100 Phrasal Verbs by Themes: Examples for English Learners

Last Updated on: 03/02/2026

Phrasal verbs are one of the trickiest parts of English for learners. They combine a verb with a preposition or adverb (called a particle) and often develop meanings that aren’t literal. For example:

• “Break down” can mean a machine stops working or someone has an emotional collapse.
• “Take off” can mean removing clothing or a plane leaving the ground.

Linguists estimate there are over 3,000 phrasal verbs in English, but only around 100–200 are essential for everyday speech. Grouping them by theme makes learning much easier. Instead of memorising endless lists, you can study the verbs that naturally appear in situations like travel, work, relationships, or daily routines.

This guide gives you 100 phrasal verbs, explained and grouped in eight useful themes, complete with examples to help you sound natural and confident.

Theme 1: Travel & Movement

1. Take off – The plane took off on time.
2. Get on – She got on the bus.
3. Get off – He got off the train.
4. Set off – We set off early.
5. Check in – They checked in at the hotel.
6. Check out – We checked out after lunch.
7. See off – His parents saw him off at the airport.
8. Pick up – We picked up a hitchhiker.
9. Drop off – Can you drop me off at the station?
10. Head out – They headed out for dinner.
11. Come back – She came back late.
12. Get away – Let’s get away for the weekend.
13. Stop over – We stopped over in Dubai.
14. Run into – I ran into an old friend.
15. Hold up – Traffic held us up.

Theme 2: Work & Business

16. Carry out – We carried out a survey.
17. Take on – The company took on new staff.
18. Lay off – Many staff were laid off.
19. Cut back on – The office cut back on costs.
20. Pull off – They pulled off a deal.
21. Break into – The firm broke into new markets.
22. Set up – She set up a business.
23. Look into – They’re looking into complaints.
24. Run by – I’ll run it by my manager.
25. Keep up with – It’s hard to keep up with deadlines.
26. Call off – The meeting was called off.
27. Work out – Things worked out in the end.
28. Go over – Let’s go over the report.
29. Hand in – Please hand in your work.
30. Catch up on – I need to catch up on emails.

Theme 3: Daily Life & Routine

31. Wake up – She woke up late.
32. Get up – He gets up at 7.
33. Sit down – Please sit down.
34. Stand up – Everyone stood up.
35. Turn on – She turned on the TV.
36. Turn off – Turn off your phone.
37. Put on – He put on his shoes.
38. Take off – She took off her hat.
39. Pick up – Pick up your toys.
40. Clean up – They cleaned up the mess.
41. Throw away – Don’t throw away food.
42. Put away – She put away the laundry.
43. Look for – I’m looking for my keys.
44. Run out of – We ran out of milk.
45. Fill up – He filled up the tank.

Theme 4: Social & Relationships

46. Get along with – I get along with my colleagues.
47. Fall out – They fell out after a fight.
48. Make up – They made up quickly.
49. Break up – The couple broke up.
50. Go out – They go out every weekend.
51. Ask out – He asked her out.
52. Hang out – Let’s hang out after work.
53. Catch up – Let’s catch up soon.
54. Split up – The band split up.
55. Look after – She looks after her brother.
56. Take after – He takes after his dad.
57. Look up to – She looks up to her teacher.
58. Put up with – I can’t put up with the noise.
59. Back up – Stand up and back up your friends.
60. Show up – He didn’t show up for the date.

Theme 5: Education & Learning

61. Look up – Look it up in the dictionary.
62. Hand out – The teacher handed out worksheets.
63. Hand in – She handed in her project.
64. Write down – Write down the answers.
65. Go over – We went over the lesson again.
66. Drop out – He dropped out of college.
67. Catch up with – She caught up with the class.
68. Pick up – He picked up French quickly.
69. Figure out – I figured out the solution.
70. Brush up on – She brushed up on her Spanish.

Theme 6: Technology & Communication

71. Log in – Log in to your account.
72. Log out – Remember to log out.
73. Back up – Back up your computer.
74. Set up – She set up the Wi-Fi.
75. Turn on – Turn on the laptop.
76. Turn off – Turn off the printer.
77. Plug in – Plug in the charger.
78. Hook up – Hook up the speakers.
79. Scroll down – Scroll down the page.
80. Scroll up – Scroll up for details.

Theme 7: Health & Fitness

81. Work out – He works out daily.
82. Warm up – Always warm up.
83. Cool down – Don’t forget to cool down.
84. Cut down on – Cut down on sugar.
85. Pass out – She passed out suddenly.
86. Come down with – He came down with flu.
87. Get over – She got over a cold.
88. Throw up – The child threw up.
89. Slow down – Slow down on the treadmill.
90. Build up – He built up stamina.

Theme 8: Problems, Emotions & Solutions

91. Calm down – Calm down, please.
92. Cheer up – Cheer up, it’s fine.
93. Break down – The car broke down.
94. Fall apart – She fell apart after bad news.
95. Move on – It’s time to move on.
96. Deal with – Deal with this issue.
97. Sort out – Sort out the mess.
98. Give up – Don’t give up.
99. Hold on – Hold on a moment.
100. Work through – Work through the problem.

Learning Tips

• Learn by theme – group phrasal verbs by topic (like travel, work).
• Use in real sentences – don’t just memorise.
• Spaced repetition – review regularly for retention.
• Watch English shows – note down phrasal verbs you hear.

Conclusion

By grouping phrasal verbs into themes such as travel, work, daily life, and emotions, learners can approach them in manageable chunks instead of feeling overwhelmed.

This list of 100 phrasal verbs with examples gives you a solid foundation to communicate naturally in spoken and written English. Keep practising, notice how native speakers use them, and slowly add them into your own conversations.

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Learn next: Top 100 Common Phrasal Verbs for Daily Use.