Phrasal Verbs Decoded: Mastering the 50 Most Essential

Introduction:

If you’ve ever felt like you understand every word in a sentence, but not the meaning of the sentence itself, you’ve met the challenge of phrasal verbs. These combinations of a verb and one or two prepositions (like put + up + with) are essential for fluent English, but their meanings are almost always unpredictable.

You are no longer memorizing individual words; you are learning verbal formulas.

This deep dive tackles the 50 most essential and frequently confusing phrasal verbs, organized by theme. We'll show you the exact context you need, helping you finally move these key structures from your vocabulary list into your daily conversations.

 

 

 

The 50 Essential Phrasal Verbs

Theme 1: Communication & Explanation (15 Phrasal Verbs)

Used when speaking, writing, clarifying, and informing.

#	Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Use
1.	Get across	To make something understood.	"The speaker failed to get his main point across."
2.	Lay out	To explain or present something clearly and in detail.	"The CEO laid out the new strategy in the meeting."
3.	Talk into/out of	To persuade someone to do/not do something.	"She talked me into applying for the job."
4.	Bring up	To introduce a topic into a conversation.	"Please bring up the budget during the review."
5.	Point out	To draw attention to something.	"He pointed out the error in the financial report."
6.	Figure out	To solve or understand a problem or person.	"I can’t figure out how this software works."
7.	Call off	To cancel an event.	"They had to call off the conference due to the storm."
8.	Spell out	To explain something in simple, clear terms.	"Could you spell out the payment terms for me?"
9.	Fill in	To give someone the necessary information.	"Can you fill me in on what I missed?"
10.	Get through	To successfully make contact or communicate.	"I tried calling, but couldn't get through to the manager."
11.	Go over	To review or examine something.	"Let’s go over the contract one more time."
12.	Hold back	To stop yourself from saying or doing something.	"She held back her criticism until the end."
13.	Take back	To withdraw a statement or admission.	"I apologize. I take back everything I said."
14.	Look into	To investigate or examine a problem.	"The management is looking into the complaints."
15.	Mull over	To think carefully about something over a period of time.	"I need a few days to mull over the job offer."

Theme 2: Action, Responsibility & Progress (15 Phrasal Verbs)

Used for delegating, completing tasks, and managing time.

#	Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Use
16.	Follow through	To complete a plan or action.	"He always promises big changes, but rarely follows through."
17.	Put off	To postpone or delay.	"Don't put off studying until the night before the exam."
18.	Get ahead	To progress or succeed.	"You need to work hard to get ahead in this company."
19.	Turn down	To refuse an offer or request.	"They turned down our proposal for a new partnership."
20.	Take on	To accept a job, task, or responsibility.	"I can't take on any more work this month."
21.	Set up	To arrange, establish, or organize.	"We need to set up a meeting with the client."
22.	Come up with	To produce an idea or solution.	"She came up with a clever solution to the inventory problem."
23.	Run into	To unexpectedly meet or experience a problem.	"I ran into an old friend at the airport."
24.	Work out	To resolve a problem or calculate something.	"They finally worked out a compromise."
25.	Get around to	To finally do something after a delay.	"I finally got around to cleaning my office."
26.	Break down	To fail to function (machine) or lose emotional control.	"The car broke down on the way to the airport."
27.	Carry out	To perform a task or execute an instruction.	"The team carried out the necessary safety checks."
28.	Catch up	To reach the same level or get up to date.	"I have to stay late to catch up on emails."
29.	Hand in	To submit a piece of work.	"All assignments must be handed in by Friday."
30.	Check out	To investigate or look at something interesting.	"You should check out the new software update."

Theme 3: Relationships & Emotion (10 Phrasal Verbs)

Used to describe social interactions, tolerance, and respect.

#	Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Use
31.	Look up to	To admire and respect someone.	"I always looked up to my grandmother for her strength."
32.	Put up with	To tolerate or endure something unpleasant.	"I can’t put up with that noise any longer."
33.	Get along/on with	To have a friendly relationship with someone.	"Do you get along with your new co-workers?"
34.	Fall out	To argue and stop being friendly with someone.	"They fell out over a small misunderstanding."
35.	Make up	To reconcile or forgive after a disagreement.	"I hope they make up before the party."
36.	Cheer up	To become happier or make someone happier.	"I bought her flowers to cheer her up."
37.	Open up	To talk more about feelings and personal things.	"It took him a long time to open up about his feelings."
38.	Count on	To rely or depend on someone.	"We can always count on Sarah to be prepared."
39.	Let down	To disappoint someone.	"I felt let down by the company’s decision."
40.	Stand by	To support someone even in difficult times.	"His friends stood by him throughout the crisis."

Bonus: Separable vs. Inseparable (10 Examples)

A crucial rule: Separable verbs (S) can have the object placed between the verb and particle. Inseparable verbs (I) cannot.

#	Phrasal Verb	Separability	Example (Correct)
41.	Turn off	(S)	Turn off the light / Turn the light off
42.	Look after	(I)	Look after your sister (NOT Look your sister after)
43.	Pick up	(S)	Pick up the book / Pick the book up
44.	Run into	(I)	Run into the building (NOT Run the building into)
45.	Give up	(S)	Give up smoking / Give smoking up
46.	Go through	(I)	Go through the papers (NOT Go the papers through)
47.	Put on	(S)	Put on your jacket / Put your jacket on
48.	Call off	(S)	Call off the party / Call the party off
49.	Break up	(I)	Break up with her (NOT Break with her up)
50.	Try out	(S)	Try out the car / Try the car out