Phrasal Words

 Phrasal verbs are frequently used in spoken English as well as informal texts. You will also come across these in the verbal section of various competitive exams. As the name suggests, a phrasal verb is composed of two or three words, including a verb and an adverb or preposition. Generally, the meaning of the phrasal verb is not very obvious from the main verb.

The meaning differs due to the accompanying preposition or adverb. Example: ‘look up’ and ‘look down’ are two phrasal verbs with different meanings. In this series of articles, you will learn about the commonly used phrasal verbs and their meanings. Each article consists of 10-20 phrasal verbs explained with the help of examples. The lists are arranged in the alphabetical order of phrases.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 1

Phrasal verbs starting with letter A

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Abide by	respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule)	If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules.
Account for	explain, give a reason	I hope you can account for the money you spent!
Add up	make sense, seem reasonable	Her story just doesn't add up.
Advise against	recommend not doing something	The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads.
Agree with	have the same opinion as somebody else.	I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too.
Aim at	point something in the direction of a target	The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker.
Allow for	take into consideration,  include in a calculation	You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams.
Appeal to	1. plead or make an earnest request 2. be attractive or interesting	1. The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. 2. A trekking holiday doesn't appeal to me.
Apply for	make a formal request for something, (job, permit, loan etc.)	He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper.
Avail (oneself) of	take advantage of something (an opportunity)	When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares.

                                                                  

List of Phrasal Verbs – 2

Phrasal verbs starting with letter B

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Back away	move backwards, in fear or dislike	When he saw the dog, he backed away.
Back down	withdraw,  concede defeat	Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building.
Back up	1. give support or encouragement 2. make a copy of (file, program, etc.)	1. If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up? 2. It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location.
Bail out	1. pay money to secure someone's release 2. rescue from financial difficulties	1. When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out. 2. The government bailed out the bank.
Bank on	base your hopes on someone/something	Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help.
Boil down to	be summarized as	The problem boils down to a lack of money.
Boot up	start a computer by loading an operating system or program.	Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer.
Break away	escape from captivity	A few horses broke away from the paddock.
Break down	1. go out of order, cease to function 2. lose control of one's emotions	1. Nitish's car broke down so he had to take the bus. 2. The parents broke down when they heard the bad news.
Break into	enter by force	Burglars broke into the house around midnight.
Break out	start suddenly	Rioting broke out as a result of the strike.
Break out of	escape from a place by force	Three prisoners broke out of jail.
Break up	come to an end (marriage, relationship)	After her marriage broke up, Seema went to live in London.
Bring up	raise (a child)	She stopped working in order to bring up her children.
Brush up on	improve, refresh one's knowledge of something	Meena had to brush up on her English before going to America.
Bump into	meet by accident or unexpectedly	Padma bumped into her English teacher at the supermarket.
Burn out	1. stop (something) working 2. become exhausted from over-working	1. The fuse has burnt out. 2. Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 3

Phrasal verbs starting with letter C

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Call back	return a phone call	I'll call you back as soon as possible.
Call off	cancel	The meeting was called off because of the strike.
Call on/upon	formally invite or request	I now call upon the President to address the assembly.
Calm down	become more relaxed, less angry or upset	He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down.
Carry on	continue	He carried on gardening in spite of the rain.
Carry out	1. do something as specified  (a plan, an order, a threat) 2. perform or conduct (test, experiment)	1. The plan was carried out to perfection. 2. Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug.
Carry over	postpone until later	As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next?
Check in	register at a hotel or airport	For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight.
Check out	1. pay one's bill and leave (a hotel) 2. investigate	1. Is Mr. Kumar still at the hotel?  No, he checked out this morning. 2. I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out.
Clam up	refuse to speak	When the teacher arrived she clammed up.
Clamp down on	act strictly to prevent something	The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places.
Come across	1. find by chance 2. appear, seem, make an impression	1. Veena came across some photographs of her grandparents in the store room. 2. The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview.
Come forward	present oneself	The police have asked any witnesses to come forward.
Come up against	be faced with or opposed by	The project came up against a lot of criticism.
Count on	rely or depend on (for help)	I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre.
Cross out	remove by drawing a line through	In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word.
Cut down on	reduce in number or size	The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes.
Cut out	1. remove using scissors 2. stop doing something	1. She cut out a picture in a magazine. 2. I'm going to cut out eating between meals.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 4

Phrasal verbs starting with letters D-F

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Deal with	handle, take care of  (problem, situation)	The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers.
Die down	calm down, become less strong	When the applause died down, she started to sing.
Do without	manage without	The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar.
Drag on	last longer than expected	We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on!
Draw up	write (contract, agreement, document)	An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties.
Dress up	1. wear elegant clothes 2. disguise oneself	1. Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country? 2. Children love to dress up at Halloween.
Drop in	visit, usually on the way somewhere	I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school.
Drop off	1. deliver someone or something 2. fall asleep	1. I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like. 2. Granddad often drops off in front of the TV.
Drop out	leave school without finishing	She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term.
End in	finish in a certain way; result in	Their marriage ended in divorce.
Ease off	reduce, become less severe or slow down  (pain, traffic, work)	After Christmas the workload generally eases off.
End up	finally reach a state, place or action	If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison.
Even out	1. eliminate differences of opinion. 2. become level or regular	1. After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences. 2. The road was evened out to make it safer.
Fall through	fail; doesn't happen	Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm.
Figure out	understand, find the answer	I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves.
Fill out	complete (a form/an application)	Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible.
Find out	discover or obtain information	I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts.
Focus on	concentrate on something	The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 5

Phrasal verbs starting with letter G

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Get along (with)	be on good terms; work well with	I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.
Get at	imply	What exactly are you trying to get at?
Get away	escape	The robbers got away in a black car.
Get by	manage to cope or to survive	It's difficult to get by on a low salary.
Get in	enter	How did the thief get in?
Get into (+noun)	enter	How did the thief get into the house?
Get off	1. leave (bus, train, plane) 2. remove	1. You should get off the bus at the main market of the town. 2. She can't get the stain off her sweater.
Get on	board (bus, train, plane)	You can pay when you get on the bus.
Get on with (something)	continue to do; make progress	Be quiet and get on with your homework.
Get on (well) with (somebody)	have a good relationship with	I get on very well with my colleagues.
Get out	leave	How did he get out?
Get out of (+noun)	leave	How did he get out of the house?
Get out of	avoid doing something	Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework.
Get over	recover from (illness, disappointment)	My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it.
Get rid of	eliminate	It's difficult to get rid of old habits.
Get together	meet each other	Let's get together for lunch on day.
Get up	rise, leave bed	I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
Give up	stop doing something	Rajesh gave up smoking 5 years ago.
Go through	experience	Priya went through a lot of pain after the accident.
Grow up	spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult	He grew up in a small village in the mountains.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 6

Phrasal verbs starting with letters H-L

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Hand in	submit (report, homework)	All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month.
Hand out	distribute	Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration.
Hang up	end a phone conversation	"Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet."
Hit at	aim a blow at	He hit at the wasp with the newspaper.
Hit back	retaliate; reply to an attack	When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back.
Hit on/upon	find unexpectedly or by inspiration	She hit upon an idea for her new collection.
Hold on	1. wait 2. grip tightly	1. "Hold on please.  I'll put you through to Mr. Khanna" 2. She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge.
Hurry up	be quick, act speedily	Hurry up! We'll miss the bus.
Iron out	resolve by discussion, eliminate differences	The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties.
Join in	participate	She was too shy to join in the game.
Join up	1. engage in, become a member of 2. meet and unite with	1. Deven was in the Army and Shekher joined up as soon as he left school. 2. The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel.
Jot down	take quick notes	I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV.
Keep on	continue doing something	It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise.
Keep up with	stay at the same level as someone or something	Karan walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him.
Kick off	begin, start	The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock.
Leave out	omit, not mention	The child's name was left out of the report.
Let down	disappoint	You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down!
Look after	take care of	A babysitter looks after the children when their parents go out.
Look ahead	think of the future	It's time to forget the past and look ahead.
Look down on	consider as inferior	He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful.
Look on	be a spectator at an event	Billu didn't take part in the fight.  He just looked on.
Look for	try to find something	Seema went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes.
Look forward to	await or anticipate with pleasure	I look forward to seeing you soon.
Look up to	admire	He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him.

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List of Phrasal Verbs – 7

Phrasal verbs starting with letters M-P

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Make fun of	laugh at/ make jokes about	The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her.
Make up	invent (excuse, story)	Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work.
Mix up	mistake one thing or person for another	I don't know my neighbours' names yet.  I keep mixing them up.
Move in	arrive in a new home or office	You've bought a new house? When are you moving in?
Move out	leave your home/office for another one.	My neighbour is leaving.  He's moving out next Saturday.
Nod off	fall asleep	My grandfather often nods off in front of the television.
Note down	write something	I'll call the station and note down the departure times.
Opt out	leave a system or decide not to participate	I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament.
Own up	admit or confess something	The boy owned up.  He said he kicked the ball through the window.
Pass away	die	The old lady passed away peacefully.
Pass out	faint	She passed out when she heard the bad news.
Pay back	reimburse	I'll lend you Rs. 20 provided you pay me back before the end of the week.
Put off	postpone, arrange a later date	The meeting was put off because of the strike.
Put on	turn on, switch on	Could you put on the light please?
Put out	extinguish	It took a long time to put out the fire.
Put up	accommodate, give somebody a bed	We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end.
Pick up	collect somebody	I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive.
Point out	indicate/direct attention to something	She pointed out the mistake.

List of Phrasal Verbs – 8

Phrasal verbs starting with letters R-T

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Examples
Rely on	count on, depend on, trust	Don't worry.  You can rely on me.  I can keep a secret.
Rule out	eliminate	The police ruled out political motives.
Run away	escape from a place or suddenly leave	He ran away from home at the age of fourteen.
Run into	meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into)	Sheetal ran into Meera at the shopping centre.
Shop around	compare prices	It's always wise to shop around before buying anything.
Show off	brag or want to be admired	There's Devesh showing off in his new sports car!
Show up	appear/arrive	We expected Deepak to come but he didn't show up.
Shut up  (impolite)	be silent, stop talking	Oh shut up, you idiot!
Sit down	take a seat	Please come in and sit down.
Stand up	rise from a sitting position	The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived.
Stick up for	defend	It's important to stick up for one's principles.
Take after	resemble, in appearance or character	Jagat really takes after his dad.
Take care of	look after	I'll take care of your plants while you're away.
Take off	leave the ground	The plane took off at 6 a.m.
Take on	hire or engage staff	Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff.
Take out	remove; extract	She took out a pen to note the address.