The 100 Most Common English Phrasal Verbs (With Meanings and Examples)

Q: What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a particle (preposition or adverb) that together create a meaning different from the verb alone. Examples: get up (rise from bed), look up (search for in a reference), figure out (understand). Phrasal verbs make up an enormous part of everyday native English speech.

Q: How many phrasal verbs do I need to know to be fluent?

For comfortable everyday conversation, around 100 to 200 phrasal verbs are enough. The 100 covered in this article are the highest-frequency ones — mastering them unlocks the majority of casual English speech, films, and TV.

Q: What is the most effective way to memorize phrasal verbs?

The most effective method is learning phrasal verbs in context with example sentences, then reviewing them with spaced repetition. Avoid memorizing isolated definitions — the same verb plus different particles creates very different meanings, and only context cements them.

Q: Are phrasal verbs separable or inseparable?

Both. Some phrasal verbs are separable (Pick up the book / Pick the book up — both work), others are inseparable (look for the keys — you cannot say look the keys for). When the object is a pronoun, separable phrasal verbs require the pronoun in the middle: Pick it up, never Pick up it.

May 15, 2026 • 18 min read

You can score 800 on TOEIC and still miss half of what people actually say in a Hollywood movie. The reason almost always comes down to one thing: phrasal verbs. Roughly 70% of the verbs in everyday English conversation are phrasal — and most textbooks barely scratch the surface.

This guide is the complete list: the 100 highest-frequency English phrasal verbs, every one with a clear meaning and a real example sentence. They're organized by particle (up, out, on, off, in, down, back, over, away, for, into, around) so the patterns become visible — and the list is short enough to actually finish.

What Is a Phrasal Verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb + particle (a preposition or adverb) that, combined, mean something different from the verb alone. Look means "to direct your eyes." But look up means "to search for in a reference." Look after means "to take care of." Look into means "to investigate." Same verb, totally different meanings — that's the trap, and the power, of phrasal verbs.

" "Native speakers don't speak in textbook English. They speak in phrasal verbs."

Why ESL Learners Struggle With Them

Literal translation fails. "Give up" doesn't mean "give upward." "Pick up" isn't "pick upward." The combined meaning is idiomatic and has to be learned as a unit.
Same verb, many meanings. "Get" combines with at least a dozen particles, each producing a totally different meaning (get up, get on, get over, get around, get into, get away…).
Textbooks under-teach them. Most ESL grammar books treat phrasal verbs as a "footnote" topic, even though they dominate native speech.
They sound informal — but they're not optional. Even formal English uses them constantly (carry out a study, point out a fact, set up a meeting).

How to Memorize Phrasal Verbs Efficiently

Learn the particle's "feeling," not just the verb. "up" carries completion or upward motion. "out" carries exit or discovery. "off" carries separation or stoppage. Once you internalize the particles, new phrasal verbs become guessable.
Memorize the example, not the definition. "Don't give up on your dreams" sticks. "Give up = surrender" doesn't. The brain remembers stories, not labels.
Use spaced repetition. Reviewing each phrasal verb at expanding intervals (1 day, 4 days, 2 weeks…) is the difference between recognizing it and actually producing it. See the science of spaced repetition for the full method.

Phrasal Verbs with «up» (15)

#001

get up

— to rise from bed

"I get up at 6 a.m. every day."

#002

wake up

— to stop sleeping; become alert

"Please wake up your sister."

#003

pick up

— to lift; to collect (someone) by car

"I'll pick you up at the station."

#004

give up

— to stop trying; to surrender

"Don't give up on your dreams."

#005

look up

— to search for in a reference

"I looked up the word in the dictionary."

#006

set up

— to arrange or establish

"He set up his own company."

#007

show up

— to appear; to arrive

"She didn't show up at the meeting."

#008

wrap up

— to finish; to conclude

"Let's wrap up this discussion."

#009

bring up

— to raise (a child); to mention (a topic)

"She brought up three children alone."

#010

come up

— to arise; to be mentioned

"An important issue came up."

#011

end up

— to finally be in a state or result in

"We ended up missing the train."

#012

catch up

— to reach the same level as someone ahead

"Hurry up, or you won't catch up."

#013

grow up

— to become an adult; to mature

"I grew up in Tokyo."

#014

hang up

— to end a phone call; to suspend on a hook

"Don't hang up on me!"

#015

make up

— to invent; to reconcile after a fight

"They finally made up after the fight."

Phrasal Verbs with «out» (15)

#016

find out

— to discover; to learn

"I found out the truth yesterday."

#017

work out

— to exercise; to be successful

"I work out three times a week."

#018

figure out

— to understand; to solve

"I can't figure out this problem."

#019

carry out

— to execute; to perform

"They carried out the plan successfully."

#020

point out

— to draw attention to; to indicate

"She pointed out my mistake."

#021

hand out

— to distribute by hand

"The teacher handed out the worksheets."

#022

check out

— to look at; to leave a hotel

"Check out this new café."

#023

turn out

— to result; to develop in a particular way

"The movie turned out to be great."

#024

fill out

— to complete (a form)

"Please fill out this form."

#025

run out

— to use up the supply of

"We ran out of milk."

#026

hang out

— to spend time relaxing

"I love hanging out with friends."

#027

look out

— to be careful; to watch for danger

"Look out! There's a car coming."

#028

sort out

— to organize; to resolve

"We need to sort out this issue."

#029

eat out

— to eat at a restaurant

"Let's eat out tonight."

#030

stand out

— to be noticeable; to be conspicuous

"Her red dress really stands out."

Phrasal Verbs with «on» (10)

#031

go on

— to continue; to happen

"What's going on here?"

#032

carry on

— to continue doing

"Please carry on with your work."

#033

put on

— to dress in (clothing)

"Put on your coat, it's cold."

#034

get on

— to board a vehicle

"I got on the bus at 8 a.m."

#035

hold on

— to wait; to grip firmly

"Hold on a second, please."

#036

count on

— to rely on; to depend on

"You can count on me."

#037

take on

— to accept (responsibility); to hire

"She took on a new project."

#038

move on

— to progress; to leave the past behind

"It's time to move on."

#039

catch on

— to become popular; to understand

"The trend caught on quickly."

#040

log on

— to sign in to a system

"Log on with your username."

Phrasal Verbs with «off» (10)

#041

take off

— to depart (plane); to remove (clothing)

"The plane took off on time."

#042

get off

— to disembark from a vehicle

"Get off at the next stop."

#043

put off

— to postpone

"Don't put off your homework."

#044

turn off

— to switch off (a device)

"Please turn off the lights."

#045

show off

— to display proudly

"He likes to show off his car."

#046

drop off

— to deliver (someone) by car

"I'll drop you off at home."

#047

cut off

— to disconnect; to interrupt

"The phone call was cut off."

#048

pay off

— to be worth the effort; to repay debt fully

"Hard work paid off in the end."

#049

break off

— to end; to detach

"They broke off the engagement."

#050

call off

— to cancel

"The game was called off due to rain."

Phrasal Verbs with «in» (8)

#051

give in

— to surrender; to yield

"Don't give in to pressure."

#052

break in

— to enter forcibly; to wear in

"Someone broke into our house."

#053

check in

— to register (at a hotel or airport)

"We checked in at 3 p.m."

#054

drop in

— to visit briefly

"Drop in any time you like."

#055

fill in

— to complete (a blank space)

"Fill in the blanks."

#056

take in

— to absorb; to comprehend

"It's hard to take in this news."

#057

turn in

— to submit; to go to bed

"Turn in your report by Friday."

#058

log in

— to sign in to an account

"I can't log in to my account."

Phrasal Verbs with «down» (8)

#059

break down

— to stop working; to lose emotional control

"My car broke down on the highway."

#060

calm down

— to become relaxed

"Please calm down and explain."

#061

let down

— to disappoint

"I don't want to let you down."

#062

write down

— to record on paper

"Write down your phone number."

#063

turn down

— to reject; to lower the volume

"She turned down the job offer."

#064

cut down

— to reduce

"I'm cutting down on sugar."

#065

settle down

— to become calm; to start a stable life

"They settled down in Kyoto."

#066

slow down

— to reduce speed

"Please slow down, you're driving too fast."

Phrasal Verbs with «back» (7)

#067

get back

— to return; to recover

"I'll get back to you soon."

#068

come back

— to return

"Come back home before dark."

#069

give back

— to return (something)

"Please give back my book."

#070

call back

— to return a phone call

"I'll call you back later."

#071

pay back

— to repay; to take revenge

"I'll pay you back next month."

#072

look back

— to remember the past

"When I look back, I have no regrets."

#073

hold back

— to restrain; to hesitate

"Don't hold back your feelings."

Phrasal Verbs with «over» (7)

#074

take over

— to assume control

"She took over the family business."

#075

get over

— to recover from

"It took me time to get over the loss."

#076

think over

— to consider carefully

"Please think over my offer."

#077

go over

— to review; to examine

"Let's go over the details again."

#078

run over

— to hit with a vehicle; to overflow

"Be careful not to run over the cat."

#079

hand over

— to deliver; to surrender control

"He handed over the keys."

#080

look over

— to inspect briefly

"Look over this document, please."

Phrasal Verbs with «away» (5)

#081

get away

— to escape; to take a short break

"I need to get away for a few days."

#082

go away

— to depart; to leave a place

"Please go away, I need to think."

#083

put away

— to store; to tidy up

"Put away your toys, please."

#084

throw away

— to discard

"Don't throw away this magazine."

#085

give away

— to donate; to distribute for free

"She gave away all her old clothes."

Phrasal Verbs with «for» (5)

#086

look for

— to search for

"I'm looking for my keys."

#087

wait for

— to await

"I'll wait for you here."

#088

apply for

— to formally request

"She applied for the scholarship."

#089

ask for

— to request

"Don't be afraid to ask for help."

#090

care for

— to look after; to feel affection toward

"She cares for her elderly parents."

Phrasal Verbs with «into» (5)

#091

run into

— to meet by chance; to collide with

"I ran into an old friend yesterday."

#092

look into

— to investigate

"We'll look into this matter."

#093

get into

— to enter; to become engaged in

"I got into K-pop recently."

#094

turn into

— to transform into

"The caterpillar turned into a butterfly."

#095

break into

— to enter forcibly; to suddenly start (an action)

"She broke into tears."

Phrasal Verbs with «around / about» (5)

#096

come around

— to visit; to change one's opinion

"Come around to my place tonight."

#097

get around

— to travel; to avoid

"It's easy to get around Tokyo by train."

#098

look around

— to explore visually

"Feel free to look around the store."

#099

turn around

— to rotate; to reverse a situation

"She turned around and smiled."

#100

bring about

— to cause to happen

"The new policy brought about change."

A 30-Day Plan for All 100

Trying to swallow 100 phrasal verbs in a weekend will leave you with 20 retained at best. The proven approach pairs a small daily intake with disciplined review — exactly what we cover in how many words a day should I learn. Here's how that maps onto these 100:

Week 1: «up» and «out» groups (30 verbs). 4–5 new per day, plus a 5-minute review of the day before.
Week 2: «on», «off», «in» groups (28 verbs). Spaced reviews of week 1 layered in.
Week 3: «down», «back», «over» groups (22 verbs). Watch one short English video where the day's verbs appear in context.
Week 4: «away», «for», «into», «around» groups (20 verbs) plus a full 100-verb retention check.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a phrasal verb?

A phrasal verb is a verb + particle (preposition or adverb) whose combined meaning is different from the verb alone. Get + up = rise from bed. Look + up = search for in a reference. The combination is idiomatic and has to be learned as one unit.

How many phrasal verbs do I need to know to be fluent?

For everyday conversation, around 100 to 200 is enough. The 100 in this list cover the highest-frequency phrasal verbs in spoken English — they appear in films, podcasts, news, and casual conversation many times a day. Master these first before expanding.

What is the most effective way to memorize phrasal verbs?

Learn each one inside an example sentence (not as a bare definition), then review with spaced repetition. The same verb with a different particle = totally different meaning, so context is what cements them. Spaced repetition tools automate the timing for you.

Are phrasal verbs separable or inseparable?

Both kinds exist. Separable phrasal verbs let you split the verb and particle: "Pick up the book" = "Pick the book up." But when the object is a pronoun, separable phrasal verbs require the pronoun in the middle: "Pick it up" (never "Pick up it"). Inseparable phrasal verbs (like look for, run into, care for) cannot be split — "look for the keys" only, never "look the keys for." When in doubt, treat them as inseparable.

Are phrasal verbs important for IELTS, TOEFL, or TOEIC?

Very. The IELTS speaking band descriptors explicitly reward natural use of idiomatic language — phrasal verbs are the easiest way to demonstrate that. TOEFL listening sections are full of them. TOEIC's conversational dialogues lean heavily on them. Learning these 100 is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make for any spoken-English test.

The Bottom Line

Phrasal verbs are the gap between "good English on paper" and "natural English in real life." Learn these 100 — slowly, in context, with spaced reviews — and a huge percentage of the English you hear every day will suddenly make sense.

Build the habit one verb at a time. Open a phrasal verb flashcard collection on penguen.io and let the algorithm pace your reviews — your daily count adapts to what you actually retain.