Here are 26 phrasal verbs that are commonly used in spoken American English:
1. Act up: to behave badly, misbehave, to not function properly (engine).
Examples: One of my students was acting up today. I need to talk to her parents.
My car’s engine is acting up. I need to go to a mechanic.
2. Break down:
to stop functioning or working.
Example: I think my car will break down soon; the engine is acting up.
to analyze information to order to make it easier to understand or manage.
Example: This sentence is difficult to understand. Can you break it down please
to lose control of your emotions when in a state of distress.
Example: I broke down in tears when I heard of the passing of my aunt.
3. Call off: to cancel an event or meeting.
Example: They had to call off the wedding because of Covid-19.
4. Catch up: to get to the same point as another person or the level or point you are supposed to be (in work, school, etc.).
Ex. I had a great 2 week vacation, but it’s going to take me forever to catch up at work.
Can you guys slow down? I can’t catch up with you guys if you keep running that fast!
5. Drop off: to leave someone or something at a specific location.
Examples: Can you drop me off at the corner, please?
They dropped off the package at my neighbor’s door.
6. End up: to reach or come to a place, condition, or situation that was not planned or expected.
Examples:
- He didn’t want to end up like his father.
- She ended up a rich woman.
- He kept getting into trouble until he ended up in jail.
7. Fit in: to try to be accepted by a group of people or seen as “one of them.”
Example: After they moved to California, Paula had trouble fitting in with the new students in the new school.
8. Get by: to manage to do something with great difficulty.
Example: He had just enough money to get by when he started his business.
9. Go over (something) – review something (a document, file, etc.)
Example: Can you over the files that I sent you? I want to make sure everything is correct and there are no mistakes before I finalize the contract.
10. Get along: To have a friendly relationship with someone.
Example: I get along pretty well with my neighbor.
She doesn’t get along with her mother-in-law.
11. Hold on:
to hold something tightly and carefully so that you don't drop it or do not fall.
Example: hold on tight: Hold on tight everyone, the boat’s getting ready to go.
to endure or keep going in difficult circumstances.
Example: We have to hold on and keep moving forward.
12. Identify with (something/someone)
to think of (something) as being the same as (something else).
Example: It is a mistake to identify being healthy with being thin.
to think of (someone) as being very closely associated with (something).
Example: She has always been identified with the civil rights movement.
to feel that you are similar to someone and can understand them or their situation.
Example: Readers can identify with the hero of the novel.
13. Jack up: to increase the price or the cost of something by a large amount.
Example: The jacked up the price of toilet paper and hand sanitizers.
14. Keep up: to move or progress at the same rate as someone or something else.
Example: Technology is advancing very fast; I can’t keep up with it.
15. Lay off: to discharge a worker temporarily or permanently because of a shortage of work.
Examples:
- Two major airlines had to lay off over 35,000 employees last month due to Covid-19.
- I got laid off from my job due to the pandemic.
16. Move out: to leave your or someone’s place of residence and go somewhere else.
Examples:
- Many American teenagers move out of their parents’ house after eighteen.
- Her roommates were toxic; therefore, she had to move out.
17. Name after: If you name somebody after someone/something else, you give them the same name. Example: When Bill and Jenny named their son after the revolutionary fighter Che Guevara, their parents thought they were crazy. But now they like the name "Che".
18. Open up: If you open up to somebody, you share your feelings with them. If the president opens up the border, it becomes easier for other people to travel to the country.
Example: They need to open up the economy; millions of people are losing their jobs!
19. Put off: to postpone something until a later time.
Example: They’re thinking about putting off the wedding.
19. Rip off: to cheat someone, especially by charging them too much money for something.
Example: Sometimes tourists worry about getting ripped off while traveling to a new country.
Show up: to arrive or turn up for an appointment, event or gathering.
Example: Oh wow! You guys showed up early! That never happens.
20. Turn down: to reject something offered or proposed (a contract, a deal, job offer, etc.).
Examples:
- After carefully thinking about it, he decided to turn down the offer for the head of sales position.
- Before he became a best-selling author, he got turned down by many publishers.
21. Take off: to remove clothing, or to leave for a journey (e.g. planes take off when they begin their flights).
Example: She was very happy when she finally got home and took off her shoes. They had been hurting her feet all day!
22. Use up: If you use up something, you use all of it and have none left over.
Example: You used up all the milk last night. We have no milk left for breakfast.
25. Work out:
to have a good or specified result (to be successful).
Example: I really hope your business plan will work out!
to plan or devise something in detail.
Example: They had to work out a plan for the soccer tournament indoors on rainy days.
26. Zone out: to lose concentration or consciousness, usually for a brief moment.
Example: I just zoned out for a second; sorry! Who called you on the phone today?
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