Phrasal verbs

In this list

• get phrasal verbsEight meanings, from recover (get over) and board a bus (get on) to escape blame (get away with) and leave your bed (get up).
• take phrasal verbsEight meanings, from look like a parent (take after) to start a hobby (take up) and pay for a friend's meal (take out).
• put phrasal verbsEight meanings, from delay (put off) and dress (put on) to stop a fire (put out) and tidy (put away).
• look phrasal verbsEight meanings, from care for (look after) and search (look up) to wait with excitement (look forward to) and warn of danger (look out).
• turn phrasal verbsEight meanings, from arrive (turn up) and refuse (turn down) to switch off (turn off) and become (turn into).
• come phrasal verbsEight meanings, from return (come back) and think of (come up with) to be released (come out) and catch (come down with).
• go phrasal verbsEight meanings, from continue (go on) and ring (go off) to check carefully (go over) and rise (go up).
• give phrasal verbsEight meanings, from quit (give up) and return (give back) to hand around (give out) and collapse (give way).

How this list is arranged

Every phrasal verb on this list is a verb plus one or more small words, and the small word changes the meaning. Look means to use your eyes, but look after means to care for someone and look up means to search. You cannot guess these meanings from the parts, which is why each one is written out with its own example.

The list has one page for each verb. Each page shows eight meanings in a table. For every meaning you see the pattern, an example sentence and whether the object can go in the middle.

A noun can often go on either side of the small word. A pronoun such as it or them must go in the middle for those verbs. The page then ends with a five-question check made from that verb's own meanings.

Use the small words above the list to see only the verbs that use one of them, such as up or off. Choose the button for verbs whose object can go in the middle if you want to practise that rule. The buttons only hide and show rows, and every verb is still on the page if you have turned scripts off.

The verbs are listed in the order they follow each other on the site. Each row says in a few words what the verb covers.

Start with get if you are new to phrasal verbs, because its eight meanings show clearly how one small word can change a sentence. When you feel ready, take the ten-question quiz at the top of the page.