Phrasal Verbs with Examples:
Source: Dixit Handbook of BA and B. Com. I Core English
Back
Back onto (to be near or be at the back of): Mr. Verma's house backs onto my garage.
Back out (withdraw from promise or undertaking): I am sure she will not back out at this moment.
Back somebody/something up (support, especially in argument): I would have lost the argument if you had not backed me up.
BEAR
Bear away (win; carry away): Rajan bore away all the prizes in the Athletic Meet.
Bear down (crush): Ravana bore down all opposition with brute force.
Bear with (suffer; tolerate): Please, bear with us.
BREAK
Break away (go suddenly away from): My father broke away from our family tradition.
Break down (knock down; collapse; fall; fail): The enemy's resistance soon broke down.
Break even (make neither profit nor loss): the company has broken even this year after the period of lockdown last year.
Break in (enter a building by force; train an animal): The thieves broke in through a window.
Break out (spread; begin suddenly and violently): Covid-19 broke out and soon destroyed the lives of many people.
Break through (make a new advance; force a way through): The sun broke through the clouds after the rain.
Break up (cause to break into small pieces; stop being together): His marriage with Palash broke up last month.
Break with (end a friendship or connection): Naman has broken with his girl friend.
BRING
Bring about (cause to happen): His career has brought about a change in his life-style.
Bring around/ round (persuade to change one's opinion): Mother brought him round to accept the marriage proposal.
Bring forth (give birth to): You do not know what the future will bring forth.
Bring forward (cause to be seen or discussed): He brought forward a proof of his innocence.
Bring out (cause to appear, publish): Dixit Publishing House is bringing out many good
books.
Bring up (rear; educate): He was brought up by his grandmother.
CALL
Call at (make a short visit): He called at my house yesterday.
Call back (pay another visit): I shall call back next Monday.
Call for (demand): The people are calling for an inquiry into the disappearance of the Sarpanch
Call forth (be the cause of): His misconduct called forth many protests.
Call (somebody) in (ask to come to help): Please call in the doctor because the patient is restless
Call off (stop; cause a planned event not to take place): The meeting has been called off.
Call on (pay a short visit to): We should call on John today.
Call out (officially order): The Government has called out the army to restore law and
order.
Call up (telephone): I shall call you up later.
CARRY
Carry on (manage): His son carried on his business during his absence.
Carry out: (obey; fulfil): You must carry out the orders of your officer.
COME
Come about (happen): How did this come about?
Come across (meet by chance): I came across a friend of mine at the post office.
Come along (develop; advance): How is the project coming along?
Come around (be persuaded; change sides): At last he has come round to our viewpoint.
Come by (get; come into possession): How did you come by this camera?
Come down on/upon somebody/ something) (punish or reprimand):
The Principal came down on all the ring leaders.
Come down to (equal; come to mean): It comes down to a cut in real the wages of the
workers.
Come down with (catch an infection): I am afraid you are coming down with influenza.
Come forward (offer oneself for a job; offer help): No one has come forward to provide
a clue about the murder.
Come from (have as a place of origin): She comes from a reputed family.
Come in for (receive; be given blame, etc.): The police force has come in for severe criticism for mishandling the situation.
Come into (receive something after someone's death): She came into a fortune after Ashok's death.
Come of (result from): This is what comes of buying cheap things.
Come off (take place; happen): When did the marriage come off?
Come out with (say something suddenly) She came out with a strange explanation about the theft.
Come under (be categorized): What section of the Indian Penal Code does this offence eine under?
Come up (come to attention or consideration): Your proposal did not come up in the meeting
Come up to (be equal): Your essay has not come up to your own high standard.
Come up with (think of a plan, reply, etc.): The theatre owner has come up with a new
plan to stop black-marketing of tickets.
CRY
Cry down (depreciate): There is no point in crying down religion. What should be cried down is communalism.
Cry out against (raise one's voice against): The workers cried out against hours.
Cry up (be praised): The new novelist is cried up to no end.
CUT
Cut across (go beyond fixed limits): The debate cut across party lines.
Cut back (prune, shorten): The members opposed the Government's plan to cut back on industrial investment.
Cut down (reduce): We must cut down our expenditure.
Cut in (interrupt someone who is speaking): The teacher asked them not to cut in while
he was speaking
Cut off (disconnect; be dead): The promising actress was cut off in the prime of
her life.
Cut out (eliminate): He cut out his rivals one by one.
Cut out for (have the ability): He is cut out for a career in the army.
Cut up (afflict, distress): The death of his mother cut him up.
DEAL
Deal in (trade in): Her father deals in ready made garments.
Deal with (attend to; tackle): It is not easy to deal with her.
DO
Do away with (abolish; cause to end): We must do away with formalities and come to business directly.
Do in (tire completely): He felt quite done in after a long walk.
Do without (dispense with): I can do without your advice.
Get through (pass): He got through his examination in the first division.
Get up (rise from bed): She does not get up until ten in the morning.
GIVE
Give away (give something, prizes, etc. ceremonially): Who gave away the
prizes?
Give back (return): You must give back my history book.
Give in (yield): The management gave in to the demands of the workers.
Give off (emit; send out): This pond gives off bad smell.
Give over (hand over, deliver): The building has been given over to the municipal
corporation.
Give up (abandon): You must give up your bad habits.
GO
Go about (move from place to place; set about): This is not the way to go about
it.
Go after (try to obtain; chase): Amit is now going after that pretty dress designer.
Go ahead (begin): You can now go ahead with your project.
Go along with (support): I shall go along with you as far as you want me.
Go around (be often out in public): He goes around with some people of dubious reputation.
Go by (pass): Time goes by unnoticed.
Go down (be recorded): This day will go down in history as the day of women's rights.
Go down with (catch an infectious disease): They all went down with cholera.
Go for (be accounted as; attack): Virat Kohli went for the West Indian bowling in the first test match played at Antigua..
Go in for (take part in; have or take as one's object): He is going in for the marathon
Race.
Go into (enter a profession): Her brother has gone into business.
Go off (explode): The gun went off while he was cleaning it.
Go on (continue; happen): What is going on in the next room?
Go round (be enough for everyone): I think there are enough chairs to go round.
Go through (suffer, experience; read/discuss): They went through the report carefully.
Go with (accommodate; match): I am afraid this tie will not go with your suit..
Go without (do without something): In his childhood he went without a meal every day.
HOLD
Hold against (allow something bad done in the past to influence present opinion): Rohit's bad record during his school days should not hold against him.
Lay out (spread out): The magnificent scene laid out before them really enchanted them.
Lay up (be in bed due to illness): He was laid up with malaria for a week.
LET
Let (something/someone) down (put or take down; lower): Don't let your friends down.
Let in (allow to enter): He opened the door and let her in.
Let (somebody) into (admit; allow to enter): Who let you into my office
Let on (tell, reveal): I knew what he had done, but I preferred not to let on.
Let out (allow to go or flow out): Let some air out of the tube.
Let out at (aim a violent blow): Beware of this horse; he is in the habit of letting out at
strangers.
Let up (lessen; become less strong): When will this rain let up?
LOOK
Look about (examine one's surroundings): We were in a hurry, so we had no
time to look about...
Look after (take care of): You must look after your aged parents.
Look at (regard; judge): She refused to look at his proposal.
Look back (turn one's thoughts to the past): The old man looked back at his youth with
nostalgia.
Look down on/upon (show a low opinion of): Don't look down upon the poor people.
Look for (search for): Is he still looking for a job?
Look forward to (expect with pleasure): I am looking forward to her visit next week.
Look into (investigate): We will look into this matter when we have more
time.
Look on (be a spectator): Why don't you play cricket instead of simply looking on?
Look out (keep watching): Look out! There is a bus coming.
Look out for (be watchful; await): You can look out for a big profit this year.
Look round (look at a place): Before taking this building on lease, I would prefer to look around.
Look through (revise; study): You must look through your notes before you appear in
the examination,
Look up (see, read: consult): Look up the meaning of this word in the dictionary.
Look up to (consider; regard): They all look up to Rajesh as their role model.
MAKE
Make after (pursue): She made after him.
Make away with (steal; kill): The thieves made away with all the cash.
Strike off (remove): If you are not regular, your name will be struck off the rolls.
TAKE
Take after (look or behave like): She has taken after her father.
Take apart (separate into pieces): He took the watch apart to find out what was wrong with it.
Take away (remove): How many books has he taken away from the library?
Take away from (lessen the effect/value of): His belonging to a poor family does not take away from his merit as a teacher.
Take back (admit that one was wrong): I take back what I had said.
Take down (note down; record; take apart): We took down what the teacher said in the class.
Take in (receive; admit; carn): We took a traveller in for the night.
Take into (not ignore/neglect): We must take into account all his good qualities.
Take off (remove): I took off my coat as it was very hot.
Take on (undertake the charge): You will have to take on some additional
Take out (bring out): He took his wife out to dinner once or twice a week. work.
Take out on (express one's feelings by making another suffer): He took out his anger on his son.
Take over (gain control/responsibility): He has taken over the charge of construction work.
Take to (feel a liking for): Kunal took to Seema as soon as he saw her.
Take up (interest oneself in; adopt as a practice/hobby): She took up acting in her spare time.
Take up with (somebody) (become friendly with):: He has taken up with people.
THROW
Throw away (discard): My advice was virtually thrown away on him.
Throw out (reject): His proposal was thrown out by the committee.
Throw up (resign): Sumit has thrown up his job.
TURN
Turn about (face in a new direction): The soldiers turned about as soon as they were told to do so.
Turn against (become opposed to): The witness turned against his counsel.
Turn away (refuse to let in; refuse to give help): The beggar was turned away from the
Turn down (reject; reduce the force of); He turned down my offer of help.
Turn in (return; produce profit): You must turn in your revolver when you leave service. rather strange
Turn off (stop the flow of water/gas, etc.): When you do not need water, turn the tap off.
Turn over (consider carefully and in various ways): She turned this problem over in her mind when she was alone.
Turn round (face to): Turn round so that I can see your face.
Turn to (go for help): In times of difficulties, she turned to her brother.
Turn up (make one's appearance; increase the force/speed/volume Her father promised to come but she has not turned up so far.
Work on (influence): Let her work on them for a little time.
Work out (solve). I can not work out this problem.
Some more Phrasal Verbs:
Source: https://www.hitbullseye.com/Vocab/Phrasal-Verbs-List.php
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Abide by | respect or obey. (the law, a decision, a rule) | If you want to stay at this school, you must abide by the rules. |
Account for | explain, give a reason | I hope you can account for the money you spent! |
Add up | make sense, seem reasonable | Her story just doesn't add up. |
Advise against | recommend not doing something | The doctor advised him against carrying heavy loads. |
Agree with | have the same opinion as somebody else. | I agree with you. I think she deserves the award too. |
Aim at | point something in the direction of a target | The policeman aimed his gun at the hijacker. |
Allow for | take into consideration, include in a calculation | You'd better leave early to allow for traffic jams. |
Appeal to | 1. plead or make an earnest request 2. be attractive or interesting | 1. The organizers appealed to the crowd to stay calm. 2. A trekking holiday doesn't appeal to me. |
Apply for | make a formal request for something, (job, permit, loan etc.) | He applied for the job he saw advertised in the newspaper. |
Avail (oneself) of | take advantage of something (an opportunity) | When the company is privatized, you should avail yourself of the opportunity and buy some shares. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Back away | move backwards, in fear or dislike | When he saw the dog, he backed away. |
Back down | withdraw, concede defeat | Local authorities backed down on their plans to demolish the building. |
Back up | 1. give support or encouragement 2. make a copy of (file, program, etc.) | 1. If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up? 2. It is recommended to back up all files in a secure location. |
Bail out | 1. pay money to secure someone's release 2. rescue from financial difficulties | 1. When he was arrested, his family refused to bail him out. 2. The government bailed out the bank. |
Bank on | base your hopes on someone/something | Don't forget the date. I'm banking on your help. |
Boil down to | be summarized as | The problem boils down to a lack of money. |
Boot up | start a computer by loading an operating system or program. | Just give me a few minutes to boot up the computer. |
Break away | escape from captivity | A few horses broke away from the paddock. |
Break down | 1. go out of order, cease to function 2. lose control of one's emotions | 1. Nitish's car broke down so he had to take the bus. 2. The parents broke down when they heard the bad news. |
Break into | enter by force | Burglars broke into the house around midnight. |
Break out | start suddenly | Rioting broke out as a result of the strike. |
Break out of | escape from a place by force | Three prisoners broke out of jail. |
Break up | come to an end (marriage, relationship) | After her marriage broke up, Seema went to live in London. |
Bring up | raise (a child) | She stopped working in order to bring up her children. |
Brush up on | improve, refresh one's knowledge of something | Meena had to brush up on her English before going to America. |
Bump into | meet by accident or unexpectedly | Padma bumped into her English teacher at the supermarket. |
Burn out | 1. stop (something) working 2. become exhausted from over-working | 1. The fuse has burnt out. 2. Tom will burn himself out if he doesn't slow down. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Call back | return a phone call | I'll call you back as soon as possible. |
Call off | cancel | The meeting was called off because of the strike. |
Call on/upon | formally invite or request | I now call upon the President to address the assembly. |
Calm down | become more relaxed, less angry or upset | He was angry at first but he eventually calmed down. |
Carry on | continue | He carried on gardening in spite of the rain. |
Carry out | 1. do something as specified (a plan, an order, a threat) 2. perform or conduct (test, experiment) | 1. The plan was carried out to perfection. 2. Tests are carried out to determine the efficiency of a new drug. |
Carry over | postpone until later | As regards holidays, can you carry over any days from one year to the next? |
Check in | register at a hotel or airport | For security reasons you have to check in two hours before your flight. |
Check out | 1. pay one's bill and leave (a hotel) 2. investigate | 1. Is Mr. Kumar still at the hotel? No, he checked out this morning. 2. I don't know if the address is still valid. I'll check it out. |
Clam up | refuse to speak | When the teacher arrived she clammed up. |
Clamp down on | act strictly to prevent something | The government has decided to clamp down on smoking in public places. |
Come across | 1. find by chance 2. appear, seem, make an impression | 1. Veena came across some photographs of her grandparents in the store room. 2. The candidate came across as a dynamic person during the interview. |
Come forward | present oneself | The police have asked any witnesses to come forward. |
Come up against | be faced with or opposed by | The project came up against a lot of criticism. |
Count on | rely or depend on (for help) | I'm counting on the taxi driver to find the theatre. |
Cross out | remove by drawing a line through | In some exercises, you are asked to cross out the incorrect word. |
Cut down on | reduce in number or size | The doctor told him to cut down on cigarettes. |
Cut out | 1. remove using scissors 2. stop doing something | 1. She cut out a picture in a magazine. 2. I'm going to cut out eating between meals. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Deal with | handle, take care of (problem, situation) | The manager is good at dealing with difficult customers. |
Die down | calm down, become less strong | When the applause died down, she started to sing. |
Do without | manage without | The shops are closed so we'll have to do without sugar. |
Drag on | last longer than expected | We expected a short speech but it dragged on and on! |
Draw up | write (contract, agreement, document) | An agreement was drawn up and signed by the two parties. |
Dress up | 1. wear elegant clothes 2. disguise oneself | 1. Do people dress up to go to the opera in your country? 2. Children love to dress up at Halloween. |
Drop in | visit, usually on the way somewhere | I sometimes drop in to see my grandparents on my way home from school. |
Drop off | 1. deliver someone or something 2. fall asleep | 1. I'll drop you off at the bus stop if you like. 2. Granddad often drops off in front of the TV. |
Drop out | leave school without finishing | She decided to go to art school then dropped out after the first term. |
End in | finish in a certain way; result in | Their marriage ended in divorce. |
Ease off | reduce, become less severe or slow down (pain, traffic, work) | After Christmas the workload generally eases off. |
End up | finally reach a state, place or action | If he continues his misconduct he'll end up in prison. |
Even out | 1. eliminate differences of opinion. 2. become level or regular | 1. After a long discussion they managed to even out their differences. 2. The road was evened out to make it safer. |
Fall through | fail; doesn't happen | Our planned boat trip fell through because of the storm. |
Figure out | understand, find the answer | I'm trying to figure out how to assemble the bookshelves. |
Fill out | complete (a form/an application) | Please fill out the enclosed form and return it as soon as possible. |
Find out | discover or obtain information | I'm going to call the cinema to find out what time the film starts. |
Focus on | concentrate on something | The advertising campaign will focus on the quality of the product. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Get along (with) | be on good terms; work well with | I get along (well) with my mother-in-law. |
Get at | imply | What exactly are you trying to get at? |
Get away | escape | The robbers got away in a black car. |
Get by | manage to cope or to survive | It's difficult to get by on a low salary. |
Get in | enter | How did the thief get in? |
Get into (+noun) | enter | How did the thief get into the house? |
Get off | 1. leave (bus, train, plane) 2. remove | 1. You should get off the bus at the main market of the town. 2. She can't get the stain off her sweater. |
Get on | board (bus, train, plane) | You can pay when you get on the bus. |
Get on with (something) | continue to do; make progress | Be quiet and get on with your homework. |
Get on (well) with (somebody) | have a good relationship with | I get on very well with my colleagues. |
Get out | leave | How did he get out? |
Get out of (+noun) | leave | How did he get out of the house? |
Get out of | avoid doing something | Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework. |
Get over | recover from (illness, disappointment) | My grandmother had pneumonia but she got over it. |
Get rid of | eliminate | It's difficult to get rid of old habits. |
Get together | meet each other | Let's get together for lunch on day. |
Get up | rise, leave bed | I usually get up at 7 o'clock. |
Give up | stop doing something | Rajesh gave up smoking 5 years ago. |
Go through | experience | Priya went through a lot of pain after the accident. |
Grow up | spend one's childhood; develop; become an adult | He grew up in a small village in the mountains. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Hand in | submit (report, homework) | All application forms must be handed in before the end of the month. |
Hand out | distribute | Samples will be handed out at the end of the demonstration. |
Hang up | end a phone conversation | "Don't hang up. I haven't finished yet." |
Hit at | aim a blow at | He hit at the wasp with the newspaper. |
Hit back | retaliate; reply to an attack | When he was attacked by the others, the boy hit back. |
Hit on/upon | find unexpectedly or by inspiration | She hit upon an idea for her new collection. |
Hold on | 1. wait 2. grip tightly | 1. "Hold on please. I'll put you through to Mr. Khanna" 2. She held on to the railing as she crossed the bridge. |
Hurry up | be quick, act speedily | Hurry up! We'll miss the bus. |
Iron out | resolve by discussion, eliminate differences | The meeting tomorrow will be an opportunity to iron out difficulties. |
Join in | participate | She was too shy to join in the game. |
Join up | 1. engage in, become a member of 2. meet and unite with | 1. Deven was in the Army and Shekher joined up as soon as he left school. 2. The two groups of tourists joined up at the hotel. |
Jot down | take quick notes | I jotted down the address while watching the programme on TV. |
Keep on | continue doing something | It told him to be quiet but he kept on making noise. |
Keep up with | stay at the same level as someone or something | Karan walks so fast it's difficult to keep up with him. |
Kick off | begin, start | The football match kicked off at 3 o'clock. |
Leave out | omit, not mention | The child's name was left out of the report. |
Let down | disappoint | You promised to come to the party, so don't let me down! |
Look after | take care of | A babysitter looks after the children when their parents go out. |
Look ahead | think of the future | It's time to forget the past and look ahead. |
Look down on | consider as inferior | He tends to look down on anyone who is not successful. |
Look on | be a spectator at an event | Billu didn't take part in the fight. He just looked on. |
Look for | try to find something | Seema went to the shops to look for a pair of shoes. |
Look forward to | await or anticipate with pleasure | I look forward to seeing you soon. |
Look up to | admire | He was a wonderful teacher and many students looked up to him. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Make fun of | laugh at/ make jokes about | The old lady dresses so strangely that the kids make fun of her. |
Make up | invent (excuse, story) | Some employees make up excuses when they arrive late for work. |
Mix up | mistake one thing or person for another | I don't know my neighbours' names yet. I keep mixing them up. |
Move in | arrive in a new home or office | You've bought a new house? When are you moving in? |
Move out | leave your home/office for another one. | My neighbour is leaving. He's moving out next Saturday. |
Nod off | fall asleep | My grandfather often nods off in front of the television. |
Note down | write something | I'll call the station and note down the departure times. |
Opt out | leave a system or decide not to participate | I enjoy tennis but I'm so busy I had to opt out of the tournament. |
Own up | admit or confess something | The boy owned up. He said he kicked the ball through the window. |
Pass away | die | The old lady passed away peacefully. |
Pass out | faint | She passed out when she heard the bad news. |
Pay back | reimburse | I'll lend you Rs. 20 provided you pay me back before the end of the week. |
Put off | postpone, arrange a later date | The meeting was put off because of the strike. |
Put on | turn on, switch on | Could you put on the light please? |
Put out | extinguish | It took a long time to put out the fire. |
Put up | accommodate, give somebody a bed | We can put you up if you'd like to come for a week-end. |
Pick up | collect somebody | I'll pick you up at the station when you arrive. |
Point out | indicate/direct attention to something | She pointed out the mistake. |
Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Examples |
Rely on | count on, depend on, trust | Don't worry. You can rely on me. I can keep a secret. |
Rule out | eliminate | The police ruled out political motives. |
Run away | escape from a place or suddenly leave | He ran away from home at the age of fourteen. |
Run into | meet by accident or unexpectedly (also: bump into) | Sheetal ran into Meera at the shopping centre. |
Shop around | compare prices | It's always wise to shop around before buying anything. |
Show off | brag or want to be admired | There's Devesh showing off in his new sports car! |
Show up | appear/arrive | We expected Deepak to come but he didn't show up. |
Shut up (impolite) | be silent, stop talking | Oh shut up, you idiot! |
Sit down | take a seat | Please come in and sit down. |
Stand up | rise from a sitting position | The pupils stood up when the headmaster arrived. |
Stick up for | defend | It's important to stick up for one's principles. |
Take after | resemble, in appearance or character | Jagat really takes after his dad. |
Take care of | look after | I'll take care of your plants while you're away. |
Take off | leave the ground | The plane took off at 6 a.m. |
Take on | hire or engage staff | Business is good so the company is taking on extra staff. |
Take out | remove; extract | She took out a pen to note the address. |