If you want to sound more natural and fluent in English, learning phrasal verbs is essential. Native speakers use them every day in conversations, movies, and even in business English. Phrasal verbs are formed when a verb is combined with a preposition or adverb, creating a new meaning. For example, “give up” doesn’t mean “give,” it means “to stop doing something.”
In this article, you’ll learn the most common English phrasal verbs with their meanings and real-life examples to help you understand and use them confidently.
Most Common English Phrasal Verbs with Examples
🔹 1. Phrasal Verbs with “Get”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Get up
To rise from bed
I get up at 7 a.m. every day.
Get along (with)
To have a good relationship
I get along well with my coworkers.
Get away
To escape or take a break
We plan to get away for the weekend.
Get over
To recover from something
It took her months to get over the flu.
Get back
To return
What time did you get back home?
Get off
To leave a bus, train, etc.
We got off at the next station.
Get on
To board or enter
She got on the plane at 9 a.m.
Get through
To finish or complete something
I finally got through my homework.
Get in
To enter a car or building
Please get in the car quickly.
Get out
To leave a place
Get out of my room, please!
🔹 2. Phrasal Verbs with “Take”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Take off
To remove or when a plane leaves the ground
The plane took off on time.
Take care of
To look after
She takes care of her younger brother.
Take up
To start doing something new
He took up painting last year.
Take over
To assume control
The new manager will take over next week.
Take back
To return something
I need to take back this shirt; it’s too small.
Take out
To remove something
Please take out the trash.
Take down
To write or remove something
Take down these notes carefully.
Take on
To accept responsibility
She took on too many tasks at work.
Take apart
To separate pieces
He took the toy apart to see how it works.
Take after
To resemble a family member
She takes after her mother.
🔹 3. Phrasal Verbs with “Come”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Come in
To enter
Please come in and have a seat.
Come out
To appear or be published
Her new book will come out next month.
Come back
To return
I’ll come back later.
Come across
To find by chance
I came across an old photo of us.
Come up with
To think of an idea
She came up with a great plan.
Come on
To encourage or hurry
Come on! We’re going to be late.
Come down with
To get sick
I think I’m coming down with a cold.
Come over
To visit someone
Why don’t you come over this evening?
Come off
To succeed
The event came off perfectly.
Come through
To manage to succeed
She came through the operation safely.
🔹 4. Phrasal Verbs with “Go”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Go on
To continue
Please go on with your story.
Go out
To leave home for fun
We’re going out for dinner tonight.
Go back
To return
I want to go back to my hometown.
Go ahead
To start or continue
Go ahead, I’m listening.
Go through
To experience something
He went through a tough time.
Go over
To review
Let’s go over the plan once more.
Go off
To explode or start making noise
The alarm went off at 6 a.m.
Go up
To increase
Prices have gone up recently.
Go down
To decrease or sink
The temperature went down last night.
Go with
To match or suit
This shirt goes with your jeans.
🔹 5. Phrasal Verbs with “Put”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Put on
To wear clothes
She put on her coat and left.
Put off
To postpone
Don’t put off your homework.
Put out
To extinguish
He put out the fire quickly.
Put up with
To tolerate
I can’t put up with this noise anymore.
Put down
To insult or write something
Don’t put yourself down; you’re doing great.
Put away
To store
Please put away your toys.
Put up
To build or raise
They put up a new building downtown.
Put back
To return something to its place
Put the book back on the shelf.
Put through
To connect by phone
I’ll put you through to the manager.
Put forward
To suggest
She put forward a new idea during the meeting.
🔹 6. Phrasal Verbs with “Look”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Look after
To take care of
I look after my little sister.
Look for
To search
I’m looking for my keys.
Look forward to
To anticipate with pleasure
I’m looking forward to the holidays.
Look out
To be careful
Look out! There’s a car coming.
Look up
To search for information
You can look it up online.
Look down on
To think you are better than someone
He looks down on poor people.
Look into
To investigate
The police are looking into the case.
Look around
To explore
We looked around the city.
Look back
To remember the past
Don’t look back; keep moving forward.
Look over
To review or check
Please look over your answers before submitting.
🔹 7. Phrasal Verbs with “Make”
Phrasal Verb
Meaning
Example
Make up
To invent or reconcile
She made up a funny story.
Make out
To understand or see clearly
I can’t make out what he’s saying.
Make sure
To confirm
Make sure you lock the door.
Make up for
To compensate
I’ll make up for being late.
Make off with
To steal and escape
The thief made off with my bag.
Make of
To understand the meaning of
What do you make of this situation?
Make do with
To manage with what’s available
We’ll have to make do with what we have.
Make for
To move toward
The ship made for the shore.
Make up one’s mind
To decide
Have you made up your mind yet?
Make it
To succeed
She worked hard and made it!
Conclusion
Phrasal verbs are a key part of real English communication. They make your speech sound natural, fluent, and native-like. The best way to learn them is through daily practice — listen to English movies, read short texts, and try to use these verbs in your own sentences.
👉 Keep this list handy and review a few every day. Soon, you’ll find yourself understanding and using English phrasal verbs effortlessly!
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