Phrasal verbs are verbs joined with little words like “up”, “out”, or “on” that change or extend the verb’s meaning. They are extremely common in everyday English, especially in conversation, emails, TV shows, and social media. Learning them will help you sound more natural and understand native speakers more easily. On this page, you’ll find useful phrasal verbs organized in a clear list, each with simple, practical example sentences. Read through them, notice how they are used in context, and try making your own sentences so these expressions become part of your active vocabulary.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| accede to | To agree to a request, demand, or proposal. | After weeks of negotiation, the board finally acceded to the workers’ demands. |
| account for | To explain the reason or cause for something. | How do you account for the sudden drop in sales this month? |
| agree to | To give permission or consent to something. | She agreed to join the committee after thinking it over. |
| agree with | To have the same opinion as someone. | I don’t agree with him on everything, but he’s right about this issue. |
| amount to | To be equal to or have the same effect as something. | Ignoring the safety rules amounts to putting everyone at risk. |
| answer back | To reply rudely to someone in authority. | The student was punished for answering the teacher back in class. |
| answer for | To accept responsibility or blame for something. | You’ll have to answer for your behaviour when the manager returns. |
| attribute to | To say that something is the result or work of someone or something. | Doctors attribute her quick recovery to her positive attitude and rest. |
| back away | To move backwards from fear, doubt, or reluctance. | He backed away from the dog when it started barking loudly. |
| back down | To admit defeat and stop insisting on something. | She refused to back down even when everyone disagreed with her. |
| back off | To stop being so involved or to reduce pressure. | The coach told the parents to back off and let the kids enjoy the game. |
| back out | To withdraw from an agreement or promise. | They backed out of the deal at the last moment. |
| back up | To support or confirm what someone says. | Several colleagues backed up her version of events. |
| blow away | To kill someone with a gun (informal). | The gangster threatened to blow him away if he talked to the police. |
| blow out | (Of a tyre, etc.) to burst suddenly. | One of the truck’s tyres blew out on the highway. |
| blow over | To pass and no longer be serious or dangerous. | Don’t worry too much; this argument will soon blow over. |
| blow up | To explode or destroy something with an explosion. | The gas leak caused the whole building to blow up. |
| boil away | To continue boiling until all the liquid disappears. | If you leave the soup unattended, the water will boil away. |
| boil down to | To be reduced to the most basic or important point. | In the end, the problem boils down to a lack of communication. |
| boil over | (Of emotions) to become too strong to control. | His anger boiled over and he started shouting at everyone. |
| break away | To separate from a group and move ahead or aside. | One of the cyclists broke away from the main group early in the race. |
| break down | (Of a relationship, system, etc.) to fail or collapse. | Talks broke down after neither side would compromise. |
| break in | To enter a building illegally, especially to steal. | Someone tried to break in last night, but the alarm scared them off. |
| break into | To force entry into a building or vehicle, often to steal. | Thieves broke into the apartment while the family was on holiday. |
| break off | To stop or give up a habit. | He finally managed to break off the habit of smoking. |
| break off | To end a relationship or agreement suddenly. | She broke off their engagement without giving a clear reason. |
| break out | To escape from a place like a prison. | Two prisoners broke out of jail during a storm. |
| break through | To force one’s way past an obstacle or barrier. | The protestors tried to break through the metal barricades. |
| break up | To separate or scatter a group of people. | The police arrived quickly and broke up the fighting crowd. |
| break up | To come to an end (a meeting, party, etc.). | The meeting broke up after everyone had given their reports. |
| bring about | To cause something to occur. | New technology has brought about major changes in education. |
| bring around/round | To make someone become conscious again. | The nurses did their best to bring her round after the fainting spell. |
| bring back | To reintroduce or use something again. | Some people want to bring back strict school uniforms. |
| bring down | To cause something, especially a government or structure, to fall. | The scandal eventually brought down the entire administration. |
| bring forth | To cause something to be produced or expressed. | The difficult circumstances brought forth great courage in the villagers. |
| bring forward | To move something to an earlier date or time. | The exam has been brought forward to Monday. |
| bring in | To call or involve someone for help or a special purpose. | They decided to bring in an expert to review the design. |
| bring on/upon | To cause something unpleasant to happen to someone. | His careless behaviour brought trouble upon the whole team. |
| bring out | To make a quality or feature more noticeable. | Her new haircut really brings out her eyes. |
| bring together | To cause people to meet or unite. | The charity event brought together people from all walks of life. |
| bring up | To raise a child and look after their development. | They were brought up by their grandparents in the countryside. |
| brush aside | To reject something as unimportant. | The manager brushed aside their concerns and continued with the plan. |
| brush off | To ignore or dismiss something or someone. | She brushed off the criticism and carried on with her work. |
| brush up | To improve a skill by practicing it again. | I need to brush up my French before the trip to Paris. |
| burn away | To be removed or destroyed by fire. | The old wallpaper had burned away, revealing the bricks underneath. |
| burn down | To be completely destroyed by fire. | The old theatre burned down in a matter of hours. |
| burn out | To stop burning because there is no fuel left. | We let the campfire burn out before going to sleep. |
| burn up | To be completely consumed by fire. | The documents burned up before anyone could save them. |
| buy into | To fully accept or believe an idea or explanation. | Not everyone in the office buys into the new company vision. |
| buy off | To pay someone to act dishonestly in your favour. | They tried to buy off the witness, but he refused the money. |
| buy out | To purchase someone’s share so you control the business. | She bought out her partner and now owns the company alone. |
| buy up | To buy as much as possible of something. | Investors began buying up land in the area before prices rose. |
