Phrasal verbs
English phrasal verbs,
finally clear.
Get up, look after, turn on, give up… One page for each phrasal verb, with the meaning (sometimes several), word order, examples and common mistakes.
What is a phrasal verb?
A phrasal verb is a verb with a particle (a preposition or an adverb) that changes its meaning: look = use your eyes, but look after = take care of, look for = try to find, look up = find information in a dictionary. Three completely different meanings, just because of the particle.
Phrasal verbs are everywhere in spoken English. Many learners avoid them and choose a longer, more formal verb, but they are the key to sounding natural. Each page follows the same structure: quick answer, numbered meanings with examples, word order, common mistakes, quiz and FAQs.
look after
to take care of someone or something
take after
to be like an older family member
put away
to put something back in its place
throw away
to put something in the bin
get away
to escape; to go on holiday
go away
to leave a place or a person
come back
to return to where the speaker is
go back
to return to a place
get back
to return home; to have something again
take back
to return something; to say you were wrong
sit down
to move your body onto a seat
write down
to write something on paper
put down
to stop holding something and place it somewhere
break down
to stop working (a machine); to start crying
get down
to come down from a high place; to make someone sad
go down
to move to a lower place; to become lower
look for
to try to find something or someone
look forward to
to feel happy about something in the future
come in
to enter a place
get in
to enter a car or taxi; to arrive home
check in
to register at a hotel or airport
get into
to enter a place; to start liking something
get rid of
to remove something you don't want
turn off
to stop a machine or a light
take off
to leave the ground; to remove clothes
get off
to leave a bus, a train or a bike
put off
to move something to a later time
go off
to ring (an alarm); to stop working (a light); to explode
turn on
to make a machine or light start working
put on
to start wearing something; to switch something on
go on
to continue; to happen
get on
to enter a bus or train; to be friendly
hang on
to wait for a short time; to hold something tightly
carry on
to continue doing something
try on
to put on clothes to check them
find out
to learn a fact or a piece of information
come out
to leave a place; to appear for the first time
go out
to leave home, often to have fun
get out
to leave a car or a place
look out
to be careful; to watch for danger
take out
to remove something from somewhere; to invite someone out
work out
to find the answer to something; to exercise
hang out
to spend free time with friends
run out
to have no more of something
check out
to pay and leave a hotel; to look at something
get over
to feel better after something bad
get through
to pass an exam; to survive a difficult time
give up
to stop trying; to stop doing something
get up
to get out of bed; to stand up
wake up
to stop sleeping; to make someone stop sleeping
pick up
to lift something up; to collect someone
stand up
to move from sitting to standing
look up
to find information in a dictionary or online
take up
to start a hobby; to use space or time
break up
to end a relationship; to break into pieces
set up
to prepare something for use; to start a business
hang up
to end a phone call; to hang clothes
go up
to move to a higher place; to increase
grow up
to become an adult
get along
to be friendly with someone
put up with
to accept something annoying without complaining
come up with
to think of an idea or a plan
More phrasal verbs coming soon
We add new pages every week. Until then, explore the grammar pages.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.