a good relationship with
31. get away (for the weekend) – go away for a period of time for a break
32. get away with – not be punished for doing something
33. get by – manage to survive / live
34. get on with (someone) – have a good relationship with
35. get on with (something) – start or continue doing something (especially work)
36. get over (someone) – recover after the end of a relationship with someone
37. get over (something) – recover from
38. get together – meet (usually for social reasons)
39. get rid of – eliminate
40. give away (secrets) – reveal
41. give back – return
42. give in (homework) – submit
43. give in (to someone’s requests) – agree to something you do not want to
44. give off (a smell) – produce and send into the air
45. give out (information) – announce or broadcast information
46. give out – distribute to a group of people
47. give up – to stop trying to do something (often because it is too difficult)
48. go along with – support an idea or agree with someone’s opinion
49. go off – explode; become bad (food)
50. go on – to continue
51. go out with – have a romantic relationship with someone
52. go through with – complete a promise or plan
53. grow apart – get distant from someone, like a friend
54. grow up – slowly become an adult
55. hand in – submit school work, submit documentation
56. hand out – to distribute to a group of people, usually free
57. hang around – to wait or spend time somewhere, doing nothing
58. hang out – spend time relaxing (informal)
59. hang up – to hang clothes or an object on a hook or line; to end a phone call
60. head for – go towards
61. hold back – prevent someone from making progress
62. hurry up – do something more quickly
63. keep on – to continue
64. let down – disappoint
65. let off – give someone a lighter punishment than they expected (or not punish at all)
66. look after – take care of
67. look down on – feel superior to
68. look for – try to find
69. look forward to – feel happy about something that is going to happen
70. look into – investigate
71. look up – find information about (e.g. a word in a dictionary)
72. look up to – admire and respect
73. make up for – compensate for
74. make up with (someone) – become friends again
75. make up (something) – invent (stories, excuses)
76. move on – change to a different job, activity or place
77. move out – stop living in a house or flat
78. pass out – lose consciousness
79. pay back – return money
80. pay for – purchase
81. pay off – finish paying for something; have a positive result from hard work
82. pick up – meet / collect someone (e.g. at the station / from school)
83. point out – to draw attention to something or someone
84. put away – put something back in the correct place
85. put off – postpone
86. put on (an event/a show) – organize an event
87. put on (clothes /make up) – place something on your body
88. put on (weight) – increase (weight)
89. put out – extinguish (e.g. fire)
90. put up (for the night) – accommodate
91. put up (your hand) – lift into the air
92. put up with – tolerate
93. rip off – charge someone too much for something
94. run into – meet by accident
95. run out of – use up (e.g. money, petrol, time)
96. set off – start a journey
97. set up – establish / start (e.g. a company)
98. show off – try to impress people by telling or showing them what you are capable of
99. shut down – to close
100. sort out – arrange or order by classes or categories; find a solution
101. stand for – to represent
102. stand out – be easy to see because of being different
103. take after (someone) – resemble a member of your family in appearance, behaviour or character
104. take off (something) – to remove from a surface or your body (clothes)
105. take off – leave the ground (e.g. a plane)
106. take on – attempt something new; employ
107. take over – take control of
108. take to – start to like, especially after only a short time
109. take up – start doing (a hobby)
110. tell off – speak angrily to someone who has done something wrong
111. throw away – get rid of something you do not need any more
112. turn back – return towards the place you started from
113. turn down – reject or refuse
114. turn into – to transform
115. turn off – to disconnect (e.g. a computer)
116. turn on – to connect (e.g. the TV)
117. turn up – arrive, usually unexpectedly, early or late
118. use up – finish a supply of something
119. wear out – to use something until it becomes unusable
120. work out – think about and find a solution; do exercise