Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs with prepositions or adverbs that create new meanings different from the original verb. The table below lists common phrasal verbs along with their meanings and example sentences to help you understand their usage.
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| pass around / pass round | Distribute among people in a group | Please pass around the signup sheet. |
| pass away | Die (euphemism) | Her grandfather passed away peacefully. |
| pass by | Go past; ignore/not take advantage of | We watched the parade pass by. |
| pass down | Hand to a younger generation | This recipe was passed down from my grandmother. |
| pass for | Be accepted as; be mistaken for | He could pass for a local with that accent. |
| pass off | Happen/occur; pretend something is genuine | The party passed off without a hitch. / He tried to pass off a fake as real. |
| pass on | Give/relay; decline; die (euphemism) | I’ll pass on your message. / I’ll pass on dessert. |
| pass out | Faint; distribute (esp. leaflets, tests) | He got dizzy and passed out. / They passed out flyers. |
| pass over | Ignore; skip for promotion/consideration | She was passed over for the role. |
| pass up | Decline an offer/opportunity | Don’t pass up a chance to learn. |
| pay back | Repay money; take revenge (informal) | I’ll pay you back tomorrow. |
| pay for | Give money to buy; suffer consequences of | We paid for the tickets online. / He’ll pay for that mistake. |
| pay in | Deposit money (esp. into a bank) | I need to pay in this cheque. |
| pay into | Put money into an account/fund | We pay into a pension each month. |
| pay off | Finish paying; bring benefit; bribe (infml.) | We finally paid off the loan. / Hard work paid off. |
| pay out | Disburse money (esp. large sums) | The insurer paid out after the claim. |
| pay up | Pay in full (often after delay) | The tenant was told to pay up by Friday. |
| pick at | Eat little bits; find fault with | He just picked at his salad. |
| pick off | Remove one by one; shoot/target individually | The sniper picked off the guards. |
| pick on | Bully; single out for blame | Don’t pick on your little brother. |
| pick out | Choose; recognize/identify | She picked out a blue dress. |
| pick over | Examine carefully to choose the best | They picked over the strawberries for the ripest ones. |
| pick up | Lift/collect; learn; improve; resume | I’ll pick you up at 7. / She picked up some Spanish in Peru. |
| pitch in | Contribute/help with effort or money | Everyone pitched in to clean up. |
| pitch into | Attack verbally/physically; start doing with energy | The coach pitched into the team after the loss. |
| pitch up | Arrive (informal, BrE) | They pitched up late to the meeting. |
| plan on | Intend/expect to do | We’re planning on leaving early. |
| plan out | Arrange in detail | Let’s plan out the itinerary. |
| play along | Cooperate/pretend agreement | She played along with the joke. |
| play around | Waste time; experiment casually; be unfaithful (infml.) | Stop playing around and focus. |
| play at | Pretend to do; do half-heartedly | What do you think you’re playing at? |
| play back | Reproduce recorded audio/video | Can you play back that clip? |
| play down | Minimize the importance of | Officials played down the risks. |
| play off | Compete in an extra match; set people against each other | They’ll play off for third place. |
| play on | Exploit (emotions, fears); continue playing | The ad plays on our insecurities. |
| play up | Exaggerate; misbehave (BrE); cause trouble (machine) | He played up his experience. / The printer is playing up again. |
| play up to | Flatter/curry favor with | She plays up to the boss far too much. |
| play with | Toy or experiment with; consider casually | We’re playing with the idea of moving. |
| point out | Indicate; draw attention to | Thanks for pointing out the typo. |
| point to | Indicate evidence or cause; suggest | The data points to a slowdown. |
| point up | Emphasize; highlight | The incident points up the need for safety. |
| polish off | Finish completely (food/task) quickly | They polished off the cake in minutes. |
| polish up | Improve/refresh (a skill, thing) | I’m polishing up my French before the trip. |
