100 Phrasal Verbs With Meanings And Sentences

Phrasal verbs are an indispensable part of English language communication, blending a verb with one or more prepositions to express a meaning often quite different from the original verb. These expressions are pivotal in mastering fluent and natural English, as they frequently occur in everyday speech and writing.

Understanding and utilizing phrasal verbs can dramatically enhance your ability to convey nuanced thoughts and interact more effectively. In this collection, we will explore a diverse array of phrasal verbs, each defined clearly and illustrated with sentences.

Phrasal Verbs With Meanings And Sentences

1. Act Out

Meaning: Perform something with actions and gestures.

Sentence: The children will act out the story in front of the class.

2. Add Up

Meaning: To make sense, seem reasonable.

Sentence: His story just doesn’t add up; I think he’s lying.

3. Ask Over

Meaning: Invite someone to one’s home.

Sentence: We should ask the neighbors over for dinner sometime.

4. Back Off

Meaning: Retreat or withdraw.

Sentence: He backed off as soon as he realized the dog was aggressive.

5. Bail Out

Meaning: Rescue someone from a difficult situation.

Sentence: The government decided to bail out the struggling bank.

6. Barge In

Meaning: Enter rudely or abruptly.

Sentence: Sorry for barging in, but your door was open, and I heard a noise.

7. Bear Out

Meaning: Support or confirm.

Sentence: The facts bear out his theory about increased sales.

8. Beef Up

Meaning: Make something stronger or more substantial.

Sentence: We need to beef up our argument to win the case.

9. Blow Over

Meaning: Pass without creating a problem.

Sentence: The scandal will blow over soon; people forget quickly.

10. Boil Down

Meaning: Simplify, reduce to essential parts.

Sentence: It all boils down to whether you’re committed or not.

11. Bolt Down

Meaning: Eat food very quickly.

Sentence: He bolted down his breakfast and rushed out the door.

12. Book Up

Meaning: Reserve all available places.

Sentence: The hotel is booked up for the season.

13. Boss Around

Meaning: Order someone to do things for you.

Sentence: She hates being bossed around by her older sister.

14. Bottom Out

Meaning: Reach the lowest or worst point.

Sentence: The market has bottomed out, so it’s a good time to invest.

15. Box Up

Meaning: Pack things in boxes.

Sentence: We boxed up all the Christmas decorations.

16. Brace Up

Meaning: Prepare for something difficult or unpleasant.

Sentence: You need to brace up for the tough times ahead.

17. Branch Off

Meaning: Develop or create subdivisions or new branches.

Sentence: The river branches off into several small streams.

18. Break In

Meaning: Interrupt.

Sentence: Sorry to break in, but I have some important news.

19. Brush Off

Meaning: Ignore, pay little attention.

Sentence: He just brushed off my advice and did what he wanted.

20. Buckle Down

Meaning: Start working seriously.

Sentence: We need to buckle down if we want to finish this project on time.

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21. Buff Up

Meaning: Improve one’s physical appearance by exercising.

Sentence: He’s been buffing up for the summer beach season.

22. Build Up

Meaning: Gradually increase.

Sentence: The tension in the room built up as the debate continued.

23. Burn Out

Meaning: Become extremely tired or sick by working hard for a long time.

Sentence: She’s burning out from all the extra hours she’s been working.

24. Burst Into

Meaning: Enter suddenly or unexpectedly.

Sentence: He burst into the room and demanded to know what was happening.

25. Butter Up

Meaning: Flatter someone.

Sentence: He’s only buttering you up because he needs a favor.

26. Buzz Around

Meaning: Move quickly and busily around a place.

Sentence: She’s been buzzing around the office all morning.

27. Call Down

Meaning: Scold someone.

Sentence: The teacher called him down for his rude behavior in class.

28. Camp Out

Meaning: Stay in a place for a period of time.

Sentence: We camped out all night to get tickets to the concert.

29. Cap Off

Meaning: Finish or complete something in a memorable way.

Sentence: He capped off the victory with a stunning goal in the final minute.

30. Carve Out

Meaning: Create or establish a niche or a role for oneself.

Sentence: She carved out a reputation as a fierce competitor.

31. Cash In

Meaning: Benefit or make money on something.

Sentence: It’s time to cash in on all the hard work you have done.

32. Cast Off

Meaning: Discard or reject.

Sentence: It’s time to cast off old habits and try something new.

33. Catch On

Meaning: Become popular or understood.

Sentence: His new invention didn’t catch on until years later.

34. Cave In

Meaning: Surrender, agree to something reluctantly.

Sentence: After hours of negotiating, she finally caved in.

35. Chalk Up

Meaning: Achieve something noteworthy.

Sentence: He chalked up another win in his tennis career.

36. Chance Upon

Meaning: Find or see someone or something when you did not expect to.

Sentence: We chanced upon a quaint little cafe down the lane.

37. Check Out

Meaning: Leave a hotel; investigate.

Sentence: We need to check out by noon.

38. Cheer On

Meaning: Encourage someone (in sports, etc.).

Sentence: The crowd cheered on the marathon runners.

39. Chew Over

Meaning: Think deeply about something.

Sentence: We need to chew over this proposal before we decide.

40. Chicken Out

Meaning: Decide not to do something because you are scared.

Sentence: He chickened out of bungee jumping at the last moment.

41. Choke Up

Meaning: Become too emotional to speak.

Sentence: She choked up as she thanked her supporters.

42. Chop Up

Meaning: Cut into small pieces.

Sentence: Chop up the onions and add them to the skillet.

43. Chuck Out

Meaning: Throw away.

Sentence: It’s time to chuck out these old, worn shoes.

44. Clam Up

Meaning: Become quiet suddenly.

Sentence: He clammed up when they started asking about his past.

45. Clamp Down

Meaning: Enforce rules or laws more strictly.

Sentence: The government is clamping down on tax evasion.

46. Clear Out

Meaning: Remove things from a place; vacate.

Sentence: It’s time to clear out all the junk in the attic.

47. Cling On

Meaning: Hold tightly.

Sentence: She clung on to the railing as the boat rocked.

48. Close In

Meaning: Surround, encircle, approach.

Sentence: The fog closed in and soon we couldn’t see the road.

49. Close Up

Meaning: Close something completely.

Sentence: Please close up the shop before you leave.

50. Cloud Over

Meaning: Become covered with clouds.

Sentence: His expression clouded over when he heard the bad news.

51. Clown Around

Meaning: Act silly.

Sentence: Stop clowning around and get to work!

52. Clutter Up

Meaning: Fill or cover with clutter.

Sentence: His desk is cluttered up with papers and books.

53. Coax Out

Meaning: Gently persuade someone to do something.

Sentence: She managed to coax him out of his room to see the guests.

54. Cobble Together

Meaning: Put together hastily.

Sentence: We cobbled together a meal from whatever was in the fridge.

55. Color Up

Meaning: Blush.

Sentence: She colored up when we teased her about her new boyfriend.

56. Come About

Meaning: Happen, occur.

Sentence: How did this situation come about?

57. Come Down

Meaning: Decrease.

Sentence: Prices are expected to come down after the holiday season.

58. Come Off

Meaning: Happen as planned, succeed.

Sentence: The concert came off despite the rain.

59. Come Through

Meaning: Survive, succeed, or come to help.

Sentence: He came through the surgery well.

60. Come Up

Meaning: Appear; rise.

Sentence: A new issue has come up at work that needs your attention.

61. Comfort Out

Meaning: Provide comfort.

Sentence: She comforted her friend out of a bad breakup.

62. Commandeer Into

Meaning: Take control or command forcibly.

Sentence: The police commandeered the building into a temporary headquarters.

63. Comment On

Meaning: Give an opinion.

Sentence: He refused to comment on the scandal.

64. Commit To

Meaning: Dedicate oneself to something.

Sentence: She has committed herself to writing a novel.

65. Compare To

Meaning: Show similarities.

Sentence: Nothing can compare to the first time you see the ocean.

66. Compensate For

Meaning: Make up for something.

Sentence: No amount of money can compensate for the loss of a loved one.

67. Compete With

Meaning: Try to be more successful.

Sentence: It’s hard to compete with such a talented team.

68. Complain About

Meaning: Express dissatisfaction.

Sentence: He always complains about the weather.

69. Comply With

Meaning: Follow rules or instructions.

Sentence: You must comply with the regulations to avoid fines.

70. Compose Of

Meaning: Be made or formed from several elements.

Sentence: The committee is composed of members from every department.

71. Conceal From

Meaning: Keep something secret.

Sentence: He tried to conceal his past from his date.

72. Concede To

Meaning: Admit, often unwillingly, that something is true.

Sentence: The politician conceded to the demands of the protesters.

73. Concentrate On

Meaning: Focus on.

Sentence: You need to concentrate on your studies.

74. Conclude With

Meaning: End something in a certain way.

Sentence: The meeting concluded with a vote.

75. Concure With

Meaning: Agree.

Sentence: I concur with your assessment of the situation.

76. Confide In

Meaning: Trust someone with personal information.

Sentence: She confided in her best friend.

77. Confirm To

Meaning: Verify.

Sentence: Please confirm your attendance to the event.

78. Conform To

Meaning: Match or follow norms, rules.

Sentence: All products must conform to the standards set by the law.

79. Confront With

Meaning: Present someone with something, especially to accuse or criticize.

Sentence: He was confronted with the evidence of his wrongdoing.

80. Confuse With

Meaning: Mistake one thing or person for another.

Sentence: I often confuse him with his brother because they look so alike.

81. Congratulate On

Meaning: Praise someone for an achievement.

Sentence: I want to congratulate you on your new job.

82. Connect To

Meaning: Join or link to.

Sentence: The bridge connects the island to the mainland.

83. Conquer Over

Meaning: Overcome a problem.

Sentence: He managed to conquer his fear of heights.

84. Consent To

Meaning: Agree to.

Sentence: She consented to the terms of the contract.

85. Conserve For

Meaning: Save or protect something.

Sentence: We need to conserve water for the dry season.

86. Consider For

Meaning: Think about, take into account.

Sentence: He is being considered for the promotion.

87. Conspire With

Meaning: Plan secretly with someone.

Sentence: They conspired with each other to overthrow the director.

88. Consult With

Meaning: Seek advice or information from someone.

Sentence: She consulted with her lawyer before signing the documents.

89. Contain In

Meaning: Hold or include.

Sentence: The box contains all the pieces you need to assemble the shelf.

90. Contaminate With

Meaning: Make something impure or harmful.

Sentence: The water was contaminated with chemicals.

91. Contend With

Meaning: Deal with a difficult situation.

Sentence: Firefighters contended with the blaze for hours.

92. Contest Against

Meaning: Challenge or dispute.

Sentence: The election results were contested by the losing party.

93. Continue With

Meaning: Keep doing something.

Sentence: The company decided to continue with the project despite the setbacks.

94. Contract For

Meaning: Formally agree to provide or do something.

Sentence: They contracted for the construction of a new building.

95. Contradict To

Meaning: Deny or disagree with something.

Sentence: His statement contradicts the facts presented earlier.

96. Contrast With

Meaning: Show differences when compared.

Sentence: His actions contrast sharply with his words.

97. Contribute To

Meaning: Help to cause or bring about.

Sentence: All team members contributed to the project’s success.

98. Control Over

Meaning: Command or influence something.

Sentence: He has no control over the decisions in the company.

99. Converse With

Meaning: Engage in conversation.

Sentence: I enjoyed conversing with you about literature.

100. Convert Into

Meaning: Change something into a different form or product.

Sentence: The old factory was converted into luxury apartments.

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