Most Common Phrasal Verbs in English - ESLBuzz Learning English

Learning common phrasal verbs in English is one of the best ways to sound more like a native speaker.

Phrasal verbs are difficult to learn but still very important to master because English natives use them a lot.

Let’s learn the most common phrasal verbs in English!

Contents

Common Phrasal Verbs with ACT

Act on

Meaning: Act decisively on the basis of information received or deduced.
Example: The policeman decided to act on the tip from his informant.

Act on

Meaning: Take action against something.
Example: World leaders have repeatedly stated that we must act on climate change.

Act out

Meaning: Perform a scene from a play, a charade or an exercise.
Example: Despite already being aware, he will be acting out the pretence of a surprise

Act out

Meaning: Express one’s feelings through disruptive actions.
Example: I know you’re angry, but you can’t act out and break dishes like that.

Act up

Meaning: Misbehave; cause trouble
Example: Children may act up in class in an effort to get attention.

Act up to

Meaning: Equal in action; fulfill in practice.
Example: He has acted up to his engagement or his advantages.

Act upon

Meaning: Take action on the basis of information received or deduced.
Example: The policeman decided to act upon the informant’s phone call.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-act/

Useful Phrasal Verbs with ANSWER

Learn useful phrasal verbs with ANSWER in English.

Answer back

Meaning: Reply impertinently; to talk back
Example: I’ll thank you not to answer back like that! Where are your manners?

Answer for

Meaning: Be held responsible for; to take the blame for something
Example: The mayor will be answering for his crimes for many years.

Answer for

Meaning: Vouch for (someone); to attest to the character of (someone)
Example: She’s known me for years, and she’s always answered for me!

Answer to

Meaning: Justify oneself to (someone)
Example: You’re going to have to answer to all of these charges to my satisfaction.

Answer to

Meaning: Respond to (a name); to treat as one’s own name
Example: She’s answered to Katie her entire life.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-answer/

Commonly Used Phrasal Verbs with BACK

Learn common phrasal verbs with BACK in English.

Back off

Meaning: Become less aggressive, particularly when one had appeared committed to act
Example: You need to back off, or the situation could turn ugly.

Back onto

Meaning: Reverse a vehicle onto something
Example: The car backed onto my toe.

Back out

Meaning: Reverse a vehicle from a confined space
Example: He backed out of the garage.

Back up

Meaning: Move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so

Example: That beeping sound indicates that the truck is backing up.

Back up

Meaning: Copy (data) as a security measure
Example: Back up your documents folder before applying the update.

Back up

Meaning: Provide support or the promise of support
Example: You should be careful. This guy is backed up by the local gang.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-back/

Phrasal Verbs with BE in English

Learn frequently used phrasal verbs with BE in English with meaning and examples.

Be above

Meaning: Be too good, classy or mature to do something; to disdain
Example: I thought you said you were above these kinds of antics.

Be along

Meaning: Arrive
Example: I expect John will be along soon.

Be around

Meaning: Be alive, existent, or present
Example: I’ll be around for another hour or so.

Be cut out for

Meaning: Be suitable, have the necessary qualities
Example: He‘s not cut out for teaching.

Be down

Meaning: Be depressed
Example: I got some bad news this morning, so I‘m a bit down at the moment.

Be down to

Meaning: Be reduced or less
Example: Because of the big sale, the price of these shirts is now down to four dollars.

Be fed up

Meaning: Be bored, upset or sick of something
Example: I‘m fed up with my job.

Be in for

Meaning: Be able to expect or anticipate, generally said of something unpleasant
Example: The weather forecast says we are in for three feet of snow over the next week.

Be there for

Meaning: Be available to provide comfort and support for someone, especially in a period of difficulty
Example: She knows that I’ll always be there for her.

Be snowed under

Meaning: Have too much work
Example: I’d love to go out to dinner tonight, but I‘m totally snowed under at the office right now.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-be/

Common Phrasal Verbs with BEAT

Commonly used phrasal verbs with BEAT in English.

Beat down

Meaning: Strike with great force
Example: It was a ghastly morning, with the rain beating down in sheets.

Beat off

Meaning: Waste time
Example: I beat off at work all day; I didn’t get anything done.

Beat out

Meaning: Sound a rhythm on a percussion instrument such as a drum
Example: The drummer beat out a steady slow march.

Beat up

Meaning: Give a severe beating to, to assault violently hitting the victim repeatedly
Example: I got beaten up by thugs on my way home.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-beat/

Phrasal Verbs with BLOW

Learn common phrasal verbs with BLOW in English.

Blow away

Meaning: Cause to go away by blowing, or by wind
Example: He blew away the dust which had collected on the book.

Blow away

Meaning: Flabbergast; to impress greatly
Example: The critics were blown away by their latest album.

Blow down

Meaning: Knock over with an air current, most often wind
Example: I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house down.

Blow off

Meaning: Let steam escape through a passage provided for the purpose
Example: The engine or steamer is blowing off.

Blow over

Meaning: Blow on something causing it to topple
Example: The wind blew over the pole.

Blow up

Meaning: Explode or be destroyed by explosion
Example: Why do cars in movies always blow up when they fall off a cliff?

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-blow/

Phrasal Verbs with BREAK

List of phrasal verbs with break.

Break away

Meaning: Leave suddenly
Example: She was brought up in a very religious household, but broke away from the church in her teens.

Break down

Meaning: Fail, to cease to function
Example: I am afraid my computer will break down if I try to run it at too high a speed.

Break even

Meaning: Neither gain nor lose money
Example: After an entire night playing poker, he nearly broke even.

Break in

Meaning: Enter a place by force or illicit means
Example: Someone broke in and stole his radio.

Break off

Meaning: End a relationship.
Example: I’ve decided to break it off with her.

Break into

Meaning: Enter illegally or by force, especially in order to commit a crime
Example: Somebody broke into his car and stole his tools and CDs.

Break out

Meaning: Escape, especially forcefully or defiantly
Example: They broke out of prison in the middle of the night.

Break through

Meaning: To make new and important discoveries
Example: Scientists think they are beginning to break through in the fight against cancer.

Break up

Meaning: Break or separate into pieces; to disintegrate or come apart
Example: It broke up when it hit the ground.

Source: https://7esl.com/phrasal-verbs-with-break/

Phrasal Verbs with BRING

List of commonly used phrasal verbs with BRING.

Bring about

Meaning: Cause to take place
Example: The collapse of the gold standard brought about much of the economic turmoil of that era.

Bring along

Meaning: Bring someone or something to certain place.
Example: I brought my uncle along to the party.

Bring around

Meaning: Persuade or convince someone.
Example: Sam was sure he could bring them around to the deal.

Bring back

Meaning: Fetch something
Example: I brought back the groceries.

Bring down

Meaning: Make a legitimate rulership lose their position of power
Example: The rebel forces are trying to bring down the president and his government.