Unlocking Fluency: The Most Common List of Phrasal Verbs

 

If you’ve ever tried to sound natural while speaking English, you’ve probably bumped into the sometimes confusing, often frustrating, but absolutely essential world of phrasal verbs. They are the engine of casual conversation, the little word pairings—a verb plus a preposition or adverb—that native speakers use constantly, like 'catch up,' 'give up,' and 'look forward to.' While they may seem like a grammatical hurdle, mastering the most frequent phrasal verbs is the single fastest way to bridge the gap between textbook English and real-world fluency. Ready to stop being confused by why we 'turn down' a job offer and start using these dynamic verbs confidently? Let's dive into the core vocabulary you need to know!

Here is the most common 50 Phrasal verbs with contextual examples:

No.	Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
1	Ask for	To request something	He went to the counter to ask for a glass of water.
2	Back up	To support (or to make a copy of files)	I will back you up during the presentation if you forget anything.
3	Break down	To stop working (for a machine or vehicle)	Our car broke down on the highway, and we had to call for a tow.
4	Break up	To end a relationship	They decided to break up after dating for five years.
5	Bring up	To mention a topic or raise a child	Please don't bring up the argument from last night.
6	Call off	To cancel an event	They had to call off the outdoor concert due to the heavy rain.
7	Calm down	To relax after being angry or excited	Take a deep breath and try to calm down before you speak.
8	Carry on	To continue (often after an interruption)	Please carry on with your story; I didn't mean to interrupt.
9	Catch up	To reach the same level or meet after a long time	Let's meet for coffee to catch up on all the news.
10	Check out	To look at or investigate something	We should check out that new restaurant everyone is talking about.
11	Come across	To find or meet by chance	I came across some old photos while cleaning the attic.
12	Come back	To return to a place	He promised to come back home before midnight.
13	Come up with	To think of an idea or plan	Can we come up with a better solution for this problem?
14	Cut down on	To reduce the amount or frequency of something	The doctor told him he needs to cut down on sugar.
15	Do without	To manage to live or work without something	I can’t do without my morning coffee; I’m too tired.
16	Dress up	To wear formal or special clothes	You don't need to dress up for this casual party.
17	Drop by/in	To visit briefly and informally	Feel free to drop by my office anytime this afternoon.
18	Eat out	To eat in a restaurant	We don’t feel like cooking tonight; let’s eat out.
19	End up	To eventually reach a state or place	After a long discussion, we ended up agreeing to his proposal.
20	Figure out	To solve or understand a problem	It took me a while, but I finally figured out how the machine works.
21	Fill in	To complete a form or provide information	Please fill in your personal details on this application form.
22	Find out	To discover a piece of information	We need to find out what time the bus leaves tomorrow.
23	Get along (with)	To have a friendly relationship	My sister and her fiancé get along very well with my parents.
24	Get away	To go on a short vacation or escape	We're planning to get away to the coast for the weekend.
25	Get over	To recover from an illness or a difficult experience	It took her months to get over the loss of her pet.
26	Get up	To rise from bed	I need to get up early tomorrow to catch my flight.
27	Give up	To stop trying or quit a habit	You should never give up on your dreams, no matter how hard it is.
28	Go on	To continue, or to happen	The meeting will go on until all agenda items are covered.
29	Go over	To review or examine	Let’s go over the main points of the contract one more time.
30	Hand in	To submit homework or a document	Please hand in your essays by the end of the week.
31	Hang out	To spend time relaxing with someone (informal)	We like to hang out at the park on Saturday afternoons.
32	Hold on	To wait a short time (often on the phone)	Hold on a minute, I’m just trying to find the file.
33	Look after	To take care of someone or something	My neighbour agreed to look after my plants while I was away.
34	Look for	To try to find something	I’m looking for my keys; have you seen them anywhere?
35	Look forward to	To feel happy and excited about a future event	I look forward to seeing you again next month.
36	Look up	To search for information (in a book, dictionary, or online)	If you don’t know the word, you should look it up.
37	Make up	To invent a story or lie; to reconcile	The little boy made up a fantastic story about meeting a dragon.
38	Pass away	To die (a gentler expression)	His grandfather passed away peacefully last night.
39	Pay back	To return money that was borrowed	I promise I will pay back the loan next week.
40	Pick up	To lift or collect someone/something	Can you pick up the kids from school at 3:00 PM?
41	Point out	To draw attention to something	The teacher pointed out the mistakes in my essay.
42	Put off	To postpone or delay	We had to put off the trip until the weather improved.
43	Put on	To place clothing or an accessory onto your body	It's cold outside, so remember to put on a warm jacket.
44	Put up with	To tolerate or endure something	I can't put up with that loud noise from the construction next door anymore.
45	Run into	To meet someone unexpectedly	I ran into an old school friend at the supermarket today.
46	Run out of	To use up the entire supply of something	We need to buy milk because we have run out of it.
47	Take off	To remove clothing; for a plane to leave the ground	Please take off your wet shoes before entering the house.
48	Throw away	To discard or put in the rubbish	Don't throw away that plastic bottle; please recycle it.
49	Turn down	To refuse an offer or reduce volume/heat	She turned down the job offer because the salary was too low.
50	Turn up	To increase volume/heat; to arrive unexpectedly	Can you turn up the music? I can barely hear it.

Start small: choose three phrasal verbs from this list—perhaps 'find out,' 'put off,' and 'get along with'—and challenge yourself to use each one correctly in a conversation or a piece of writing today. Practice transforms knowledge into skill, and soon, these vibrant verbs will seamlessly become part of your natural vocabulary. Keep it up, and you'll be speaking more like a native in no time!

In our next post we will guide you through how to teach them to your students in the classroom. Until then, try to categorize these into social situations. Good luck!