Phrasal Verbs List (sentence examples: call back – cut up)

Phrasal verbs combine a verb with a small word (up, out, off) to create new meanings. Below you’ll find each one with a clear definition, a natural example sentence, and notes on separability. Browse, compare, and try them out in your own sentences.

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Example Sentence
call back	Return a phone call	I’ve left three messages and she still hasn’t called back.
call for	Demand; publicly ask for	Students are calling for more library books.
call in	Phone a place to report or update	The manager called in to say he was on the way.
call in	Request help or services	They tried to fix it before calling in the police.
call off	Cancel or postpone	They called off the engagement by mutual consent.
call on	Pay a brief visit	I kept calling on her, but she was never in.
call up	Select or summon (e.g., for a team)	It was his first time being called up to the squad.
carry on	Continue	Even when it rained, we carried on playing.
carry out	Perform; execute	She was furious that her instructions weren’t carried out.
carry over	Spill into another time or area	Don’t let work stress carry over into home life.
catch on	Become popular	His cheeky new song caught on instantly.
catch up	Reach the same level	After being ill, I need to catch up on my studies.
catch up with	Finally punish or confront a wrongdoer	After years on the run, the law caught up with him.
clean out	Clear a place of dirt/junk	We have to clean out the attic before moving.
clean up	Remove mess; make tidy	Volunteers met to clean up the beach.
clear away	Put things back/aside to tidy	The kids cleared away their toys before Mum got home.
clear off	Leave quickly	They cleared off when the boss walked in.
clear out	Declutter by throwing away	It’s time to clear out your bedroom—it’s crammed with old mags.
clear up	Improve (esp. weather)	The skies cleared up, so we drove along the coast.
close down	Shut a business permanently	Falling demand forced the factory to close down.
close in	Move to surround and trap	Police are closing in on the gang’s hideout.
close off	Block access	Two lanes were closed off for roadworks.
close out	Sell off cheaply to dispose of	The store’s closing out last season’s shoes.
close up	Temporarily stop operating	The supermarket is closed up for renovation.
come about	Happen; occur	How did it come about that we missed each other?
come across	Find or meet by chance	I came across a bronze brontosaurus in an antique shop.
come along	Accompany; go with	I asked her to the cinema, but she wouldn’t come along.
come apart	Separate into pieces	My glasses came apart when I bumped into someone.
come around	Change one’s mind	He came around once he saw the evidence.
come around	Drop by for a visit	I thought you’d come around for drinks—but you didn’t!
come at	Rush toward aggressively	In my dream he came at me with a dagger.
come back	Recover success after a setback	From five–nil down, he came back to level it.
come before	Take priority over	She says her kids come before her career.
come between	Cause conflict or separation	He won’t let anything come between him and his work.
come by	Obtain with difficulty	Good jobs are hard to come by these days.
come down	Travel south	They’re coming down from Iceland this weekend.
come down on	Punish severely	Her parents came down hard on her for skipping school.
come down to	Be the key deciding factor	It all comes down to what she believes politically.
come down with	Fall ill with (minor)	He’s come down with a cold, so we’ll postpone.
come for	Arrive to seize or collect	You’d better hide—they’re coming for you.
come forward	Volunteer information	Despite the reward, no one has come forward yet.
come from	Originate; have roots in	He comes from a long line of actors.
come in	Be useful; prove handy	These tiny tools come in handy all the time.
come of	Result from	His cough comes of years of heavy smoking.
come off	Happen successfully	Despite our efforts, the social didn’t come off well.
come out	Become known/public	The truth will come out sooner or later.
come out of	Result from; emerge as an outcome	They searched everywhere, but nothing came out of it.
come out with	Say unexpectedly	He came out with a wild interpretation.
come over	Visit casually	Come over next week and we’ll finish it together.
come to	Regain consciousness	She came to about an hour after admission.
come through	Become evident; show	Her anger came through in her expression.
come under	Be subjected to; face	The plan came under heavy criticism.
come up	Approach; move toward	A stranger came up and asked for directions.
come up against	Encounter (difficulties/opponents)	In parliament, he came up against seasoned critics.
come up for	Be scheduled for consideration	The proposal comes up for review next week.
come up with	Devise a plan/idea	They hope to come up with a solution soon.
come upon	Discover by chance	We came upon a hidden chamber in the mine.
come upon	Find what you were seeking	Police finally came upon the suspected scene.
count down	Call numbers down to zero	We love counting down before the rocket launch.
count in	Include someone	If you’re going for drinks, count me in.
count on	Rely on	You can count on me whenever you need help.
count out	Exclude someone	If it’s a shopping spree this weekend, count me out.
cross off	Strike from a list	As you finish tasks, cross them off.
cross out	Draw a line through a mistake	If you slip up, just cross it out.
cut across	Take a shorter route	Let’s cut across the park before it rains.
cut away	Remove unwanted parts	We spent the afternoon cutting away dead branches.
cut back	Reduce (spending/staff/etc.)	Firms are cutting back on staff to stay profitable.
cut down	Reduce the amount	You should cut down on cigarettes.
cut in	Interrupt a speaker	His worst habit is cutting in during conversations.
cut in	Pull abruptly in front while driving	The driver suddenly cut in right ahead of us.
cut off	Interrupt; stop someone continuing	He tried to explain, but they cut him off.
cut out	Stop doing something (imperative)	Cut it out, guys—I’m trying to read.
cut up	Cut into pieces	She cut up the cardboard for recycling.