Whether you love being outdoors or relaxing at home, having the right vocabulary helps you share your passions with others.
This guide explores 15 phrasal verbs that will help you describe your favorite hobbies and leisure activities.
Quick Summary: 15 Hobby and Leisure Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| Take up | Start a new hobby | I want to take up golf. |
| Get into | Become interested | He is getting into jazz. |
| Sign up | Join a class or group | Sign up for the art club. |
| Try out | To test something | Try out the new bike. |
| Warm up | Prepare for exercise | Warm up your legs first. |
| Give up | To stop doing something | Don’t give up on guitar. |
| Join in | Participate with others | Please join in the game. |
| Work out | To exercise | I work out twice a week. |
| Chill out | To relax | Let’s chill out today. |
| Meet up | To meet a person | We should meet up soon. |
| Hang out | Spend time together | They hang out at the cafe. |
| Sleep in | Sleep late | I usually sleep in on Saturdays. |
| Act out | To perform a scene | They acted out the play. |
| Turn over | Change the TV channel | Turn over to the sports. |
| Read up on | Learn by reading | Read up on local history. |
Starting and Discovering New Hobbies
We often look for new ways to spend our time. These verbs describe the beginning of a new interest or activity.
1. Take up
To take up means to start a new hobby or a new sport. It is one of the most common ways to describe a new lifestyle change.
- Example: I decided to take up photography so I could capture beautiful landscapes.
2. Get into
If you become very interested in something and start doing it regularly, you get into it.
- Example: My brother has really got into cooking lately and makes dinner every Sunday.
3. Sign up
To sign up means to join a class, a club, or a group by putting your name on a list.
- Example: I am going to sign up for a yoga class at the local gym.
4. Try out
Before you commit to a hobby, you might try it out. This means to test something to see if you like it.
- Example: You should try out the new climbing wall before you buy all the gear.
Active and Outdoor Leisure
Many people spend their “Weekend Escape” being active. These phrases are perfect for sports and outdoor adventures.
5. Warm up
Before you start any physical activity, you must warm up. This means to do light exercise to prepare your muscles.
- Example: It is important to warm up for ten minutes before you go for a run.
6. Give up
In the context of hobbies, to give up means to stop doing an activity permanently, perhaps because it is too difficult or you lost interest.
- Example: I used to play the piano, but I gave it up because I did not have enough time to practice.
7. Join in
To join in means to participate in an activity that other people are already doing.
- Example: We were playing football in the park when a stranger asked to join in.
8. Work out
While this is mentioned in the fitness and health phrasal verbs guide, it is a very common weekend hobby. It means to do physical exercise to get fit.
- Example: I usually work out at the gym on Saturday mornings to stay healthy.
Relaxing and Socializing
Sometimes the best weekend is a quiet one. These verbs help you describe relaxing and spending time with friends.
9. Chill out
This is a very common, casual way to say relax. It means to spend time doing nothing stressful.
- Example: After a busy week, I just want to chill out on the sofa and watch a movie.
10. Meet up
To meet up means to go to a place to see someone. It is much more natural than saying “I will encounter my friend.”
- Example: Let’s meet up at the park at 2:00 PM for a walk.
11. Hang out
This means to spend time relaxing with friends without a specific plan.
- Example: We used to hang out at the mall every Saturday when we were teenagers.
12. Sleep in
The best part of the weekend for many is the chance to sleep in. This means to stay in bed later than usual in the morning.
- Example: I love to sleep in on Sundays because I do not have to go to work.
Entertainment and Creative Hobbies
If your leisure time involves art, music, or media, these verbs will be very useful.
13. Act out
If you are into drama or theater, you might act out a scene or a story.
- Example: The children love to act out stories from their favorite books.
14. Turn over
When you are watching television and want to see what is on another channel, you turn over.
- Example: This show is boring, so please turn over to the news.
15. Read up on
If you have a hobby like history or science, you might read up on a topic. This means to read a lot about something to learn more.
- Example: I am reading up on ancient Rome before our trip to Italy next month.
Enjoying Your Free Time
Learning how to talk about your hobbies is the fastest way to make friends in English. When you can explain that you have taken up a new sport or that you love to chill out with a good book, you allow people to get to know the real you.
As you prepare for your next weekend, try to use these words to describe your plans. Whether you are meeting up with family or reading up on a new topic, these phrasal verbs will make your English sound more natural and engaging.
