Phrasal Verbs: English expressions with meanings

Essential phrasal verbs for everyday English communication

167 wordsA1 · 4A2 · 35B1 · 75B2 · 42C1 · 11

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Movement & Direction · 30

Word	Level	Definition
get up	A1	to leave your bed and stand up
go out	A2	to leave your home for fun
come back	A2	to return to a place
come in	A2	to enter a place
sit down	A1	to move from standing to sitting
stand up	A2	to get up on your feet
get in	A2	to enter a place or arrive somewhere
get out	A2	to leave a place or become known
get off	A2	to leave a bus, train or car
get on	B1	to climb onto something or make progress
run away	A2	to leave quickly to get away from something
walk away	B1	leave by walking
move in	B1	to start living in a new place
move out	B1	to leave the place where you are living
go away	A2	to leave a place
come over	B1	to visit or affect suddenly
drop by	B1	to visit someone for a short time
head off	C1	to leave or to stop something from happening
set off	B2	to start a trip, or to cause something to begin
take off	A2	to remove clothing, or for a plane to leave
pull over	B1	to move a car to the side of the road
speed up	B2	to go faster or make something happen more quickly
slow down	B1	to move or go less fast
back up	B1	to move backward, especially in a car
catch up	B1	to reach the same level as others
keep up	B1	to continue at the same speed or level
fall behind	B2	to not keep up with others
pop in	B2	to go inside a place for a very short visit
swing by	B1	to stop at a place for a moment while going somewhere else
duck out	C1	to leave quietly to avoid something

Communication · 27

Word	Level	Definition
call back	A2	to phone someone again later
hang up	B1	to put the phone down, or put on a hook
pick up	B1	to answer the phone when it rings
speak up	B1	to talk louder so people can hear you
shut up	B1	to stop talking, or to close completely
bring up	B1	to raise a child or mention a topic
point out	B1	to show or say what something is
find out	A2	to learn something you did not know before
figure out	B1	to understand something after thinking about it
work out	B1	to exercise or to find a solution to a problem
sort out	B2	to organize or fix a problem
talk over	B1	to discuss something with someone
clear up	B1	to explain or make something understood
sum up	B2	to give the main points in a short way
spell out	B2	to explain something very clearly and simply
get through	B1	to finish something or reach someone
hold on	A2	to wait or keep holding something
pass on	B1	to give something to the next person
go on	A2	to continue doing something, or to happen
carry on	B1	to keep doing something after a stop or a problem
cut off	B1	to interrupt someone while they are speaking
open up	B1	to start talking freely or to make accessible
speak out	B2	to say your opinion bravely and publicly
reach out	B1	to try to help or talk to someone
touch base	B2	to talk to someone briefly to share information
chime in	B2	to join a talk by adding your own words
butt in	B2	to interrupt or join without being asked

Work & Actions · 26

Word	Level	Definition
carry out	B1	to complete or do a task as planned
put off	B1	to move to a later time, or make not want to
give up	A2	to stop trying or quit doing something
take on	B1	to accept a new duty at work
take over	B1	to get control of something from someone
hand over	B1	to give something to someone else
set up	B1	to prepare or arrange something
shut down	B2	to stop a machine, business or service from working
wrap up	B1	to finish something or to cover in warm clothes
fill in	A2	to write information in empty spaces
fill out	B1	to write all needed information on a paper
look into	B1	to try to find out about something
look over	B1	to check something quickly from start to end
go through	B1	to have a hard time, or check something
run through	B2	to practice quickly, or to go through something fast
draw up	B2	to write and prepare an official document
lay off	B2	to stop employing workers for a time
step down	B2	to leave an important job or position
branch out	C1	to start doing new and different things
scale up	B2	to make something bigger or do more of it
follow up	B1	to do more about something after the first step
keep up with	B1	to stay at the same pace as something that keeps changing
put together	B1	to join parts to make something
break down	B1	to stop working or to divide into parts
phase out	C1	to stop using something gradually over time
iron out	C1	to fix or solve a problem or difficulty

Relationships · 22

Word	Level	Definition
break up	B1	to end a relationship or separate into pieces
make up	B1	to invent a story or become friends again
get along	B1	to have a friendly relationship with someone
fall out	B2	to have an argument with someone
ask out	B1	to invite someone to go on a date
settle down	B2	to become calm, or to start living a quiet life
grow up	A2	to change from a child to an adult
look after	A2	to take care of someone or something
look up to	B1	to respect and want to be like someone
look down on	B2	to think you are better than other people
put up with	B1	to accept something bad without getting angry
get over	B1	to feel better after being sick or sad
cheer up	A2	to become happier or make someone happier
calm down	A2	to become less angry or worried
let down	B1	to make someone sad by not doing what they hoped
stand by	B2	to support someone even when things are difficult
count on	B1	to trust or depend on someone
rely on	B1	to need and trust something or someone
stick together	B2	to stay loyal to each other
drift apart	B2	slowly stop being close friends
hit it off	B2	become friends quickly and easily
warm up to	C1	to start to like someone or something slowly

Daily Life · 25

Word	Level	Definition
wake up	A1	to stop sleeping and open your eyes
turn on	A2	to make a machine or light start working
turn off	A2	to stop a machine or light from working
put down	B1	to place something on a surface after holding it
throw away	B1	to put something in the trash
put on	A2	to place clothing on your body
try on	B1	put clothes on to see if they look good or fit
clean up	A2	to make a place tidy again
tidy up	A2	to make a place clean and in order
wash up	B2	to clean dishes, or to clean your hands and face
dry off	A2	to remove water from something or yourself
heat up	B1	to make something hotter
cool down	A2	to become less hot or less angry
eat out	A2	to have a meal at a place that serves food
hang out	A2	to spend time with friends
chill out	B1	to relax and be calm
lie down	A2	to put your body flat on a bed or floor
run out	B1	to have none left
stock up	B1	to buy a lot of something to keep
drop off	B1	to take someone to a place, or fall asleep
doze off	B2	fall into a light sleep
sleep in	A2	stay in bed longer than usual
stay up	A2	to not go to bed, to be awake
wind down	B2	to gradually slow down or become less active
veg out	C1	to relax and do nothing for a while

Understanding & Thinking · 16

Word	Level	Definition
think about	A1	to spend time using your mind on something
think over	B1	to consider something carefully before deciding
come up with	B1	to think of an idea or plan
make out	B2	to see or understand something with difficulty
sink in	B2	to slowly become understood
dawn on	B2	begin to understand something for the first time
catch on	B2	to suddenly understand something
mix up	B1	to confuse one thing with another
mess up	B1	to do something badly so that it goes wrong
screw up	C1	to make a big mistake with something
turn out	B1	to be shown in the end to be a certain way
end up	B1	to finally be in a place or situation
come across	B2	to meet or find someone by chance while doing something else
stumble upon	B2	to discover something hidden or surprising by accident
dwell on	C1	to think or talk about something for too long
mull over	C1	to think about something carefully for a long time

Changes & Results · 21

Word	Level	Definition
go up	A2	to become bigger in number
go down	A2	to become smaller in number
come down	B1	to gradually become lower
cut down	B1	to use less of something
build up	B1	to increase gradually over time
pile up	B2	to gradually increase until there is a large amount
add up	B1	to seem reasonable when considered together
break out	B2	to begin suddenly and violently
blow up	A2	to fill with air or to explode
fall apart	B1	to break into pieces
wear out	B1	to become weak and damaged from too much use
give out	B2	to hand things to many people or stop working
die down	C1	to gradually become less strong or intense
fade away	B2	to slowly become weaker and disappear
bounce back	B2	to recover quickly after a bad time
pay off	B1	to produce a good result after effort
backfire	B1	to have the opposite effect from what was wanted
pan out	B2	to develop or end in a certain way
play out	B2	to happen or develop in a certain way
shake up	B2	to surprise people with sudden, major changes that improve things
stir up	B2	to cause trouble or strong feelings

Irregular verbs

All three forms of every irregular verb, with a translation, groups and a quiz.

be have do get know see make think go say take come English irregular verbs →

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