Basic Phrasal Verbs: English Vocabulary List

to take the necessary action regarding someone or something specific

"I will deal with it."

"The manager needs to deal with the customer complaint promptly and professionally to maintain satisfaction."

to enter a place, building, or location

"They go in through the front door."

"Please go in through the main entrance and take the elevator to the third floor where the conference room is located."

to leave a bus, train, airplane, etc.

"They will get off here."

"You should get off the train at the next station and then walk two blocks east to reach the museum entrance."

to change from being a child into an adult little by little

"Children grow up in a small town."

"When I grow up I want to become a doctor so I can help sick people get better and live healthier lives."

to act more quickly because there is not much time

"They hurry up to avoid being late."

"You need to hurry up or we will miss the beginning of the movie and I really want to see the opening scene."

to get rid of something that is no longer needed

"People throw out the old trash."

"The health inspector ordered the restaurant to throw out all expired food products that were found in the old refrigerator."

to return to a place, state, or condition

"He gets back home before dark."

"I need to get back to work now because my lunch break is almost over and my boss is expecting me."

to let something or someone enter a place

"She lets in some fresh air."

"The security guard refused to let in anyone without a valid identification card even if they claimed to be employees."

to put on a piece of clothing to see if it fits and how it looks

"Try on this jacket before buying."

"You should try on the jacket before buying it to make sure it fits you properly."

to make something start working usually by flipping a switch

"He switches on the television please."

"Please switch on the lights when you enter the dark room so you do not trip over anything and hurt yourself accidentally."

to make something stop working usually by flipping a switch

"She switches off the lights now."

"Do not forget to switch off the computer before you leave the office to save energy and protect the equipment from power surges."

to leave the house and attend a specific social event to enjoy your time

"They will go out tonight."

"Do you want to go out for dinner tonight or would you prefer to stay home and order pizza instead?"

to physically enter a vehicle, such as a car or taxi

"Let's get in the car."

"She struggled to get in the crowded subway train because there were too many commuters trying to board at the same time."

to leave somewhere such as a room, building, etc.

"They get out of the building safely."

"The firefighters helped the terrified family get out of the burning building through a window on the second floor."

to turn a switch on a device so that it makes more sound, heat, etc.

"She turns up the radio volume."

"The music was too quiet so I asked the DJ to turn up the volume so everyone could hear the song clearly."

to turn a switch on a device so that it makes less sound, heat, etc.

"Turn down the music."

"Could you please turn down the volume on the television; it's quite loud for this hour?"

to go to a higher place

"We will go up now."

"Prices of basic food items continue to go up every month making it harder for low income families to afford healthy meals."

to move from a higher location to a lower one

"The elevator will go down."

"After reaching the summit, we began to go down the mountain carefully."

to enter a bus, ship, airplane, etc.

"We will get on soon."

"Please get on the bus quickly because the driver is waiting and we need to leave on schedule for the field trip."

to stop carrying something by putting it on the ground

"He puts down his heavy bags."

"The teacher asked the student to put down his phone and pay attention to the lesson that was being taught."

to take and lift something or someone up

"Please pick up the pen."

"She asked her son to pick up his toys from the floor before dinner."

to enter a place or space

"Please come in now."

"Please knock before you come in to the office because I might be on an important phone call with a client."

to get information about something after actively trying to do so

"She finds out the truth now."

"I called the receptionist to find out what time the meeting was scheduled to start because no one had told me."

to get on our feet and stand up

"Please get up now."

"It is very difficult for me to get up early on cold winter mornings because my bed feels so warm and comfortable."

to become less angry, upset, or worried

"He calms down and takes a breath."

"The mother tried to calm down her crying baby by rocking him gently and singing a soft lullaby in his ear."

to move with a lower speed or rate of movement

"Slow down before the intersection."

"Drivers must slow down when approaching a school zone because children may be crossing the street."

to turn your head to see the surroundings

"Let's look around here."

"Before buying the house we took some time to look around the neighborhood and talk to the friendly residents living nearby."

to change your position so as to face another direction

"She turns around and faces me."

"The driver realized he was going the wrong way so he decided to turn around at the next intersection before getting lost completely."

to try to find information in a dictionary, computer, etc.

"Students look up a word online."

"If you do not know the meaning of a word you should look it up in a reliable dictionary or online."

to cause a person or animal stop being asleep

"Wake up the baby."

"The loud noise outside was enough to wake up the sleeping dog."