50 Most Common Phrasal Verbs

Vocabulary flashcards covering the 50 most common phrasal verbs, their multiple definitions, and context-specific meanings as outlined for Mr. Stoakley’s KNUE Courses.

Go on

To continue; stop saying those things; not so; I don’t believe you. (Also literal).

Carry out

To perform a task; to perform an assignment. (Also literal.)

Set up

To establish someone as something; to help establish; to provide something for someone to start up something.

Pick up

To clean; to learn/obtain; to get busy; to go faster.

Go back

To return to one’s origin/previous location; to break a promise.

Come back

To (have) return(ed) to one’s origin/previous location; to retort; a return success.

Go out

To try out for something (usually sports); to go out of fashion; to go out with someone for entertainment; to date someone. (Also literal.)

Point out

To select or indicate someone or something (from a group).

Find out

Discover; learn of; to discover facts about someone or something; to learn a fact.

Come up

To happen unexpectedly. (Also literal.)

Make up

To put makeup on oneself; to repay or redo something; to create a story or a lie from no facts at all; to compensate for.

Take over

To take charge; to assume control.

Come out

To become; to turn out; to be presented/released to the public. (Also literal.)

Come on

To hurry up; to follow; to flirt aggressively.

Come in

To receive or acquire something. (Also literal.)

Go down

To be accepted; to happen. (Also literal.)

Work out

To settle/solve a problem; to turn out/to happen. (Also literal.)

Set out

To begin a journey or course; to define/describe; to design/plan; to undertake/attempt.

Take up

To accept someone’s offer; to begin to deal with an issue; to shorten a skirt, dress or pants.

Get back

To return; to repay one for a bad deed; to continue communicating with someone at a later time.

Sit down

To encamp or besiege. (Also literal.)

Turn out

To end satisfactorily; to send someone out of somewhere; to manufacture/produce something; to be present/attend; to turn off/extinguish.

Take on

To undertake/assume; to employ; to acquire; to show great emotion.

Give up

To quit; to surrender; to abandon hope.

Get up

To arise; to ascend; to dress (as in costume).

Look up

To search for information; to become more prosperous. (Also literal.)

Carry on

To continue with something; to make a great fuss over sby or sth; to cry and become out of control about sby or sth.

Go up

To increase; happening; to be in the process of construction. (Also literal).

Get out

To get free/away; to produce or complete.

Take out

To take someone on a date; something made to be taken away (as in food)/a restaurant that performs this service. (Also literal.)

Come down

To drop; to descend to someone through inheritance; to attack/scold vigorously. (Also literal.)

Put down

To write down, record; to attribute; to mercifully kill an animal.

Put up

To provide lodging for someone; to display or show; to offer something; to build/erect something.

Turn up

To appear; to search for and find something; to intensify or increase; to happen/occur.

Get on

To make progress; to agree or be friendly; to advance in age. (Also literal.)

Bring up

To mention a person or thing; to raise a child; to vomit; to (cause to) stop quickly.

Bring in

To yield as profit or income; to present (for consideration) formally; to submit. (Also literal.)

Look back

To review past events; to return in thought. (Also literal.)

Look down

To regard with disdain or scorn; have contempt for. (Also literal.)

Bring back

To return; to return to consciousness.

Break down

To fall apart; to have a physical or mental collapse; to itemize; to decompose.

Take off

To leave the ground and begin to fly; to become popular and successful; to begin to chase something; to take a break from something; to withdraw or remove from; to deduct.

Go off

To explode; to leave; to happen (as planned).

Bring about

To make something happen.

Go in

To take part in something; to make an approach, as before an attack. (Also literal.)

Set off

To cause to be ignited/exploded; to anger someone; to begin.

Put out

Irritated, bothered; to extinguish; to publish; to exert/apply.

Look out

To be vigilant or on guard; to afford a view. (Also literal.)

Take back

To withdraw or cancel one’s statements; to regain ownership; to cause to remember. (Also literal.)

Hold up

To rob someone; to offer; to expose; to support; to hinder; to wait. (Also literal.)