With "get"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| get around |
be mobile |
My mum is old, but still gets around. |
| get at |
imply |
What are you getting at? |
| get away |
go on holiday |
We were looking forward to getting away for the weekend. |
| get back |
return from somewhere |
The house was cold when we got back. |
| get by |
cope or survive |
They are not wealthy, but they get by. |
| get on |
board a vehicle |
The bus stopped so we got on. |
| get out |
leave |
He was told to get out after they argued. |
| get over |
recover |
It is hard to get over the loss of a pet. |
| get rid of |
dispose of |
She got rid of everything that reminded her of him. |
| get together |
meet up |
We planned to get together next weekend for a chat. |
| get up |
rise from seat or bed |
I get up at 6.30 a.m. every morning. |
| get across |
be understood |
I wanted to get my feelings across. |
| get back |
retrieve |
Eventually I got the book he borrowed back. |
| get in |
enter |
We didn't get in the house until midnight. |
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With "take"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| take after |
resemble |
They say I take after my father. |
| take care of |
be responsible for |
She took care of her plants. |
| take on |
undertake |
He struggled after taking on too many tasks at work. |
| take out |
remove from a place |
Take the money out your purse and spend it. |
| take off |
clothes |
The last thing I take off at night are my socks. |
| take aback |
surprise or shock |
She was taken aback when a joke was made about her. |
| take aside |
isolate and talk to privately |
He was taken aside and spoken to about his behaviour. |
| take over |
assume control |
The government took over control of the train company. |
| take through |
explain |
Take me through your plans for the garden. |
| take up |
accept |
I'd like to take up your offer. |
| take down |
record in writing |
He was asked to take down some notes of the meeting. |
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With "up"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| put up |
tolerate |
She put up with her insulting language. |
| set up |
establish |
They set up a new business in the city. |
| show up |
appear or arrive |
He showed up five minutes late. |
| shut up |
stop talking |
He rudely told him to shut up. |
| stick up |
defend |
He stuck up for his father when he was criticised. |
| use up |
consume the last amount |
Please use up what's in the fridge before going shopping. |
| break up |
end a relationship |
They'd been together for four years before breaking up. |
| do up |
renovate |
I bought this house and will do it up. |
| cut up |
chop into pieces |
Cut up the tomatoes and put them in the salad. |
| turn up |
appear unexpectedly |
My son just turned up at my house. |
| warm up |
prepare for exercise |
Always warm up before playing football. |
| come up |
thought of |
I have come up with a good idea. |
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With "out"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| break out |
escape |
He helped the inmates break out from prison. |
| check out |
inspect or look at |
The family checked out the swimming pool as soon as they arrived. |
| drop out |
stop before completing |
He dropped out of college after the first year. |
| fall out |
diminish a relationship |
The siblings fell out over their mother's will. |
| figure out |
deduce or calculate |
It took her six minutes to figure out the final part of the crossword. |
| fill out |
add information to |
He needed to fill out the customs form before crossing the border. |
| find out |
learn or discover |
He found out he was adopted when he turned eighteen. |
| hand out |
distribute |
The teacher handed out the permission slips. |
| leave out |
omit |
The coach left her out of the team because she was injured. |
| run out |
use the last of something |
They were worried when they ran out of toilet paper. |
| keep out |
deny entry |
Close the window to keep the mosquitoes out. |
| cut out |
eliminate |
Cut out excessive sugar from your diet. |
| hang out |
relax in a casual way |
She decided to stay home that night and just hang out. |
| point out |
draw attention to or highlight |
The flight attendant pointed out the emergency exits. |
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With "put"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| put off |
postpone |
They put their wedding off until next year. |
| put on |
pretend or insincere |
Her smile was put on; she didn't find it funny. |
| put up |
accommodate |
I told my cousin I could put her up for four days only. |
| put down |
criticise |
I took his reluctant praise as a real put down. |
| put out |
extinguish |
Remember to put the fire out before going to bed. |
| put together |
compile or assemble |
Her boss asked her to put together all the likely outcomes. |
With "over"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| get over |
recover from |
It took her months to get over losing the championship game. |
| go over |
review or explain |
The teacher offered to go over the lesson again. |
| hand over |
give |
They had to hand the keys over when they sold their house. |
| look over |
review or examine |
Matt looked over his son's homework. |
| think over |
consider or reflect on |
I'll think over the choices before deciding which hotel to pick. |
| talk over |
discuss |
We talked over the idea of immigrating. |
| take over |
gain control |
The local taxi company got taken over by a bigger rival. |
| pull over |
temporarily stop a vehicle |
The driver felt tired so decided to pull over. |
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With "look"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| look after |
take care of |
She looked after her elderly father. |
| look forward to |
await eagerly |
I am really looking forward to meeting you for a chat. |
| look into |
investigate |
They looked into the history of the village. |
| look out |
be aware |
The cyclists looked out for potholes on the road. |
| look up |
admire or respect |
He looked up to his older brother. |
With "set"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| set off |
start a journey |
They set off on holiday. |
| set up |
arrange or organize |
The best man set up the stag do. |
| set about |
start a task with determination |
It was a difficult job, but they set about it nevertheless. |
| set aside |
isolate for later use |
Chop up the herbs and set them aside to garnish the dish. |
| set back |
delay or impede |
Failing the exam was set back for his university plans. |
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With "on"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| carry on |
continue |
It was late, but we decided to carry on our journey. |
| count on |
rely on |
He was a good worker that the boss could count on. |
| drag on |
become tedious |
This lecture has dragged on for over two hours. |
| hang on |
pause or wait briefly |
The assistant asked me to hang on while she answered the phone. |
| keep on |
continue doing something |
I decided to keep on my diet even though it was difficult. |
| take on |
undertake |
I was busy at work but agreed to take on one more task. |
| try on |
wear clothing as a trial |
The shop has a changing room where you can try on clothes. |
| cut back on |
reduce consumption |
I need to cut back on my beer drinking. |
| brush up on |
refresh one's knowledge |
I should brush up on my French language skills. |
| get on |
have a harmonious relationship |
She got on really well with her sister-in-law. |
With "fall"
| Phrasal Verb |
Meaning |
Example |
| fall through |
not happen |
The new house plans fell through when planning permission was refused. |
| fall out |
end or diminish a relationship |
They used to be friends, but they fell out. |
| fall behind |
fail to keep up or maintain |
He lost his job and fell behind with his rent. |
| fall for |
be tricked or fooled |
He fell for the scammers story. |
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