Top 100 Common Phrasal Verbs for Daily Use

Last Updated on: 03/02/2026

Table Of Contents

Why Phrasal Verbs Matter
Top 100 List of Common Phrasal Verbs
How to Use This List
Practice Quiz
Download Resources

Many English learners find phrasal verbs difficult because the meaning changes when you combine a verb with a small word like “up” or “out.” However, if you want to speak like a native, you cannot avoid them. They are the secret sauce of natural conversation.

In this guide, we provide a clear list of 100 essential phrasal verbs. We have included practical examples for each to help you understand how they work in real life. If you find these helpful, you might also want to learn about chunking in English to help you group these words together when you speak.

Why Phrasal Verbs Matter

When you use a phrasal verb instead of a formal verb (for example, saying “check out” instead of “investigate”), you immediately sound more relaxed. This is very helpful for passing exams or simply making friends. If you are trying to boost English reading speed, recognizing these patterns quickly is a huge advantage.

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Top 100 List of Common Phrasal Verbs

1. Ask out – Invite someone on a date

He asked her out to dinner last night.
Why don’t you ask her out if you like her?
She was nervous when he asked her out.

2. Back up – Support or make a copy

I’ll back you up if you need help.
Please back up your files regularly.
His friends backed him up during the argument.

3. Break down – Stop working or lose control

My car broke down on the way home.
She broke down in tears after hearing the news.
The negotiations broke down last week.

4. Bring up – Mention or raise a child

Don’t bring up politics at dinner.
She was brought up in the countryside.
He brought up an interesting point.

5. Call off – Cancel

They called off the meeting due to rain.
The match was called off at the last minute.
We had to call off our trip.

6. Carry on – Continue

Please carry on with your work.
She carried on talking despite the noise.
They carried on as if nothing had happened.

7. Catch up – Reach the same level or update

I need to catch up on my emails.
Let’s catch up over coffee soon.
He ran to catch up with his friends.

8. Check in – Register at a hotel or airport

We checked in at the hotel at noon.
Please check in at least two hours before your flight.
She checked in at the front desk.

9. Cheer up – Become or make happier

Cheer up! Things will get better.
I bought her flowers to cheer her up.
He cheered up after hearing the good news.

10. Clean up – Tidy or clean

Let’s clean up the kitchen.
The volunteers cleaned up the park.
Please clean up your room.

11. Come across – Find by chance

I came across an old friend yesterday.
She came across a great article online.
He came across as very confident.

12. Come up with – Think of (an idea)

She came up with a brilliant plan.
Can you come up with a solution?
He always comes up with excuses.

13. Count on – Rely on

You can count on me.
I count on my parents for support.
Don’t count on the weather being good.

14. Cut off – Stop or interrupt

The phone call was cut off.
The water supply was cut off.
He was cut off in the middle of his speech.

15. Deal with – Handle or manage

I have to deal with a lot of emails.
She deals with customer complaints.
How do you deal with stress?

16. Do away with – Get rid of

They did away with the old rules.
We should do away with plastic bags.
The law was done away with last year.

17. Dress up – Wear formal or special clothes

She loves to dress up for parties.
You don’t need to dress up for this event.
The kids dressed up as superheroes.

18. Drop off – Deliver or fall asleep

I’ll drop you off at the station.
She dropped off the package.
He dropped off during the movie.

19. End up – Finally do or become

We ended up staying home.
He ended up as a teacher.
They ended up getting lost.

20. Fall apart – Break into pieces or fail

The chair fell apart.
Their marriage fell apart.
The plan fell apart at the last minute.

21. Fill in – Complete (a form) or substitute

Please fill in this form.
Can you fill in for me tomorrow?
She filled in the missing details.

22. Find out – Discover

I found out the truth.
She found out about the surprise.
How did you find out?

23. Get along – Have a good relationship

I get along well with my boss.
Do you get along with your neighbours?
The kids get along with each other.

24. Get away – Escape or go on vacation

The thief got away.
We hope to get away this weekend.
She got away from the busy city.

25. Get back – Return

When did you get back?
I’ll get back to you soon.
He got back from his trip yesterday.

26. Get by – Manage with difficulty

I can get by on my salary.
How do you get by without a car?
They got by with very little money.

27. Get off – Leave a vehicle

We need to get off at the next stop.
She got off the bus quickly.
Get off the train at Central Station.

28. Get on – Board a vehicle or have a good relationship

Get on the bus now.
How do you get on with your boss?
She got on the plane.

29. Get out – Leave a place

Get out of the car.
I need to get out more often.
He got out of the meeting early.

30. Get over – Recover from

She got over her illness.
It took him a while to get over the breakup.
You’ll get over it soon.

31. Give up – Stop trying

Don’t give up!
She gave up smoking.
He gave up after several attempts.

32. Go ahead – Proceed

Go ahead and start.
May I go ahead?
She went ahead with her plan.

33. Go out – Leave home for social reasons

Let’s go out for dinner.
They go out every Friday.
She went out with her friends.

34. Grow up – Become an adult

I grew up in London.
When I grow up, I want to be a doctor.
He grew up quickly.

35. Hand out – Distribute

She handed out the papers.
The teacher handed out the tests.
They handed out food to the homeless.

36. Hang up – End a phone call

He hung up suddenly.
Don’t hang up on me!
She hung up after saying goodbye.

37. Hold on – Wait

Hold on a minute.
Can you hold on, please?
Hold on while I check.

38. Keep up – Maintain pace or level

Keep up the good work!
I can’t keep up with you.
She kept up her studies.

39. Knock out – Make unconscious or eliminate

The boxer knocked out his opponent.
The medicine knocked me out.
They were knocked out of the competition.

40. Look after – Take care of

She looks after her brother.
Can you look after my cat?
He looked after the house.

41. Look up – Search for information

Look up the word in the dictionary.
I’ll look up her address.
Things are looking up.

42. Make up – Invent or reconcile

She made up a story.
They made up after the fight.
He made up an excuse.

43. Mess up – Make a mistake

I messed up the recipe.
Don’t mess up your room.
He messed up his lines.

44. Pass away – Die

Her grandfather passed away.
The old man passed away peacefully.
He passed away last year.

45. Pay back – Return money

I’ll pay you back tomorrow.
She paid back the loan.
When will you pay me back?

46. Pick up – Collect or learn

I’ll pick you up at 7.
She picked up Spanish quickly.
Pick up your toys.

47. Point out – Indicate

He pointed out the mistake.
She pointed out the building.
Can you point out the way?

48. Put off – Postpone

Let’s put off the meeting.
She put off her trip.
Don’t put off your homework.

49. Put up with – Tolerate

I can’t put up with the noise.
She puts up with a lot.
How do you put up with him?

50. Read out – Read aloud

Please read out the instructions.
She read out the names.
He read out the letter.

51. Run into – Meet by chance

I ran into my teacher at the store.
She ran into an old friend.
We ran into trouble.

52. Set up – Arrange or establish

They set up a new company.
Can you set up the meeting?
The equipment was set up quickly.

53. Show off – Display to impress

He likes to show off his car.
She showed off her new dress.
Don’t show off!

54. Sort out – Organise or resolve

I need to sort out my papers.
She sorted out the problem.
Can you sort this out?

55. Stand by – Support or be ready

I’ll stand by you.
Please stand by for instructions.
He stood by his decision.

56. Stand out – Be noticeable

She stands out in a crowd.
His work stands out.
The red car stood out.

57. Take off – Remove or become successful

The plane took off on time.
Take off your shoes.
Her business took off.

58. Take on – Accept responsibility

She took on a new project.
Don’t take on too much work.
He took on the challenge.

59. Take over – Gain control

She took over the company.
He took over as manager.
The new team took over.

60. Talk over – Discuss

Let’s talk it over.
They talked over the problem.
We need to talk over the details.

61. Tear up – Rip into pieces

She tore up the letter.
He tore up the contract.
The dog tore up the newspaper.

62. Think over – Consider carefully

Think it over before deciding.
I need to think over your offer.
She thought over the proposal.

63. Throw away – Discard

Don’t throw away your notes.
She threw away the old shoes.
He threw away the broken toy.

64. Try on – Test clothing

Try on this jacket.
She tried on several dresses.
He tried on the shoes.

65. Turn down – Refuse

She turned down the job offer.
He turned down the invitation.
Don’t turn down this opportunity.

66. Turn up – Arrive or increase

He turned up late.
Turn up the volume.
She turned up at the party.

67. Use up – Finish a supply

We used up all the milk.
Don’t use up all the paper.
She used up her savings.

68. Wait for – Await

I’ll wait for you here.
She waited for the bus.
Wait for my call.

69. Wake up – Stop sleeping

Wake up! It’s late.
She wakes up early.
He woke up to a surprise.

70. Warm up – Prepare for activity

Warm up before exercising.
The soup is warming up.
The team warmed up before the game.

71. Watch out – Be careful

Watch out for cars!
Watch out, the floor is wet.
You should watch out for scams.

72. Wear out – Become unusable

My shoes wore out.
The tires are worn out.
He wore out his welcome.

73. Work out – Exercise or solve

I work out every morning.
They worked out the problem.
Things will work out.

74. Write down – Record in writing

Write down your ideas.
She wrote down the address.
Please write down the instructions.

75. Zip up – Close with a zipper

Zip up your jacket.
She zipped up her bag.
He zipped up his coat.

76. Act out – Perform or express

The children acted out the story.
He acted out his anger.
She acted out the scene.

77. Blow up – Explode or become angry

The balloon blew up.
The situation blew up quickly.
He blew up at his friend.

78. Brush up on – Review

I need to brush up on my French.
She brushed up on her math skills.
He brushed up on the rules.

79. Burn down – Destroy by fire

The house burned down.
The factory burned down last year.
The barn burned down in the storm.

80. Call back – Return a phone call

I’ll call you back later.
She called back after lunch.
Please call me back.

81. Calm down – Relax

Calm down, it’s okay.
She calmed down after a while.
He tried to calm down the crowd.

82. Carry out – Complete or perform

They carried out the plan.
She carried out the experiment.
The work was carried out on time.

83. Check out – Investigate or leave a hotel

Check out this new app.
We checked out of the hotel.
She checked out the book.

84. Come back – Return

Come back soon!
He came back from vacation.
The cat came back home.

85. Cut down on – Reduce

I need to cut down on sugar.
She cut down on expenses.
He cut down on smoking.

86. Die down – Become less intense

The noise died down.
The storm died down.
The excitement died down.

87. Do over – Repeat

Can I do it over?
She did the test over.
He wants to do it over again.

88. Draw up – Prepare a document

They drew up a contract.
She drew up a list.
The lawyer drew up the agreement.

89. Drop by – Visit informally

Drop by anytime.
She dropped by for coffee.
He dropped by my office.

90. Eat out – Dine at a restaurant

Let’s eat out tonight.
They eat out every weekend.
We ate out at a new place.

91. Figure out – Understand

I can’t figure out this problem.
She figured out the answer.
He figured out how to fix it.

92. Fill out – Complete a form

Please fill out this form.
She filled out the application.
He filled out the survey.

93. Follow through – Finish a task

You must follow through on your promises.
She followed through with her plan to move.
He never follows through on his ideas.

94. Give in – Surrender

Don’t give in to pressure.
She gave in after a long fight.
He finally gave in.

95. Go over – Review

Let’s go over the details.
She went over her notes.
He went over the report.

96. Keep on – Continue doing

Keep on walking until you reach the park.
She kept on talking even though I was busy.
He kept on trying despite the difficulty.

97. Hand in – Submit

Please hand in your homework.
She handed in her resignation.
He handed in the report.

98. Look forward to – Anticipate

I look forward to meeting you.
She looks forward to the holidays.
We look forward to your reply.

99. Pass out – Faint

He passed out from exhaustion.
She passed out at the concert.
The heat made him pass out.

100. Show up – Appear or arrive

He showed up late for the party.
Did she show up for the meeting today?
Only a few people showed up for the event.

Learning these phrasal verbs will help you communicate more naturally and understand native speakers better. Practice using them in your daily conversations, and soon they’ll become second nature.

How to Use This List

To make sure Google likes your page, try adding a few original images of people using these verbs. For more advanced practice, you can visit our page on 29 less common phrasal verbs to expand your vocabulary even further. Check out these 10 phrasal verbs books to improve your fluency!

Practice Quiz

Test your knowledge by choosing the correct answer for each sentence.

I had to _____ my old shoes because they were completely _____ . a) throw away / worn out b) hand in / broken down c) pick up / messed up
If you don’t _____ your computer files, you might lose them. a) fill out b) back up c) act out
We had to _____ the wedding because of the storm. a) call off b) look after c) turn down
My brother and I _____ very well; we never fight. a) get by b) get along c) get over
Can you _____ the word in the dictionary for me? a) look up b) read out c) point out

Answers: 1(a), 2(b), 3(a), 4(b), 5(a)