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CEFR B1

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100 Common Phrasal Verbs in English, with Examples

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 5 September 2026

This is the core list: 100 phrasal verbs , grouped by base verb, each with a plain-English meaning and one example sentence. It is deliberately not a list of 1,000. A hundred well-chosen phrasal verbs cover the bulk of everyday English, and a list you can actually finish beats a list you abandon in the letter B.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Choose the phrasal verb that matches the meaning in brackets.

  1. We need to the meeting until Friday. (postpone)

  2. I an old photo while cleaning. (found by chance)

  3. She a brilliant idea. (thought of)

If you want the rules behind the list - what a phrasal verb is, why one verb has several meanings, how the grammar works - start with the main phrasal verbs guide and come back here for the vocabulary.

How to use this list

  • , Z. Take one base-verb group at a time (all the get verbs, then all the take verbs). Five to ten new phrasal verbs per session is plenty.
  • , not just the two words. Take off = remove evaporates by Tuesday; take off your coat sticks.
  • grammar . Every entry carries one:
MarkIt means
SSeparable: turn the light off or turn off the light. A pronoun split it: turn it off.
Inseparable: the object always follows the particle. Look after her, never look her after.
NNo object: the plane took off.

The S / I distinction matters more than it looks: get it wrong and the sentence is not just unusual, it is broken. The full rules are in the separable phrasal verbs guide.

  • . The Practice worksheets and infographics section further down this page generates printable worksheets from the exercises, with the answer keys built in, plus infographic versions of these tables. Open one and print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser. That is the take-away version of this page; there is no separate download to hunt for.

Phrasal verbs with get

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with get.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
N , I get up at seven every day.
, Get on the bus at the corner.
, We get off at the next stop.
She got over the flu quickly.
N My sisters get along well.
N We got back late last night.
He got into jazz last year.
, We got through a very long week.
Let me get on with my work.
N, The thief got away.

Phrasal verbs with take

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with take.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S, N clothing; depart ( )Take off your coat.
S hobby He took up running.
She takes after her mother.
S A bigger firm took over the shop.
S; Please take out the rubbish.
S ; withdraw I took the shirt back.
S She took on too many projects.
S ; It was a lot to take in.

Phrasal verbs with look

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with look.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S Look up the word in a dictionary.
I look after my niece on Fridays.
I'm looking for my keys.
I look forward to the weekend.
The manager will look into it.
N Look out! A car is coming.
He looks up to his coach.
N, explore We looked around the old town.

Phrasal verbs with put

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with put.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S Put on your shoes.
SpostponeThey put off the meeting.
S, Put away your toys.
tolerateI can't put up with the noise.
S ; Firefighters put out the blaze.
S ; Put the box down here.
S Put the milk back in the fridge.
S ; They put up a tent by the river.

Phrasal verbs with go

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with go.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
N; The show went on for hours.
N ; We went out for dinner.
NI never went back to that shop.
N ; ( ) My alarm went off at six.
, Let's go over the answers.
; She went through a difficult year.
NPrices went up again.
N; The pain finally went away.

Phrasal verbs with come

More in the full guide: phrasal verbs with come.

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
NCome back soon!
NCome in and sit down.
N (encouragement); Come on, we're late!
I came across an old letter.
N ; ariseYour name came up in the meeting.
She came up with a great plan.
N 's Come over after school.
N ; The book comes out in May.

Phrasal verbs with turn

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S Turn on the TV.
S Turn off the lights.
S, N volume ; He turned up late again.
Slower; She turned down the offer.
The rain turned into snow.
N ; Turn around and look at this.
N It all turned out fine.

Phrasal verbs with give

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S ; He gave up smoking.
SGive my pen back.
Sdonate; She gave away her old books.
NThey finally gave in.
SdistributeThe teacher gave out the papers.

Phrasal verbs with make

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S; He made up an excuse.
S I can't make out the sign.
compensate Nothing makes up for lost time.
What do you make of the news?

Phrasal verbs with break

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
N (); The car broke down again.
N They broke up last month.
Someone broke into the office.
N (, )A fire broke out in the kitchen.
S ; They broke off the talks.

Phrasal verbs with bring

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S ; topicShe brought up three children.
S; This song brings back memories.
S; The sale brought in good money.
S The law brought about real change.

Phrasal verbs with run

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
We ran out of milk.
I ran into an old friend.
NThe dog ran away.
S He nearly ran over a cat.

Phrasal verbs with call

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S I'll call you back later.
SThey called off the match.
; The recipe calls for two eggs.

Phrasal verbs with pick

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S; ; casuallyI'll pick you up at six.
SShe picked out a blue dress.
unkindly, repeatedlyStop picking on your brother.

Phrasal verbs with set

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S ; They set up a small company.
N We set off at dawn.
N ; She set out to prove them wrong.
S Set aside some money each month.

Phrasal verbs with hold, carry and work

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
NHold on a minute.
S; The traffic held us up.
NCarry on with your work.
S ( , tests)They carried out the research.
S, N; ; We worked out the answer.
She's working on her accent.

Everyday essentials

Five more that belong in any first hundred, whatever their base verb:

Phrasal verbTypeMeaningExample
S, N I woke up at six.
N She grew up in Leeds.
S We found out the truth.
Sorganise; Let's sort out this mess.
S Throw away those old papers.

What to do with the list

A list is a map, not a journey. Three next steps, in order:

  1. grammar. The single most damaging mistake with these verbs is pronoun placement (turn off it). The separable phrasal verbs guide drills exactly that.
  2. . Get, take, look, put, go and come each have a full page with more meanings and more examples than fit here.
  3. automatic. The phrasal verbs exercises page has mixed drills across the whole topic, and the worksheets on this page print with answer keys for offline practice.

For the rules behind everything here, go back to the main phrasal verbs guide, or browse the whole English grammar hub.

Practice

Test yourself before you print the worksheets. Answers are below.

  1. Which phrasal verb from the list means postpone?
  2. Is look after separable or inseparable?
  3. Correct the mistake: She turned down it.
  4. Which three meanings of pick up appear in the list?
  5. Complete: _We've run ___ ___ coffee - can you buy some?_

: 1. Put off. 2. Inseparable - look after her, never look her after. 3. She turned it down. (Pronouns split a separable verb.) 4. Lift, collect a person, and learn casually (as in pick up Spanish). 5. out of (run out of = have no more left).

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/8

Choose the phrasal verb that matches the meaning in brackets.

  1. We need to the meeting until Friday. (postpone)

  2. I an old photo while cleaning. (found by chance)

  3. She a brilliant idea. (thought of)

  4. The car on the motorway. (stopped working)

  5. They the match because of rain. (cancelled)

  6. He his grandfather. (looks like)

  7. We've milk again. (have no more)

  8. Scientists the tests last month. (did, conducted)

Fill in the blank

0/8

Fill each gap with one particle to complete the phrasal verb.

  1. I grew in a small town.

  2. My alarm went at six this morning.

  3. She's looking her keys - have you seen them?

  4. Please put the milk in the fridge where you found it.

  5. The teacher gave the exam papers at the start of the test.

  6. I ran an old friend at the station.

  7. The plane took an hour late.

  8. Hold a minute - I'm nearly ready.

Matching

0/8

Match each phrasal verb with its meaning.

Pick the right one

0/6

Choose the correct sentence. Watch the object and the pronoun.

  1. A separable verb with a pronoun.

  2. An inseparable verb.

  3. A separable verb with a pronoun.

  4. An inseparable verb with a pronoun.

  5. A separable verb with a pronoun.

  6. A three-word verb.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common phrasal verbs in English?
The base verbs get, take, look, put, go, come, turn and give produce more everyday phrasal verbs than any others. Individual champions include get up, go on, come back, find out, pick up, give up, turn off, look for, carry on and set up. The 100 in this list cover the core of everyday spoken and written English.
What do S, I and N mean in this list?
S means separable: the object can split the verb (turn the light off or turn off the light), and a pronoun must split it (turn it off). I means inseparable: the object always follows the particle (look after her, never look her after). N means the verb takes no object at all (the plane took off). Some verbs carry two marks because they have both a with-object and a no-object use.
How many phrasal verbs should I learn?
Start with the 100 on this page. English has thousands of phrasal verbs, but a few hundred cover the vast majority of everyday use, and these 100 are the heart of that set. Learn them in groups of five to ten, in full sentences, and add rarer ones only as you actually meet them.
Can I download this phrasal verbs list as a PDF?
Yes. The Practice worksheets and infographics section on this page generates printable worksheets from the exercises, complete with answer keys, plus infographic versions of the tables. Open any one and print it or save it as a PDF from your browser.
Should I learn phrasal verbs alphabetically?
No. An alphabetical list puts back down next to back up and teaches you nothing about either. Learn them grouped by base verb (as on this page) or by particle, in full example sentences. Both groupings give the meanings something to hang on, which is why this list is organised by base verb rather than A to Z.