What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle — a preposition or an adverb — whose combined meaning is different from the literal verb on its own. “Give” means to hand something over; “give up” means to quit. “Run” means to move fast on foot; “run into” means to meet someone by chance. The particle completely changes the meaning, which is exactly why phrasal verbs cannot be understood by translating the two words separately. You have to learn each combination as its own unit of meaning.
Phrasal verbs are the number one thing that makes English sound natural. Native speakers reach for them constantly — in conversation, texting, TV, podcasts, and casual writing. A learner who says “I will tolerate it” is grammatically correct but sounds bookish; a native speaker says “I'll put up with it.” That instinct to use the phrasal verb is what separates fluent-sounding English from textbook English. At the same time, they are the number one thing that trips learners up, because the meaning is unpredictable and there are thousands of them.
One more thing to watch for: the same verb-plus-particle can have several completely different meanings depending on context. “Take off” can mean remove your coat, a plane leaving the runway, or a business suddenly becoming successful. “Make out” can mean to barely see something, to understand it, or to kiss. This is why a static phrasal verbs list will only get you so far — the meaning lives in the sentence, not the dictionary entry. The examples below give you the most common meaning of each, and later we'll show you how to capture the other senses from real video. If you want the bigger picture on lexical growth, our guide on how to build your English vocabulary puts phrasal verbs in context alongside roots, collocations, and idioms.
The 100 Most Common Phrasal Verbs (by Base Verb)
Here are 100 common phrasal verbs organized into ten groups around the most productive base verbs in English: get, take, put, come, go, look, turn, give, break, and run. Grouping by base verb is the smartest way to learn them — once you know that “get” spawns a dozen phrasal verbs, each new one is easier to slot in. Every entry below has a one-line meaning and a natural example sentence. Use the overview grid to jump to whichever verb family you want to drill first.
GET
Verbs 1-10The most flexible verb in English — get up, get over, get along, get by — built into countless everyday situations.
TAKE
Verbs 11-20From take off to take after, this group covers removing, resembling, accepting, and assuming control.
PUT
Verbs 21-30Place, postpone, tolerate, assemble — put off, put up with, and put together appear constantly in speech.
COME
Verbs 31-40Arriving, discovering, and visiting — come across, come up with, and come over are conversation staples.
GO
Verbs 41-50Continuing, happening, reviewing — go on, go off, and go through are among the most common of all.
LOOK
Verbs 51-60Searching, caring, admiring — look up, look after, and look forward to are essential daily phrasal verbs.
TURN
Verbs 61-70Switching, rejecting, transforming — turn on, turn down, and turn out cover devices, decisions, and outcomes.
GIVE
Verbs 71-80Quitting, donating, returning — give up, give in, and give away show up in both casual and emotional contexts.
BREAK
Verbs 81-90Failing, ending, escaping — break down, break up, and break out are vivid and high-frequency.
RUN
Verbs 91-100Meeting, depleting, rehearsing — run into, run out of, and run through are everywhere in spoken English.
Phrasal Verbs with GET (1-10)
“Get” is the most productive base verb in spoken English, and phrasal verbs with get are among the very first you should master. They cover waking, recovering, coping, escaping, and getting along with people — the building blocks of everyday conversation.
get up
Meaning: To rise from bed or stand up.
“I usually get up at six so I can go for a run before work.”
get along (with)
Meaning: To have a friendly relationship with someone.
“She gets along with everyone in the office, even the difficult clients.”
get over
Meaning: To recover from an illness, shock, or disappointment.
“It took him months to get over the breakup.”
get by
Meaning: To manage to survive or cope with what little you have.
“We don't earn much, but we get by just fine.”
get away with
Meaning: To do something wrong without being caught or punished.
“He cheated on the test and somehow got away with it.”
get back
Meaning: To return, or to receive something again.
“Call me as soon as you get back from your trip.”
get into
Meaning: To become involved or interested in something.
“Lately I've gotten into rock climbing on the weekends.”
get out of
Meaning: To avoid doing something you're supposed to do.
“She tried to get out of the meeting by pretending to be sick.”
get through
Meaning: To finish, survive, or successfully complete something difficult.
“I don't know how I got through that week, but I did.”
get around
Meaning: To move from place to place, or to find a way past a problem.
“Without a car, it's hard to get around this part of the city.”
Phrasal Verbs with TAKE (11-20)
“Take” phrasal verbs run from the literal (take off your shoes) to the figurative (take after your father, take on a project). Watch the multiple meanings here — “take off” alone has at least three.
take off
Meaning: To remove clothing, or for a plane to leave the ground.
“Please take off your shoes before you come inside.”
take after
Meaning: To resemble an older family member in looks or character.
“He really takes after his father — same laugh, same temper.”
take up
Meaning: To start a new hobby or activity.
“I decided to take up painting after I retired.”
take over
Meaning: To assume control of something.
“A new manager took over the team last month.”
take on
Meaning: To accept new work or responsibility.
“We can't take on any more projects until we hire more staff.”
take in
Meaning: To absorb information, or to give shelter to someone.
“There was so much to take in on the first day of the course.”
take out
Meaning: To remove something, or to bring someone on an outing.
“Don't forget to take out the trash before you leave.”
take back
Meaning: To retract something you said, or to return an item.
“I take back what I said earlier — you were right.”
take apart
Meaning: To separate something into its individual pieces.
“He took the engine apart to find the leak.”
take down
Meaning: To remove something that is mounted, or to write something down.
“The waiter took down our order without writing anything.”
Phrasal Verbs with PUT (21-30)
“Put” phrasal verbs are about placing, postponing, and tolerating. This group includes the famous three-word phrasal verb “put up with,” which is always inseparable — a grammar point we cover in the next section.
put off
Meaning: To postpone or delay something.
“Stop putting off the dentist — your tooth won't fix itself.”
put on
Meaning: To dress in something, or to gain weight.
“Put on a coat, it's freezing outside.”
put up with
Meaning: To tolerate something or someone unpleasant.
“I don't know how she puts up with that much noise every night.”
put away
Meaning: To return something to its proper place.
“Could you put away the dishes once they're dry?”
put out
Meaning: To extinguish a fire, or to inconvenience someone.
“Firefighters put out the blaze before it reached the houses.”
put down
Meaning: To set something on a surface, or to criticize someone.
“He put down his pen and finally looked up at me.”
put together
Meaning: To assemble or build something from parts.
“It took us all afternoon to put together the bookshelf.”
put through
Meaning: To connect a phone caller, or to make someone endure something.
“Hold on, I'll put you through to the manager.”
put up
Meaning: To build or raise something, or to give someone a place to stay.
“They put up a new fence around the garden last spring.”
put forward
Meaning: To propose an idea or suggestion.
“She put forward a plan to cut costs without firing anyone.”
Phrasal Verbs with COME (31-40)
“Come” phrasal verbs cover arriving, discovering, and falling ill. “Come up with” and “come across” are two of the most useful phrasal verbs examples in the entire list — you will use them weekly.
come across
Meaning: To find something by chance, or to give a certain impression.
“I came across an old photo of us while cleaning the attic.”
come up with
Meaning: To think of an idea or solution.
“We need to come up with a name for the band before the show.”
come back
Meaning: To return to a place.
“Come back soon — the house feels empty without you.”
come down with
Meaning: To start to suffer from an illness.
“I think I'm coming down with a cold; my throat is sore.”
come over
Meaning: To visit someone's home casually.
“Why don't you come over for dinner on Friday?”
come along
Meaning: To accompany someone, or to make progress.
“We're going to the market — do you want to come along?”
come apart
Meaning: To break into pieces or fall apart.
“The cheap toy came apart after just one afternoon.”
come out
Meaning: To be released or become known.
“Her new album comes out next week.”
come in
Meaning: To enter, or to arrive or finish in a position.
“Come in, the door is open — make yourself at home.”
come around
Meaning: To change your mind, or to regain consciousness.
“He was against the idea at first, but he came around eventually.”
Phrasal Verbs with GO (41-50)
“Go” phrasal verbs are everywhere. “What's going on?” and “go ahead” are so common that you probably already use them without thinking of them as phrasal verbs at all.
go on
Meaning: To continue, or to happen.
“What's going on out there? I heard shouting.”
go off
Meaning: To explode or sound an alarm, or for food to spoil.
“My alarm went off at five and I couldn't fall back asleep.”
go out
Meaning: To leave home for a social activity, or for a light to stop.
“We're going out for drinks later if you want to join.”
go over
Meaning: To review or check something carefully.
“Let's go over the plan one more time before we present it.”
go through
Meaning: To experience something difficult, or to examine in detail.
“She's going through a tough time, so be patient with her.”
go ahead
Meaning: To proceed or begin without waiting.
“Go ahead and start eating; I'll be there in a minute.”
go for
Meaning: To choose something, or to try to achieve it.
“I think I'll go for the pasta instead of the salad.”
go back
Meaning: To return to a previous place or state.
“I never want to go back to that job again.”
go down
Meaning: To decrease, or to be received in a certain way.
“Prices have gone down a lot since last summer.”
go up
Meaning: To increase or rise.
“Rent in this neighborhood keeps going up every year.”
Phrasal Verbs with LOOK (51-60)
“Look” phrasal verbs deal with searching, caring, and admiring. Note the three-word ones — “look forward to,” “look down on,” and “look up to” are all inseparable and take an object.
look up
Meaning: To search for information, or for a situation to improve.
“If you don't know the word, just look it up in the dictionary.”
look after
Meaning: To take care of someone or something.
“Could you look after my cat while I'm away next week?”
look forward to
Meaning: To feel excited about something in the future.
“I'm really looking forward to the weekend.”
look into
Meaning: To investigate or examine something.
“The company promised to look into the customer's complaint.”
look out
Meaning: To be careful or watch for danger.
“Look out! There's a cyclist coming up behind you.”
look down on
Meaning: To regard someone as inferior.
“She never looks down on people who have less than she does.”
look up to
Meaning: To admire and respect someone.
“He's always looked up to his older sister.”
look around
Meaning: To explore a place or browse.
“We have time, so let's look around the museum a bit.”
look over
Meaning: To examine or read something quickly.
“Can you look over my essay before I submit it?”
look through
Meaning: To read or examine a set of things one by one.
“I looked through the whole album and couldn't find the photo.”
Phrasal Verbs with TURN (61-70)
“Turn” phrasal verbs are the ones you reach for around devices and decisions — turn on, turn off, turn up, turn down. Most of them are separable, so “turn it off” is correct and “turn off it” is not.
turn on
Meaning: To switch on a device or appliance.
“Turn on the lights — I can barely see in here.”
turn off
Meaning: To switch off a device or appliance.
“Don't forget to turn off the stove before you leave.”
turn up
Meaning: To increase the volume, or to arrive or appear.
“Could you turn up the music? I love this song.”
turn down
Meaning: To reject an offer, or to lower the volume.
“She turned down the job because the salary was too low.”
turn out
Meaning: To end up a certain way, or to be revealed to be true.
“It turned out that he had known the answer all along.”
turn over
Meaning: To flip something, or to hand control of something to someone.
“Turn the pancake over before it burns.”
turn into
Meaning: To change or transform into something else.
“The quiet evening turned into one of the best nights of my life.”
turn around
Meaning: To face the opposite direction, or to improve dramatically.
“The new coach turned the team around in a single season.”
turn back
Meaning: To return the way you came.
“The storm was so bad that we had to turn back halfway.”
turn away
Meaning: To refuse someone entry or help.
“The restaurant was full, so they had to turn away several customers.”
Phrasal Verbs with GIVE (71-80)
“Give” phrasal verbs range from quitting (give up) to surrendering (give in) to helping (give a hand). They carry a lot of emotional weight — “don't give up” and “never gave up on me” appear constantly in films and music.
give up
Meaning: To stop trying, or to quit a habit.
“Don't give up now — you're so close to finishing.”
give in
Meaning: To finally agree after resisting.
“The kids begged for ice cream until I gave in.”
give away
Meaning: To donate, or to reveal a secret accidentally.
“We gave away most of our old furniture before the move.”
give back
Meaning: To return something to its owner.
“Please give back the book when you're finished with it.”
give out
Meaning: To distribute, or to stop working from exhaustion.
“Volunteers gave out free water along the marathon route.”
give off
Meaning: To emit a smell, light, or heat.
“The old heater gives off a strange burning smell.”
give up on
Meaning: To stop believing in or hoping for someone or something.
“His parents never gave up on him, even at his lowest point.”
give rise to
Meaning: To cause or lead to something.
“The new policy gave rise to a wave of protests.”
give a hand
Meaning: To help someone with a task.
“Could you give me a hand carrying these boxes upstairs?”
give in to
Meaning: To surrender to a temptation or pressure.
“She tried to resist but eventually gave in to the temptation.”
Phrasal Verbs with BREAK (81-90)
“Break” phrasal verbs are vivid and dramatic — machines break down, couples break up, fires break out, prisoners break away. They are favourites in storytelling, news, and TV, which makes them easy to absorb from video.
break down
Meaning: To stop functioning, or to lose emotional control.
“Our car broke down on the highway in the middle of the night.”
break up
Meaning: To end a romantic relationship, or to split into pieces.
“They broke up after dating for three years.”
break into
Meaning: To enter a place illegally and by force.
“Someone broke into the warehouse and stole the equipment.”
break out
Meaning: To start suddenly, or to escape from confinement.
“A fire broke out in the kitchen during the dinner rush.”
break off
Meaning: To end something abruptly, or to snap a piece away.
“The two countries broke off talks after the dispute.”
break through
Meaning: To force a way past an obstacle or barrier.
“After years of research, the team finally broke through.”
break away
Meaning: To escape from a group or separate from it.
“One runner broke away from the pack on the final lap.”
break in
Meaning: To enter by force, or to interrupt.
“Sorry to break in, but there's an urgent call for you.”
break even
Meaning: To make neither a profit nor a loss.
“The shop finally broke even in its second year.”
break down (explain)
Meaning: To divide something into smaller, clearer parts.
“Let me break down the budget so everyone understands it.”
Phrasal Verbs with RUN (91-100)
“Run” phrasal verbs round out our list. “Run into,” “run out of,” and “run through” are three you'll hear in any casual conversation, at work, or in a sitcom — proof that the most common phrasal verbs cluster around just a handful of base verbs.
run into
Meaning: To meet someone unexpectedly, or to encounter a problem.
“I ran into an old classmate at the airport yesterday.”
run out (of)
Meaning: To use up the entire supply of something.
“We've run out of milk, so I'll grab some on the way home.”
run over
Meaning: To hit someone or something with a vehicle, or to overflow.
“Slow down near the school so you don't run over a child.”
run away
Meaning: To escape or flee from a place or situation.
“He ran away from home when he was sixteen.”
run after
Meaning: To chase someone or something.
“The dog ran after the ball straight into the lake.”
run through
Meaning: To rehearse or quickly review something.
“Let's run through the presentation once more before lunch.”
run up
Meaning: To accumulate a large bill or debt.
“He ran up a huge phone bill while traveling abroad.”
run down
Meaning: To criticize someone, or to lose power or energy.
“Stop running yourself down — you did a great job.”
run by
Meaning: To tell someone an idea to get their opinion.
“Let me run this idea by you before I tell the boss.”
run off
Meaning: To leave quickly, or to print copies.
“She ran off before I could even say goodbye.”
Separable vs Inseparable Phrasal Verbs
Once you know the meanings, the next hurdle is grammar: where does the object go? Phrasal verbs fall into two groups, and getting this wrong is one of the most common mistakes learners make.
Separable phrasal verbs allow the object to sit either after the particle or between the verb and the particle. Both “turn off the light” and “turn the light off” are correct. But there is one hard rule: when the object is a pronoun (it, him, them, us), it must go in the middle. You say “turn it off,” never “turn off it.” This pronoun rule is the single most useful thing to memorize in this whole section.
Inseparable phrasal verbs keep the verb and particle glued together — the object always comes after the whole unit. You say “look after the kids,” never “look the kids after.” And a useful shortcut: all three-word phrasal verbs are inseparable. “Put up with it,” “look forward to it,” and “get away with it” can never be split.
| Type | Correct | Incorrect |
|---|---|---|
| Separable (full noun) | ✓ Turn off the light. / Turn the light off. | ✗ Both word orders are fine here. |
| Separable (pronoun) | ✓ Turn it off. | ✗ Turn off it. |
| Inseparable | ✓ Look after the kids. | ✗ Look the kids after. |
| Three-word (always inseparable) | ✓ I can't put up with it. | ✗ I can't put it up with. |
Don't try to memorize which verbs are separable from a chart, though — that way lies madness. The pattern sinks in naturally once you've heard each phrasal verb used dozens of times in real speech. That's exactly what the next section is about.
How to Actually Remember Phrasal Verbs (from Real Video)
Here is the uncomfortable truth about every phrasal verbs list, including this one: you will not remember most of it. Phrasal verbs cannot be memorized from a table, because their meaning is context-dependent and a single combination can carry several senses. Reading that “take off” has three meanings does nothing for you. Hearing “take off” used three different ways across three different videos — that's what builds the intuition.
The single best source of natural phrasal verbs is real native speech, and the largest free library of that on earth is YouTube. Sitcoms, vlogs, interviews, and TED talks are absolutely dense with phrasal verbs — far denser than formal writing or textbooks — precisely because they mirror how people actually talk. A ten-minute vlog will use more phrasal verbs than a whole chapter of a grammar book. This is why we built TubeVocab around exactly this idea, and why we keep coming back to learning English with YouTube as the core method.
Run this four-step loop on the phrasal verbs you most want to own:
- 1
Hear it in context, on a real video
Pick a sitcom, vlog, or interview on a topic you enjoy. When a speaker uses one of the 100 phrasal verbs above, pause and notice the full sentence. This is where you learn which of the verb's several meanings is in play — context does the disambiguating that a list never can.
- 2
Save the full sentence, not the isolated verb
A phrasal verb without its sentence is almost meaningless. Capture the exact line the speaker used, along with the moment in the video. TubeVocab automates this: click a word in the subtitles and it saves the surrounding sentence and generates an AI flashcard with the meaning, an example, and common collocations.
- 3
Review with spaced repetition within a week
Review your saved phrasal verbs at +1 day, +3 days, and +7 days, before the forgetting curve erases them. Because each card carries the real sentence you heard, the meaning comes back with its context attached — which is how you keep 'take off the runway' and 'take off your coat' separate in your head.
- 4
Produce it within seven days
The step that turns recognition into fluency: use each phrasal verb in your own speech or writing within a week of first hearing it. Drop 'I'll get back to you' into an email, or 'let me run this by you' into a chat. Retrieving the verb under real pressure is what cements it for good.
For more on this exact workflow, see our guides on English listening practice and interactive subtitles, and the deeper write-up on learning English with YouTube subtitles. Phrasal verbs sit right alongside power verbs and common English idioms as the three lexical chunks that make you sound truly natural — and once you're hunting phrasal verbs in real video, you'll also start noticing English homophones and commonly confused English words the moment a speaker uses them.
Phrasal Verbs FAQ
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb combined with a particle (a preposition or adverb) whose combined meaning is different from the literal verb on its own. For example, 'give up' means to quit, not to give something in an upward direction. English has thousands of them, and they are one of the biggest reasons spoken English sounds idiomatic and natural to native ears.
How many phrasal verbs are there in English?
There are around 10,000 phrasal verbs in English when you count every meaning, but you do not need anywhere near that many. Roughly 100 to 200 high-frequency phrasal verbs cover almost all everyday conversation, TV, and casual writing. The 100 in this list are the ones you will hear most often, so they are the highest-value place to start.
Why are phrasal verbs so hard for English learners?
Phrasal verbs are hard because their meaning is rarely guessable from the parts, and the same combination can mean several different things. 'Take off' can mean remove clothing, a plane departing, or sudden success. They also have tricky grammar around whether the object can split the verb and particle. The fix is hearing them used in real context, not memorizing definitions in isolation.
What's the difference between separable and inseparable phrasal verbs?
Separable phrasal verbs let the object sit between the verb and particle ('turn the light off'), and when the object is a pronoun it MUST go in the middle ('turn it off,' never 'turn off it'). Inseparable phrasal verbs keep the verb and particle together ('look after the kids,' never 'look the kids after'). All three-word phrasal verbs, like 'put up with,' are inseparable.
How do I learn phrasal verbs fast?
Learn phrasal verbs fast by grouping them around one base verb at a time, then hearing each one in real native speech rather than reciting lists. Save the full sentence a speaker used, review it with spaced repetition over the following week, and force yourself to produce the phrasal verb in your own writing or speech within seven days. Context plus active recall beats memorization every time.
Where can I hear phrasal verbs used naturally?
The best source for natural phrasal verbs is real video: sitcoms, vlogs, interviews, and TED talks on YouTube are packed with them because they mirror everyday speech. Casual, conversational content uses far more phrasal verbs than formal writing does. With TubeVocab you can click any phrasal verb you hear in a video and instantly save the full sentence as a flashcard with its meaning and examples.