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Phrasal verbs

71 phrasal verbs: a verb plus a small word like up, out or off that together mean something new. A to Z by the verb, each with its main meaning in simple words.

B

  1. beat up verbTo hit someone again and again and hurt them badly.
  2. blow up verbTo explode, or to be destroyed when something explodes.
  3. break down verbTo stop working, used about a machine, car, or computer.
  4. break up verbTo end a relationship with someone, usually a love relationship.
  5. bring about verbTo make something happen.
  6. bring up verbTo start talking about a subject, or to mention it.

C

  1. calm down verbTo become quieter and less excited, angry, or wild.
  2. carry out verbTo do a job or task, or to make a plan actually happen.
  3. check out verbTo look closely at something, find out more about it, or look at someone you find attractive.
  4. come out verbTo move from inside a place or thing to the outside.
  5. come up verbOf a problem or event, to happen or become known, often when no one expected it.
  6. cool down verbTo become calmer and less upset or excited.
  7. cut off verbTo take something away by cutting it.
  8. cut out verbTo cut a piece away from something, with scissors, a knife, or something like them.

D

  1. deal with verbTo face a problem or a hard situation and try to get through it.

E

  1. eke out verbTo get something with a lot of difficulty or hard work.

F

  1. find out verbTo learn something you did not know, for example by asking or checking.
  2. freak out verbTo get so scared or angry that you lose control and stop thinking clearly.

G

  1. get along verbTo be friendly with someone and live or work together without fighting.
  2. get off verbTo leave a bus, train or other vehicle, or to leave a road you are traveling on.
  3. get on verbTo climb onto something, especially a bus, train, or other vehicle.
  4. get out verbTo leave a place, or to escape from it.
  5. get up verbTo get out of bed after you wake up, to start your day.
  6. give up verbTo stop doing something, like a habit or an activity.
  7. go down verbTo move from a higher place to a lower place.
  8. go off verbTo blow up, like a bomb or fireworks.
  9. go on verbTo happen, or to be taking place.
  10. go out verbTo leave your home to go somewhere fun, like a restaurant, a movie, or a party.
  11. go up verbTo move from a lower place to a higher one.
  12. grow up verbTo get older and become an adult.

H

  1. hang in verbTo keep trying and not give up, even when things are hard.
  2. hang out verbTo spend time with someone, or to meet up with them often.
  3. hang up verbTo end a phone call. On old phones, you did it by putting the phone back on its hook.
  4. hold up verbTo make someone or something late or slow by getting in the way.
  5. hook up verbTo have a casual sexual experience with someone, usually without wanting a relationship.

L

  1. let down verbTo disappoint someone by not doing what they hoped or trusted you to do.
  2. lie down verbTo put your body flat, for example on a bed or the floor.
  3. log in verbTo get into a computer system, usually by typing a username and password you set up before.
  4. look for verbTo try to find something or someone you want or have lost.

M

  1. make out verbTo kiss and hold each other in a romantic, passionate way.
  2. make up verbTo invent a story or excuse that is not true.

P

  1. pass away verbTo die. People use these words to talk about a death in a kind, gentle way.
  2. pay off verbTo be worth the effort or cost in the end.
  3. pick up verbTo take something in your hands and lift it up.
  4. pin down verbTo work out or say exactly what something is, like a plan or a problem.
  5. pin on verbTo blame someone for something, especially when they do not deserve it.
  6. put down verbTo say unkind things that make someone feel bad about themselves.
  7. put on verbTo get dressed in clothes, or to start wearing something like glasses or a helmet.
  8. put out verbTo stop a fire from burning.
  9. put up verbTo accept or live with something bad or annoying, usually said as put up with.

R

  1. rip off verbTo cheat someone, especially by making them pay much too much.

S

  1. set up verbTo put something together or in place so it is ready to use.
  2. show off verbTo show people what you have or can do, so they will think you are great.
  3. shut down verbTo close a place or end something. A business or factory can also shut down on its own.
  4. sit down verbTo move your body from standing to sitting.
  5. speed up verbTo start going faster.
  6. stand up verbTo get up onto your feet after sitting or lying down.

T

  1. take away verbTo carry something from where it is to another place.
  2. take off verbTo leave the ground and go up into the air.
  3. take out verbTo remove something from where it is.
  4. turn down verbTo say no to an offer, a request, or a person asking for something.
  5. turn off verbTo stop something like a light, machine, or setting from working.
  6. turn on verbTo make a machine, light, or other thing start working.
  7. turn out verbTo happen or end in a certain way.
  8. turn up verbTo make something louder, hotter, or brighter by using its controls.

W

  1. wake up verbTo come out of sleep and be awake.
  2. warm up verbTo make something warm, or warm again, such as food.
  3. wear out verbTo use something so much or so roughly that it becomes damaged or useless.
  4. wind up verbTo be in a place or situation at the end of something.
  5. work out verbTo do exercise, especially by lifting weights.
  6. wrap up verbTo finish something completely, or to come to an end.

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