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 |
|---|---|---|
| stay behind | Remain after others have left | I stayed behind to help clean up. |
| stay in | Remain at home/indoors | It’s raining, so let’s stay in tonight. |
| stay on | Remain longer than expected; continue in a role | She stayed on after the course to assist the tutor. |
| stay out | Remain away from home; remain outside | He stayed out past midnight. |
| stay out of | Avoid involvement with | Stay out of their argument, please. |
| stay up | Remain awake and not go to bed | We stayed up to watch the meteor shower. |
| step aside | Move out of someone’s way; resign to let another take over | The director stepped aside to allow new leadership. |
| step down | Resign from a position | The CEO stepped down after ten years. |
| step forward | Offer help or present oneself | Several volunteers stepped forward to assist. |
| step in | Intervene; get involved to help | HR had to step in to mediate the dispute. |
| step out | Leave a place briefly; go out socially | I’m stepping out for lunch—back in 30. |
| step up | Increase one’s effort/level; take responsibility | We need everyone to step up before the deadline. |
| stick around | Stay in a place and not leave | Stick around—there’s more after the break. |
| stick at | Persevere with something difficult (BrE) | If you stick at it, your skills will improve. |
| stick by | Continue to support someone | True friends stick by you in hard times. |
| stick out | Protrude; be conspicuous | His bright socks really stick out. |
| stick to | Adhere to; continue doing; keep to a topic | Let’s stick to the plan this time. |
| stick together | Remain united | We need to stick together as a team. |
| stick up | Stand on end; hold something upright; (AmE) rob with a weapon | The wind made my hair stick up. |
| stick up for | Defend or support | You should stick up for your colleague. |
| stick with | Continue with; remain loyal to | I’ll stick with this routine for a month. |
| stop by | Visit briefly while passing | I’ll stop by your office this afternoon. |
| stop in | Make a brief visit; (AmE) stay home for the evening | We stopped in to see our grandparents. |
| stop off | Make a short visit on a journey | Let’s stop off at the outlet mall on the way. |
| stop over | Stay somewhere overnight en route | We’ll stop over in Dubai before flying on. |
| strike back | Retaliate | The team struck back with two quick goals. |
| strike down | Invalidate legally; kill/disable (literary) | The court struck down the ban as unconstitutional. |
| strike off | Remove from an official list/roll | The doctor was struck off for misconduct. |
| strike on | (often “strike on/upon”) Discover/think of by chance | We struck on a clever solution during lunch. |
| strike out | Fail (baseball/figurative); remove text; begin independently (“strike out on one’s own”) | He struck out on his first startup but learned a lot. |
| strike up | Begin (a conversation, friendship, or piece of music) | She struck up a conversation with the passenger next to her. |
| swarm with | Be full of; teem with | The market was swarming with tourists. |
| switch off | Turn off; mentally disengage | Please switch off the projector. |
| switch on | Turn on; activate interest/engagement | She switched on the lights as she entered. |
| switch over | Change to a different system/channel/method | The company will switch over to the new platform next month. |
