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 |
|---|---|---|
| save on | Spend less; reduce the amount used | We can save on electricity by turning off lights. |
| save up | Accumulate money/resources for a purpose | She’s saving up for a new laptop. |
| scare away | Frighten so that someone/something leaves | The loud noise scared away the birds. |
| scare into | Frighten someone so they do something | He was scared into confessing the prank. |
| scare off | Deter or drive away by frightening | High fees can scare off potential customers. |
| scare up | (AmE) Manage to find/obtain with effort | We can probably scare up a spare chair or two. |
| scrape along | Manage to live with great difficulty | They scraped along on a single income. |
| scrape by | Survive/manage with just enough | As a student I scraped by on part-time wages. |
| scrape in | Succeed by a narrow margin | She scraped in with 51% of the vote. |
| scrape through | Succeed/finish with difficulty | He scraped through the exam on his second try. |
| scrape up | Collect or gather with difficulty | We scraped up enough money for the deposit. |
| see about | Arrange; deal with | I’ll see about booking the tickets today. |
| see after | Look after; take care of | Could you see after the kids this afternoon? |
| see in | Admit or welcome; celebrate the arrival of (time/event) | The receptionist will see you in now. / We saw in the New Year together. |
| see of | (Fixed pattern) “see much/little/nothing of”: meet/experience occasionally | I don’t see much of my old classmates these days. |
| see off | Accompany to say goodbye; repel/defeat (BrE) | We went to the station to see her off. |
| see out | Accompany to the door; continue until the end | I’ll see you out. / We’ll see out the season despite injuries. |
| see through | Perceive the true nature of; continue to completion | She saw through the excuse. / We’ll see the project through. |
| see to | Deal with; make sure something is done | I’ll see to the catering arrangements. |
| sell off | Sell quickly/cheaply (often to liquidate stock) | The store is selling off last season’s shoes. |
| sell out | Sell all stock; betray principles | The concert sold out in an hour. / He refused to sell out his values. |
| sell up | Sell one’s possessions/property, often to move | They sold up and emigrated. |
| send away | Make someone leave; order by post | The shopkeeper sent the troublemakers away. |
| send back | Return to the sender | The shoes didn’t fit, so I sent them back. |
| send down | (BrE) Expel from university; send to a lower level/place | He was sent down for cheating. |
| send for | Summon; request someone/something to come | The manager sent for maintenance. |
| send in | Submit; cause to go inside | Please send in your applications by Friday. |
| send off | Dispatch; in sports, dismiss from the field | They sent off the parcel today. / The referee sent him off. |
| send on | Forward to a new address/place | Please send on any mail that arrives. |
| serve out | Distribute to everyone; complete the remainder (term/sentence) | The coach served out the jerseys. / She served out her contract. |
