Phrasal Verbs List for Various Competitive Exams
Last Updated On: 30/04/2018
Phrasal Verbs: The phrasal verbs have an important role in the grammar section of the various competitive examinations like KPSC and UPSC. Here I’m sharing you the complete list of phrasal verbs that can be asked for competitive exams.
What are Phrasal Verbs?
Phrasal Verbs are usually two-word phrases consisting of verb + adverb or verb + preposition. Think of them as you would any other English vocabulary. Study them as you come across them, rather than trying to memorize many at once.
I recommend you not to memorize the phrasal verbs more than ten at a time. To study phrasal verbs go through the examples given below.
Phrasal Verbs List in Alphabetical Order
Here I’m listing the complete list of Phrasal Verbs in Alphabetical order with examples.
Note: For easy of listing we have used the following short-words:
sby=somebody; sthg=something
| Verb | Meaning | Example |
| ask sby out | invite on a date | Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie. |
| ask around | ask many people the same question | I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet. |
| add up to sthg | equal | Your purchases add up to $205.32. |
| back sthg up | reverse | You’ll have to back up your car so that I can get out. |
| back sby up | support | My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job. |
| blow up | explode | The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence. |
| blow sthg up | add air | We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party. |
| break down | stop functioning (vehicle, machine) | Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm. |
| break down | get upset | The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died. |
| break sthg down | divide into smaller parts | Our teacher broke the final project down into three separate parts. |
| break in | force entry to a building | Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo. |
| break into sthg | enter forcibly | The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children. |
| break sthg in | wear sthg a few times so that it doesn’t look/feel new | I need to break these shoes in before we run next week. |
| break in | Interrupt | The TV station broke in to report the news of the president’s death. |
| break up | end a relationship | My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America. |
| break up | start laughing (informal) | The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking. |
| break out | Escape | The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren’t looking. |
| break out in sthg | develop a skin condition | I broke out in a rash after our camping trip. |
| bring sby down | make unhappy | This sad music is bringing me down. |
| bring sby up | raise a child | My grandparents brought me up after my parents died. |
| bring sthg up | start talking about a subject | My mother walks out of the room when my father brings up sports. |
| bring sthg up | Vomit | He drank so much that he brought his dinner up in the toilet. |
| call around | phone many different places/people | We called around but we weren’t able to find the car part we needed. |
| call sby back | return a phone call | I called the company back but the offices were closed for the weekend. |
| call sthg off | Cancel | Jason called the wedding off because he wasn’t in love with his fiancé. |
| call on sby | ask for an answer or opinion | The professor called on me for question 1. |
| call on sby | visit sby | We called on you last night but you weren’t home. |
| call sby up | Phone | Give me your phone number and I will call you up when we are in town. |
| calm down | relax after being angry | You are still mad. You need to calm down before you drive the car. |
| not care for sby/ sthg | not like (formal) | I don’t care for his behaviour. |
| catch up | get to the same point as sby else | You’ll have to run faster than that if you want to catch up with Marty. |
| check in | arrive and register at a hotel or airport | We will get the hotel keys when we check in. |
| check out | leave a hotel | You have to check out of the hotel before 11:00 AM. |
| check sby/ sthg out | look at carefully, investigate | The company checks out all new employees. |
| check out sby/ sthg | look at (informal) | Check out the crazy hair on that guy! |
| cheer up | become happier | She cheered up when she heard the good news. |
| cheer sby up | make happier | I brought you some flowers to cheer you up. |
| chip in | Help | If everyone chips in we can get the kitchen painted by noon. |
| clean sthg up | tidy, clean | Please clean up your bedroom before you go outside. |
| come across sthg | find unexpectedly | I came across these old photos when I was tidying the closet. |
| come apart | Separate | The top and bottom come apart if you pull hard enough. |
| come down with sthg | become sick | My nephew came down with chicken pox this weekend. |
| come forward | volunteer for a task or to give evidence | The woman came forward with her husband’s finger prints. |
| come from some place | originate in | The art of origami comes from Asia. |
| count on sby/ sthg | rely on | I am counting on you to make dinner while I am out. |
| cross sthg out | draw a line through | Please cross out your old address and write your new one. |
| cut back on sthg | consume less | My doctor wants me to cut back on sweets and fatty foods. |
| cut sthg down | make sthg fall to the ground | We had to cut the old tree in our yard down after the storm. |
| cut in | Interrupt | Your father cut in while I was dancing with your uncle. |
| cut in | pull in too closely in front of another vehicle | The bus driver got angry when that car cut in. |
| cut in | start operating (of an engine or electrical device) | The air conditioner cuts in when the temperature gets to 22°C. |
| cut sthg off | remove with sthg sharp | The doctors cut off his leg because it was severely injured. |
| cut sthg off | stop providing | The phone company cut off our phone because we didn’t pay the bill. |
| cut sby off | take out of a will | My grandparents cut my father off when he remarried. |
| cut sthg out | remove part of sthg (usually with scissors and paper) | I cut this ad out of the newspaper. |
| do sby/ sthg over | beat up, ransack (BrE, informal) | He’s lucky to be alive. His shop was done over by a street gang. |
| do sthg over | do again (AmE) | My teacher wants me to do my essay over because she doesn’t like my topic. |
| do away with sthg | Discard | It’s time to do away with all of these old tax records. |
| do sthg up | fasten, close | Do your coat up before you go outside. It’s snowing! |
| dress up | wear nice clothing | It’s a fancy restaurant so we have to dress up. |
| drop back | move back in a position/group | Andrea dropped back to third place when she fell off her bike. |
| drop in/ by/ over | come without an appointment | I might drop in/by/over for tea sometime this week. |
| drop sby/ sthg off | take sby/ sthg somewhere and leave them/it there | I have to drop my sister off at work before I come over. |
| drop out | quit a class, school etc | I dropped out of Science because it was too difficult. |
| eat out | eat at a restaurant | I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Let’s eat out. |
| end up | eventually reach/do/decide | We ended up renting a movie instead of going to the theatre. |
| fall apart | break into pieces | My new dress fell apart in the washing machine. |
| fall down | fall to the ground | The picture that you hung up last night fell down this morning. |
| fall out | separate from an interior | The money must have fallen out of my pocket. |
| fall out | (of hair, teeth) become loose and unattached | His hair started to fall out when he was only 35. |
| figure sthg out | understand, find the answer | I need to figure out how to fit the piano and the bookshelf in this room. |
| fill sthg in | to write information in blanks, as on a form (BrE) | Please fill in the form with your name, address, and phone number. |
| fill sthg out | to write information in blanks, as on a form (AmE) | The form must be filled out in capital letters. |
| fill sthg up | fill to the top | I always fill the water jug up when it is empty.
|
| find out | Discover | We don’t know where he lives. How can we find out? |
| find sthg out | Discover | We tried to keep the time of the party a secret, but Samantha found it out. |
| get sthg across/ over | communicate, make understandable | I tried to get my point across/over to the judge but she wouldn’t listen. |
| get along/on | like each other | I was surprised how well my new girlfriend and my sister got along/on. |
| get around | have mobility | My grandfather can get around fine in his new wheelchair. |
| get away | go on a vacation
| We worked so hard this year that we had to get away for a week. |
| get away with sthg | do without being noticed or punished | Jason always gets away with cheating in his maths tests. |
| get back | return
| We got back from our vacation last week.
|
| get sthg back | receive sthg you had before | Liz finally got her Science notes back from my room-mate.
|
| get back at sby | retaliate, take revenge | My sister got back at me for stealing her shoes. She stole my favorite hat.
|
| get back into sthg | become interested in sthg again | I finally got back into my novel and finished it. |
| get on sthg | step onto a vehicle | We’re going to freeze out here if you don’t let us get on the bus. |
| get over sthg | recover from an illness, loss, difficulty | I just got over the flu and now my sister has it. |
| get over sthg | overcome a problem | The company will have to close if it can’t get over the new regulations.
|
| get round to sthg | finally find time to do (AmE: get around to sthg) | I don’t know when I am going to get round to writing the thank you cards. |
| get together
| meet (usually for social reasons) | Let’s get together for a BBQ this weekend. |
| get up | get out of bed | I got up early today to study for my exam. |
| get up | Stand | You should get up and give the elderly man your seat. |
| give sby away | reveal hidden information about sby | His wife gave him away to the police. |
| give sby away | take the bride to the altar | My father gave me away at my wedding.
|
| give sthg away | ruin a secret | My little sister gave the surprise party away by accident. |
| give sthg away | give sthg to sby for free | The library was giving away old books on Friday.
|
| give sthg back | return a borrowed item
| I have to give these skates back to Franz before his hockey game. |
| give in | reluctantly stop fighting or arguing | My boyfriend didn’t want to go to the ballet, but he finally gave in. |
| give sthg out | give to many people (usually at no cost) | They were giving out free perfume samples at the department store. |
| give sthg up | quit a habit | I am giving up smoking as of January 1st. |
| give up | stop trying | My maths homework was too difficult so I gave up. |
| go after sby | follow sby | My brother tried to go after the thief in his car. |
| go after sthg | try to achieve sthg | I went after my dream and now I am a published writer. |
| go against sby | compete, oppose | We are going against the best soccer team in the city tonight. |
| go ahead | start, proceed | Please go ahead and eat before the food gets cold. |
| go back | return to a place | I have to go back home and get my lunch. |
| go out | leave home to go on a social event | We’re going out for dinner tonight. |
| go out with sby | Date | Jesse has been going out with Luke since they met last winter. |
| go over sthg | Review | Please go over your answers before you submit your test. |
| go over | visit sby nearby | I haven’t seen Tina for a long time. I think I’ll go over for an hour or two. |
| go without sthg | suffer lack or deprivation | When I was young, we went without winter boots. |
The above list of phrasal verbs is not complete. We will add more soon.
I hope this list of Phrasal Verbs will be helpful for you.
