Phrasal verbs list

Phrasal Verbs List

This is a list of about 200 common phrasal verbs, with meanings and examples. Phrasal verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once. Use the list below as a reference guide when you find an expressionthat you don't recognize. The examples will help you understand the meanings. If you think of each phrasal verb as a separate verb with a specific meaning, you will be able to remember it more easily. Like many other verbs, phrasal verbs often have more than one meaning. As well as learning their meanings, you need to learn how to use phrasal verbs properly. Some phrasal verbs require a directobject (someone/something), while others do not. Some phrasal verbs can be separated by the object, while others cannot. Review the grammar lesson on phrasal verbs from time to time so that you don't forget the rules!
Most phrasal verbs consist of two words, but a few consist of three words, which always stay together.
 
|Verb |Meaning|Example |
|ask someone out |invite on a date |Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. |
|ask around |ask many people the same question |I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.|
|add up to something |equal|Your purchases add up to $205.32. |
|back something up |reverse |You'll have to back up your car so that I can|
| | |get out. |
|back someone up |support|My wife backed me up over my decision to quit|
| | |my job. |
|blow up |explode |The racing car blew up after it crashed into |
| ||the fence. |
|blow something up |add air |We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.|
|break down |stop functioning (vehicle, machine) |Our car broke down at the side of the highway|
| ||in the snowstorm. |
|break down |get upset |The woman broke down when the police told her|
| | |that her son had died. |
|break something down |divide into smaller parts|Our teacher broke the final project down into|
| | |three separate parts. |
|break in |force entry to a building |Somebody broke in last night and stole our |
| ||stereo. |
|break into something |enter forcibly |The firemen had to break into the room to |
| | |rescue the children. |
|break something in |wear something a few...