Must know 150+ Important Phrasal Verbs List for Competitive Exams

What are phrasal verbs?

Phrasal verbs act as verbs but are actually two- or three-word phrases. They are comprised of:

Verb + Adverb
OR
Verb + Preposition
OR
Verb + Adverb + Preposition

These are troublesome to remember because the meaning of the phrasal verb is different from the meaning of its parts!

Example: Bring up (e.g., children) = to raise
# He brings up the child.

Just by knowing the meaning of bring and up, it’s hard to guess the meaning of bring up. To learn a phrasal in best possible way, one must understand the context.

Phrasal verbs are informal and commonly used in Spoken English to sound more natural.

Types of Phrasal Verbs

Phrasal verbs depending on transitivity and separability can be divided as the following category.

• Transitive and Intransitive
• Separable and Inseparable

Transitive and Intransitive Phrasal Verbs

As like single word verb, phrasal verb can also be transitive verb or intransitive verb depending on whether it needs an object or not to make sense. Some phrasal verbs can act both as transitive and intransitive.

Example: Transitive Verb

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Example Sentence
put off	postpone	They put off the plan of UAE tour. here the plan of UAE tour is object
turn down	reject	He turn down the job offer. here the job offer is object

Example: Intransitive Verb

Phrasal Verbs	Meaning	Example Sentence
get up	rise from bed	I wish to get up in the morning but I can’t. here no object present, in the morning is just a time phrase
break down	stop working	He was late because his car broke down.

Example: phrasal verbs that are both transitive and intransitive

Phrasal Verbs	Example as transitive verb	Example as intransitive verb
give up	Mr. Islam has decided to give up sweets since when he is detected with diabetes. here give up means “to forgo something”	Whatever happens in life, never ever give up. here give up means “to stop trying or lose hope”
take off	Always take off your shoes while entering in a sacred place. here take off means “to remove”	The plane will take off in twenty minutes. here take off means “to leave the ground”

Separable and Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

This differentiation is based on whether the object can be placed in the middle of phrasal verbs or not.

Separable Phrasal Verbs

When object can be inserted in the middle of phrasal verb, it is termed as separable phrasal verb.

To be a separable phrasal verb, object should be name of a person or a thing.

correct: He turned down the job offer.

correct: He turned the job offer down .

We generally not use separation form always but separation is must when the direct object is a pronoun (me, you, him, her, us, them, it etc.).

incorrect: She turned down it.

correct: She turned it down.

Inseparable Phrasal verbs

When object can’t be inserted between the words of phrasal verb, it is termed as inseparable phrasal verb.

correct: I’ll look after your dog while you’re on vacation. [look after means “to take care”]

incorrect: I’ll look your dog after while you’re on vacation.

Inseparable verbs can be transitive as in above sentence with look after. But Intransitive verbs are always inseparable.

Transitivity/Separability of Phrasal Verbs according to structure

Phrasal Verbs	Transitivity	Separability	Examples
Verb + Adverb	transitive, intransitive	separable, inseparable	put off, turn down, get up, break down
Verb + Preposition	transitive always	inseparable always	believe in, look after, talk about, wait for
Verb + Adverb + Preposition	transitive always	inseparable always	get on with, put up with, look forward to, run out of

Learn more about structure of phrasal verbs with examples here.

How to know if a phrasal verb is transitive/ intransitive and separable/ inseparable?

Unfortunately, there’s no hard and fast rule for knowing the type of phrasal verb just by looking at it. The best way is to learn each phrasal verb in context with lots of examples.

Most common phrasal verbs list with meaning

A comprehensive list of 150+ Phrasal Verbs in English with their meanings and examples are given below:

A phrasal verb can be used in multiple contexts. In the list we have tried to enlist 2 to 3 meanings at max. To know the all possible use kindly google the phrasal verb. Best result , in our observation, comes from macmillan dictionary.

let’s say you are searching “get off meaning”. Google shows many result. Along with other result try to read result from Macmillan Dictionary.

Short form used:
Sb=some body
Sth=some thing

Phrasal Verb	Meaning with Example Sentences
Act for	Works for # The deputy acts for his chief.
Bear away	win # Rajesh bore away all the prizes.
Bear down	>>overthrow or crush # The storm bore down many home near beach.
Bear out	prove # The evidence bears out the given rule.
Bear with	To be polite with sb/ sth # You have to bear with your relatives.
Blow up	[blow up something] to explode # The reactor blew up as a result of high pressure.
Break down	>>To stop working because of a fault # The car broke down on the way. >>to lose control of your feeling and start crying
Break into	To enter a building by force # The thieves broke into the house.
Break off	>>to end sth suddenly # I was about to complain the work environment in the college to Principal, but I broke off realizing he was already hot due to other reason. >>To separate sth using force # The kid break of the jackfruit.
Break out	To start suddenly # Plague had broken out in the village.
Break through	Forcefully get in # The man breaks through the shop.
Bring around	>>convince or convert # It’s a tough job to bring around your boss to accept your proposal. >>to restore to consciousness : REVIVE # In the hot 450C hot weather she lost her sense and we brought her round by sprinkling water in face.
Bring in	>>To introduce sth # She said the government would bring in the necessary legislation to deal with the problem.
Bring out	To make clear # Bring out the meaning of the first paragraph.
Bring up	To rear or educate # He brings up the child.
Call for	Demand # Mrs Selina calls for some money. # The boss angrily called for an explanation.
Call in	>>summon # Please call in the envoy. >>To demand repayment of
Call off	[call something off] cancel # It started to rain 10 minutes before the soccer game, so they called it off.
Call on	>>[call on someone]to visit someone, usually for a short time # We are going to Agra. We could call on you if time permits. >>[call on someone/something to do something]to officially ask a person or organization to do something # Many humanitarians call on the Government to put an end to death penalty.
Call up	>>Recall or remember or recollect # I am not able to call up her telephone number. >>to telephone someone # I call up my mom everyday. # I called him up and told him.
Carry away	become high in emotion or enthusiasm # People were carried away when Netaji said, “Give me blood, I will give you freedom.” >>To delight or enrapture # The beauty of the music carried him away.
Carry on	To continue # Let the task carry on. # Please carry on with your job.
Carry out	To complete a task, execute, perform # They carried out their leader’s orders.
Come about	To happen # How did this come about?
Come across	To meet someone, or to find something by chance # While cleaning the house, I came across a check I had forgotten to deposit.
Come after	Try to find or capture # The police comes after the robber.
Come by	To obtain or get or see # As he was running in the field, he came by some hungry dogs quarreling over a piece of bread.
Come from	Originates in # He comes from Denmark.
Come of	To be descended from # She comes of a royal family.
Come off	to happen as planned # I tried to say few jokes but they didn’t come off. (This means no one laughed).
Come on	Arrive faster # They came on a few minutes ago.
Come out	to reveal # How did the secret finally come out?
Come round	Recover consciousness # The patient will come round soon.
Come to	>>To recover consciousness after an injury or medical operation # Has grandma come to yet? >>Amount to # The KFC bill comes to ₹1200.
Come up	Raised for discussion # The topic came up suddenly in the middle of meeting.
Count on	[count on something/someone] depend on, rely on # You are the star of the team and we are all counting on you.
Cut down	To reduce the expenditure; curtail # Mr. Fat, “do cut down your sugar consumption.” # She cut down on her extra expenses to save some money for future.
Cut off	To disconnect # The two friends cut off from each other. # I have decided to cut off most of my friends.
Cut out	>>to have the qualities and abilities needed for something # He’s not cut out for teaching. # He’s not cut out to be a teacher. >>[cut out something] to stop noise, light etc. from reaching a place # This is a soundproof room that will cut out all the noise.
Cut up	>>To cut into smaller pieces # He cut up papers to use them in his project. >>[cut up nasty​/​rough] Angry or annoyed # When I cut up rough, my wife realizes she had watched too many reels. # My boss was cut up with me for not staying in office after 5 pm.
Deal in	To do business # She deals in clothing.
Deal with	To treat people # She deals with various customers while dealing in clothing.
Deck up	put on special clothes to appear particularly appealing and attractive # When the consultation began in the evening, the mausoleum of former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on the Marina was decked up with flowers.
Dispose of	[dispose of sb/sth] to get rid of someone or something or deal with something so that the matter is finished # How did they dispose of the body? # He never uses that bike any more, but he’s very reluctant to dispose of it. # Some farmers were disposing of animal carcasses in secret.
Do away with	To destroy # Death penalty should be done away with.
Fall back	to move back suddenly from someone or something, often because you are frightened # She fell back in horror/disgust.
Fall back (up)on	To depend upon # Don’t fall back upon anyone if you want to succeed in life.
Fall in	>>(roof) If a roof falls in it just collapse # Around 150 people were highly injured when the roof of the building fell in, in earth quake. >>(soldier) Get in line, line up # “Company, fall in!” shouted the sergeant-major.
Fall in with	To agree with   # I don’t fall in with you regarding this matter.
Fall into	>>[fall into something] to start doing something by chance # She fell into modelling quite by accident. >>[fall into someone’s hands] to be caught by someone, or to come under their control # Almost the whole world had fallen into British empire at some time in the past.
Fall off	diminish or reduce # The leaves are fallen off from the trees. # The education standard has greatly fallen off due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Fall on	To make an attack # He falls on his enemy.
Fall out	To quarrel # The two friends have fallen out with each other.
Fall through	To fail # The scheme has fallen through.
Figure out	understand, find a solution # Could you help me with this math problem? I can’t figure it out. # He was talking a lot but I could not figure out what he wanted to say.
Get along/on	>>To have a friendly relationship with somebody # My new work colleagues are very nice. I really get on well with them. >>to prosper, progress, proceed
Get away	[get away with something] to escape without punishment after doing something bad # The criminal has gotten away from jail. # the thieves managed to get away.
Get by	manage # I don’t have much money this moth but somehow I’ll get by.
Get down	to start to direct your efforts and attention towards something # I’ve got a lot of work to do, but I can’t seem to get down to it.
Get in	To join # I was 10 minutes late to get in the Google Meet.
Get into	>>[get into something] to start enjoying something, or to become enthusiastic about it # She’s really getting into the Internet. >>[get into something] if a train, plane etc. gets into a place, it arrives there # He gets into the bus.
Get off	>>Escape a punishment # The robber had managed to get off from bank. >>To remove clothes
Get on	>>To prosper # How’s your practice going on? Are you getting on games? >>to put on clothes
Get on with	To continue doing sth, especially work # Please stop talking and get on with work. # Veeraraghavan stop feeling sorry for yourself and just get on with your life.
Get out	To leave a room, etc. # Please get out from here right now.
Get over	>>[get over something] to forget # It took him years to get over wife’s death. >>Overcome # He gets over all the difficulties.
Get rid of	to relieve yourself of something that bothers you or no longer wanted # Everyone wants to get rid of poverty. # There are so many cockroaches in my room-I want to get rid of them. # My new apartment is much smaller than my old one so I had to get rid of stuff I don’t need.
Get through	succeed or pass # Rohan finally got through GMAT.
Get up	To rise from bed or to prepare # I wish to get up in the morning but I can’t.
Give away	>>to distribute something # The rescue team had given away food packets to every flood victim family. >>betray or reveal someone’s secret # Don’t worry sir, he will never give away the RAW secrets, even if he is shot.
Give in	>>To finally agree to something that someone wants even after several denials # She nagged me so much for OnePlus that eventually I gave in. >>to accept that you have been defeated and agree to stop competing or fighting; yield or surrender # The enemy gave in at last.
Give off	To emit # The industry gives off poisonous smoke.
Give out	>>[give out] to last no longer, or to work no longer || If a machine or part of your body gives out, it stops working # Water supplies will give out in three days. >>[give something out] distribute # Please print 100 copies of this report and give them out to all the employees. >> to broadcast a news
Give over	to stop doing something annoying # Oh (do) give over (= stop complaining), it’s not my fault!
Give up	>>to stop trying or loose hope # Whatever happens in life, never ever give up. >>to forgo something Mr. Islam has decided to give up sweets while he is detected with diabetes. >>surrender # The criminal finally gave himself up.
Give way	To break or snap # The rope suddenly gave way.
Go about	>>Go around or to continue to do something in a wrong way # Hey! You are going about this numerical in the wrong way. >>Roaming # I go about in my dream.
Go after	To follow; to pursue # You should go after your mentor.
Go along with	To agree with # I’m pretty sure, boss will go along with your idea.
Go away	Leave # Please go away from your workplace.
Go back on/ upon	to fail to do something that you have promised or agreed to do # Both leaders feared that the other would go back on his word.
Go by	>>to pass time etc. # Last month went by so fast. >> judge or make a judgement # Don’t go by her appearance. >>to follow
Go down	>>(of a ship or aircraft) sink or crash. # He saw eleven B-17s go down. >>be recorded or remembered in a particular way. # His name will go down in history.
Go for	Decide on, choose # I went for the rose flower.
Go in for	Like or habitually take part in # I go in for sports.
Go into	>>Investigate or discuss something thoroughly # Mr. Bakshy does not like to go into details over phone. >>To start a particular work or activity # I am decided to go into blogging.
Go off	>>to explode or to be fired # The gun went off while he was cleaning it. >>to happen in a particular way # The party went off well. # The protest march went off peacefully.
Go on	Continue # Please go on your duty.
Go over	[go over something] to revise # Before the test, let’s go over the topic of Idiom and phrases. # I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. Can we go over it again?
Go through	>>To perform or read successfully # Go through the passage before attempting comprehension questions. >>Suffer   # I have gone through a lot of pain after I broke my leg in accident. >>Examine # I have to go through the accounts.
Go upon	lay the foundation # I have no evidence to go upon in this corruption.
Hang about/around	Remain near # You have to hang about yourself.
Hang back	To show reluctance # I was astonished in freshers party-some people did not hang back. They were comfortable to senior girls.
Hang on OR hold on	To wait for a short time || wait; stop , endure in difficult circumstances # I’ll just get the information for you. Can you hang on a moment?
Hang up	To stop a phone conversation # Deepak hung up since he was not able to listen Aarthi due to excessive background noise.
Hold out	If you say that someone is holding out on you, you think that they are refusing to give you information that you want # He held out his hand in friendship.
Hold up	>>Delayed # I hope the repairs hold up until we can get to a garage. >>to remain strong or successful # This footage may not hold up in court.
Keep back	To conceal or keep secret #  I do not want to keep back anything from my family members.
Keep in	>>forced to stay # The patient was kept in mental hospital. >>To conceal
Keep on	To continue # The spider kept on trying despite repeated failures.
Keep up	To do whatever is necessary to stay level or equal with someone or something # Daily earnings are failing to keep up with inflation rate. # After becoming manager, he was not able to keep up with colleagues.
Lay by	To keep for future use: lay aside, lay away # Always try to lay by some balance as contingency fund.
Lay down	To give up, yield # The soldiers laid down their arms.
Lay up	sick # Powell ruptured a disc in his back and was laid up for a year.
look after	[look after something/ someone] take care of # Please look after my family. # My children look after me very well.
Look at	>>To consider # Please look at this proposal. >>Gaze # Please look at the window.
Look down upon/ on	To show contempt for # I had always looked down upon programming but it came my way again and again in syllabus. # I am tired of the way they looked down on us like we are not good enough for them. # I look down upon the culprit.
Look for	To search for # He is actively looking for job opportunity.
Look forward to	[look forward to something] feel happy/excited about something in the future # It was nice meeting you today and I look forward to meeting you again soon. # I look forward to doing this job.
Look into	[look into something] investigate # This is a serious problem and I promise you I’ll look into it.
Look on	>>Watch without getting involved # You can’t just look on when a baby is playing near the bath tub. # The crowd looked on KK sweating due to non-performance of AC. >>[look on/upon someone/something] to consider someone or something in a stated way # We looked on her as a daughter. # A lot of people looked on him as a healer.
Look out	To watch what is happening around and be careful # There is some rock falling. Look out!
Look over	To examine cursorily # The teacher looks over the students.
Look through	Inspect carefully # Look through the device.
Look up	(of a situation) improve # Things seemed to be looking up at last. >>Find out # Look up the criminal urgently. # Look up the meaning of look up from Dictionary.
Look up to	To feel respect # We must look up to our parent. # I look up to Nicola Tesla as my hero.
Make away	to kill, destroy, or get rid of # He made away himself.
Make for	Move towards a place # After the meeting, all the members made for the exit.
Make of	>>To understand # What do you make of this news?
Make off	>>to leave quickly, usually in order to escape # Rancho made off the exam hall before the invigilator ask him something more. >>to escape with something stolen # They made off with our television and our stereo.
Make out	To understand or decipher # I have made out your problem. # I am not able to make out his handwriting.
Make over	To transfer # Rupayan is made over from Nagpur.
Make up	>>[make up] to forgive someone and be friendly again after the argument or disagreement # I am sorry. I call you fat, stupid and smelly. I apologize. Let’s make up and be friends again. # The two friends have finally made up. >>[make sth up] To invent a story, lie or plan # You had lunched with the queen? That’s not true, you just made that up.
Pass away	To die # KK has passed away recently.
put away	[put something away] put something in the correct place # People generally don’t put things away in shopping mall.
Put down	>>To degrade # In my journey, many one tried to put me down. >>Write something # Can you put down your name on the copy?
Put forward	to offer an idea, opinion # Many YouTubers put forwards idea for digital marketing.
Put off	>> To postpone, move something to a later date # I’m tired. Can we put off the meeting until next week? # My boss put off the meeting till next Monday. >>[put somebody off] to make someone not want to do something, or not like something # There was a rat in the restaurant and that really put me off the meal.
Put on	Wear # I put on my shoes. # Don’t forget to put on your coat while going out in the street of Kashmir. >> to pretend to have a typical quality of speaking or behaving. # Stop putting on that funny voice!
Put out	>> extinguish # To put out fire, use the fire extinguisher. >>To annoy or upset someone # She was much put out when they turned up two hours late for dinner. # I am very put out by my younger brother’s behavior.
Put through	submit # She put through her application to join the company.
Put together	to produce something using several other things # You just can’t put together some random thoughts and come up with a fantastic clip.
Put up	>>stay for short time # We have to pass the night only. Let’s put up at any cheap hotel.
Put up with	[put up with something / someone] tolerate something/ someone unpleasant # We cannot but put up with the consequence of tsunami. # He can’t be put up with the torture. # I am not able to put up with this kind of conversation.
Run after	To chase or pursue # He runs after his aim.
Run away	Flee # The boy has run away from his house.
Run down	>>[run down something] to gradually use up a supply of something until it has all gone # If you speak all day on your phone you will run down the battery. >>to knock down on road
Run into	>>[run into someone] meet unexpectedly; come across # I ran into some of my school time friends in Kolkata book fair. >>[run into someone/something] to hit someone or something by accident while driving a car # A truck ran into me (=hit my car) at the lights this morning.
Run out	to use all of something and not have any left; to come to an end; exhaust # We are running out time. Only 1 months are left for exam.
Run over	>> to hit someone or something with a vehicle and drive over them . # The driver ran over the dog. >>prepare yourself for a speech, performance etc. # She ran over the lecture on Independence Day without any hesitation. >> To over flow
See off	To bid goodbye  # I am waiting to see my friend off.
See through	>>[see through someone]to realize someone’s trick and not fall in trap in that # I’m not fooled that easily. I can see right through you.
Set apart	>>reserved # This toilet is set apart for the physically challenged. >>make unique # His sense of humor sets him apart from other stand up comedians.
Set aside	to save: lay by # Always try to lay by some balance as contingency fund.
Set down	To put in writing
Set in	To begin # I set my study in because my examination is knocking at the door. # Winter sets in early in England.
Set off	To begin a journey or tour; start off # What time do we set off tomorrow? # Exam’s at 9:00 am. There may be traffic so must set off 2 hours earlier though it’s 5 km just.
Set on	To incite to attack
Set up	[set up something] to start something such as a business, organization, or institution # Amazon was set up by Jeff Bezos.
Settle on	[settle on something] decide on, choose # Never settle on average.
Speak of	[speak of something] to seem to prove that something exists or is true # Her broken words speaks of her incompetency in French .
Speak out	To speak boldly # In a democratic country, people should speak out for their rights.
Stand against	Oppose # Stand against the corruption.
Stand by	To support # He stands by his friend.
Stand for	To represent # What does this word stand for?
Stand up for	[stand up for someone/something] to defend someone or something that is being criticized or attacked # Learn how to stand up for yourself so that no one can exploit you.
Stick to	Persevere in holding to # Always stick to discipline.
Strike down	>>To make ill or cause to die # Recently Nana had been struck down by a heart attack when he fell down in bathroom. >>if a law is stricken down, it is officially ended.
Strike off	To remove # Someone must have stricken down my name from the list.
Take after	[take after someone] resemble in looks or personality # The baby takes after her mother.
Take in	To understand # I am not able to take in many of the concepts.
Take off	To remove # Take off your shoes before entering a holy place.
Take up	>>[take up something] to start doing something regularly as a habit, job or interest # I am thinking of taking up eCommerce. >>occupy # The bench takes up a lot of space.
Throw away	>>to discard something you no longer want (put it among the rubbish) # Oh! This is old and smelly. You should throw it away.
Throw out	>>discard something unwanted # Throw out the rubbish in dustbin.
Throw up	>>Resign or give up # If you really don’t like your job, you could try for a new one before you completely throw it up. >>To vomit # Whenever I eat a little bit more than I usually take, I am sure to throw up.
Turn against	become an enemy # He has turned against his friend.
Turn down	[turn someone/ something down] reject or refuse # How could you turn down such a fantastic job? # Farhan turn down the job offer from a MNC to pursue career in Photography >>to fold down
Turn off	To switch off # Please turn off the fan.
Turn on	>>To start a device # Is your computer turned on? >>to make interesting and appealing # HC Verma really turned him on to Physics.
Turn out	>>[turn out someone] to force someone to leave # They turned him out of the shelter when they caught him stealing. >>[turn out something] to produce or make something # The factory turns out £20,000 of cloth per day. >>be present # Only 62% of the electorate turned out to vote.
Turn up	appear suddenly # The magician vanishes the bird and all of sudden it appears in a spectator’s pocket.
Work out	>>[work something out] to deal with a problem in a satisfactory way # We disagree on so many things but don’t worry we’ll work something out. # I can’t work out what to do. >>to exercise to improve your physique # Five days a week I worked out at the gym for two hours.
Work upon	influence or affect # I wonder how social media work upon our minds.

Consider reading this too:
Idioms and Phrases for all competitive exams

Some previously asked questions

In the following question, out of the four given alternatives, select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of the idiom/phrase

Q1. Break down
(a) walk long way
(b) to fail
(c) to ignore some one
(d) to exercise

Ans: (b) to fail
Break down means to stop working or to fails