200 Phrasal Verbs with Examples in English and Spanish

Learn 200 English phrasal verbs with examples and meanings in Spanish. Improve your vocabulary and fluency with this comprehensive list. Download the list in PDF.

Luis Porras Wadley

Published on 18/12/25

in Phrasal Verbs

Updated on 24/12/25

Phrasal verbs are a fundamental aspect of English, but they can be quite difficult to understand at times. If you have ever tried to learn them, you will know that mastering them is no easy task, but do not despair; it is a matter of practice and consistency. In this article, you will find a list of 200 phrasal verbs with examples in English and Spanish so that you can improve your understanding and use of these verbal structures. Furthermore, on this same website, you have many useful tips about phrasal verbs and a phrasal verb dictionary so you can continue to delve deeper into the subject. Let’s get started!

PHRASAL VERB	EXAMPLES	MEANING/TRANSLATION
act out	The children will act out a scene from a play. He has been acting out in school lately.	to perform, to misbehave
act up	My computer is acting up again. The children always act up when they haven’t had enough sleep.	to misbehave, to malfunction
add in	You can add in more vegetables. Add in the sugar slowly.	to add, to include
add up	Could you please add up these numbers for me? Her explanation just doesn’t add up.	to add up, to make sense
agree on	They finally agreed on a date for the wedding. The two sides could not agree on the terms of the contract.	to agree, to settle on
aim at	The company’s new product is aimed at teenagers. He aimed his criticisms at the policies, not the politicians.	to aim, to target
ask for	She asked for a glass of water. I didn’t ask for your opinion on the matter.	to ask for, to request
back off	You’re too close to the edge! Back off! She decided to back off and give him some space.	to back away, to retreat, to desist
back up	I’ll back you up if they don’t believe you. Could you back up your car a bit?	to support, to back up
bail out	The government had to bail out the airline. He bailed his friend out of a difficult situation.	to rescue, to bail out
be about	The book is about a young girl’s journey to adulthood. What’s this movie about?	to be about, to be on the point of
beat up	He got beaten up by some thugs on his way home. The old car looks pretty beat up.	to beat up
bite off	Don’t bite off more than you can chew. He bit off a big piece of meat.	to bite off a piece
blow away	The wind blew away my hat. The performance blew me away.	to blow away, to impress
blow out	He blew out all the candles in one breath. The wind blew out our campfire.	to blow out, to extinguish
blow over	The scandal will blow over in a few weeks. Let’s wait for the anger to blow over before we talk again.	to blow over, to subside
blow up	The terrorists tried to blow up the railway station. Could you blow up this photo for me? I need a larger print.	to explode, to enlarge
break away	They tried to break away from the group. The horse broke away from its rider.	to escape, to separate
break down	The car broke down on the way to the beach. Let’s break down the problem and solve it step by step.	to break down, to collapse, to itemise
break in	Burglars broke in while we were on vacation. He broke in our conversation without any warning.	to break in, to interrupt
break out	War broke out after the assassination of the diplomat. Two prisoners broke out of jail last night.	to break out, to escape
break through	They finally broke through the barricade. He needs to break through his shyness.	to break through, to overcome obstacles
break up	They decided to break up after five years of dating. I could hardly hear him on the phone; his voice kept breaking up.	to end, to break up
bring about	The new president hopes to bring about a change in the country’s foreign policy. His betrayal brought about a bitter feud between the two families.	to bring about, to cause
bring in	We need to bring in more customers. The new policy brought in positive changes.	to bring in, to introduce
bring up	She brought up an important point during the meeting. He was brought up by his grandmother after his parents died.	to mention, to raise
brush off	He brushed off my comments. She brushed him off and walked away.	to ignore, to brush off
brush up	I need to brush up on my French before going to Paris. She decided to brush up her resume before applying for the job.	to brush up, to improve
burn out	The candle finally burned out after burning all night. She was totally burned out after the intense exam period.	to burn out, to be exhausted
burn up	The car burned up in the fire. The angry words burned her up.	to burn up completely
call in	You need to call in advance. They decided to call in sick.	to call, to seek advice
call off	The game was called off due to rain. They had to call off the search when darkness fell.	to cancel, to call off
call out	She called out his name from across the room. The coach called out the play.	to call out, to shout
call up	I’ll call up the restaurant and make a reservation. He was called up for military service.	to call, to summon
calm down	Calm down, everything will be okay. He had to calm down before he could speak.	to calm down, to settle
carry on	Despite the difficulties, we decided to carry on. Carry on with your work, don’t let me interrupt you.	to continue, to carry on
catch on	He’s slow to catch on to new trends. The new fashion quickly caught on among teenagers.	to catch on, to become popular
catch up	We need to catch up soon, it’s been too long! I need to catch up on my homework this weekend.	to catch up, to reach
check in	We need to check in before 8 pm. I’ll check in with you tomorrow to see how you’re doing.	to check in, to confirm
check out	We need to check out of the hotel before midday. You should check out that new movie, it’s great!	to check out, to review
cheer up	Cheer up, things will get better soon! She bought me a gift to cheer me up.	to cheer up, to gladden
chill out	After a long day at work, I just want to chill out. You’re overreacting, you need to chill out.	to relax, to chill out
chip in	Everyone chipped in to buy a gift for the boss. I don’t have enough money for the bill. Can you chip in?	to contribute, to chip in
chip off	The paint chipped off the wall. He chipped off a piece of wood.	to chip off, to remove a piece
clean up	Can you help me clean up after the party? The oil spill took months to clean up.	to clean up, to tidy
clear out	I’m planning to clear out the garage this weekend. Everyone clear out of the room, we need to clean.	to clear out, to empty
clear up	The sky cleared up after the storm. Can you clear up this misunderstanding?	to clear up, to resolve, to tidy
close down	The factory had to close down due to new regulations. The police closed down the illegal gambling operation.	to close down, to shut
come about	How did such a misunderstanding come about? The opportunity came about unexpectedly.	to happen, to come about
come across	I came across my old diary while cleaning the attic. He comes across as a bit arrogant at times.	to find, to come across
come along	Are you coming along to the party? How is your project coming along?	to accompany, to progress
come down	The rain started to come down heavily. The decision will come down to what the committee thinks.	to come down, to fall
come in	Please come in and have a seat. They were late to come in the party.	to enter
come up	A good job opportunity has come up for me. Please come up to my office when you arrive.	to go up, to arise
cool down	You should let the engine cool down before checking the oil. She needs some time to cool down before we talk.	to cool down, to calm
cope with	How do you cope with stress? She’s coping well with the changes.	to cope with, to manage
count on	You can always count on me for support. We’re counting on this deal to go through.	to count on, to rely on
cross off	Cross off the items on the list. She crossed him off her friend list.	to cross off
cross out	Cross out the wrong answers. Her name was crossed out from the list.	to cross out, to strike through
cut back	We need to cut back on spending. They cut back the trees to let more light in.	to reduce, to cut back
cut off	The phone was cut off in the middle of our conversation. They had to cut off the water supply to fix the pipes.	to cut off, to interrupt
deal out	She dealt out the cards for a game of poker. Life has dealt out a fair share of challenges to him.	to distribute
deal with	I don’t want to deal with this problem right now. How do you deal with difficult customers?	to deal with, to handle
die down	The noise finally died down after midnight. We waited for the storm to die down before we went outside.	to die down, to subside
die out	The fire slowly died out. His hopes died out after the rejection.	to become extinct, to fade away
do in	She did in her opponent. I’m feeling completely done in.	to finish off, to exhaust
do up	He did up his shoelaces. They plan to do up the old house and sell it.	to fasten, to redecorate
draw in	The bus drew in and stopped. The painting drew her in.	to approach, to attract
draw up	The lawyer will draw up the contract. They drew up a list of all the items needed.	to draw up, to draft
dress down	It’s a casual event, so you can dress down. The boss dressed him down for his poor performance.	to dress down, to reprimand
dress up	We need to dress up for the formal event. The children love to dress up for Halloween.	to dress up, to wear a costume
drop by	Drop by anytime you are in the neighbourhood. I’ll drop by your office in the afternoon.	to visit, to drop by
drop off	Can you drop me off at the airport? I need to drop off these packages at the post office.	to drop off, to deliver
drop out	He dropped out of school at 16 to start working. Several players dropped out of the tournament due to injuries.	to drop out, to quit
dry up	The lake will dry up if we don’t get any rain soon. The conversation dried up after their argument.	to dry up, to run out
eat in	Let’s eat in tonight. They prefer to eat in rather than out.	to eat in
eat out	We usually eat out on Fridays. Let’s eat out tonight, I don’t feel like cooking.	to eat out
eat up	Eat up, we have a long day ahead. The picnic food was quickly eaten up.	to eat up
end up	If you don’t study, you might end up failing the course. They ended up at a charming little cafe.	to end up, to finish
face up to	You need to face up to your responsibilities. He couldn’t face up to the truth.	to face up to, to accept
fade out	The music slowly faded out at the end of the scene. The actor’s fame has faded out over the years.	to fade out, to disappear
fall apart	The plan fell apart at the last minute. The old book fell apart when I tried to read it.	to fall apart, to disintegrate
fall back	When in doubt, fall back on your training. The team fell back to defend.	to retreat, to fall back
fall for	She fell for his charms. I can’t believe you fell for that trick.	to fall for, to be tricked
fall out	They fell out over money issues. He had a fall out with his brother and they haven’t spoken since.	to argue, to fall out
fall through	Our plans for the trip fell through. The deal fell through at the last minute.	to fail, to fall through
figure out	I need to figure out how to fix this problem. It took me a while to figure out the puzzle.	to solve, to understand
fill in	Could you fill in this form, please? She filled me in on the latest gossip.	to complete, to inform
fill out	Please fill out this application form. It took me an hour to fill out the paperwork.	to complete, to fill in
fill up	Can you fill up my glass, please? The gas tank is filled up.	to fill up, to supply
find out	I need to find out what time the train leaves. She found out that he had been lying to her.	to discover, to find out
get across	I’m struggling to get my point across. We need to get across the river before dark.	to get across, to cross
get along	I get along well with my colleagues. Do your children get along?	to get along
get back	I need to get back home before it gets dark. She finally got her book back.	to return, to get back
get by	I can get by with my Spanish when I travel. How do you get by on such a small salary?	to get by
get off	We need to get off at the next stop. She got off the bus just in time.	to get off, to disembark
get on	Could you help me get on the horse? How are you getting on in your new job?	to get on, to progress
get over	It took him a while to get over the breakup. She finally got over her cold.	to recover, to get over
give away	He gave away most of his fortune to charity. Don’t give away the end of the movie!	to give away, to reveal
give back	He gave back the keys. We should give back to our community.	to return, to give back
give in	She gave in to temptation and ate the cake. After hours of debate, he finally gave in.	to give in, to yield
give in to	She gave in to their demands. Don’t give in to peer pressure.	to yield to, to succumb to
give off	The flowers give off a pleasant aroma. The machine gives off smoke.	to emit, to give off
give up	I won’t give up, I’ll keep trying. She gave up smoking a year ago.	to give up, to quit
go ahead	Go ahead, I’m listening. You can go ahead and start without me.	to continue, to proceed
go back	We need to go back, I forgot my wallet. She went back to her home town after the divorce.	to return, to go back
go off	The alarm went off at 6 AM. The milk has gone off.	to sound, to go bad (food)
go on	The show must go on. What’s going on here?	to continue, to happen
go over	Let’s go over our plans one more time. She went over the report to make sure there were no errors.	to review, to go over
grow up	I grew up in a small town. It’s time to grow up and take responsibility.	to grow up, to mature
hand out	The teacher handed out the worksheets. They are handing out free samples.	to hand out, to distribute
hand over	Hand over your homework at the end of class. The criminal was forced to hand over his weapon.	to hand over
hang around	We used to hang around after school. Don’t hang around here, it’s not safe.	to hang around
hang out	We used to hang out at the park after school. Do you want to hang out this weekend?	to hang out, to meet up
hang up	I didn’t mean to hang up on you, my phone died. She hung up before I could say anything.	to hang up
hold back	She held back tears as she said goodbye. Don’t hold back, tell me what you really think.	to hold back, to restrain
hold on	Hold on, I’m almost there. Hold on to the railing while going down the stairs.	to wait, to hold on
iron out	We need to iron out the details of the plan. They managed to iron out their differences.	to resolve
jump in	Sorry to jump in, but I have a comment. The pool is warm, jump in!	to interrupt, to jump in
jump out	The cat jumped out from behind the sofa. The bright red colour jumps out against the white background.	to jump out, to surprise
keep away	Keep away from the fire, it’s dangerous. The sign said, «Keep away from the edge».	to keep away
keep on	Keep on working, you’re doing great. He kept on talking despite our attempts to interrupt.	to continue, to keep on
keep up	I can’t keep up with all these changes. She walks so fast, it’s hard to keep up.	to keep up the pace
kick off	The meeting will kick off at 10 am. The game kicks off in one hour.	to start, to kick off
knock down	The old building was knocked down to make way for a park. She was knocked down by a speeding car.	to knock down, to dismantle
knock out	The boxer managed to knock out his opponent in the first round. I was knocked out after the long hike.	to noquear, to exhaust
lay off	They had to lay off a lot of workers due to budget cuts. Lay off me, I’m trying to work.	to lay off, to leave alone
let down	I won’t let you down. He felt let down by his friends.	to disappoint, to let down
let go of	She finally let go of her past. You need to let go of your anger.	to let go, to release
light up	Her smile lights up the room. Smoking is bad for your health, don’t light up.	to illuminate, to ignite a cigarette
log in	Log in to your account to check your messages. I can’t log in, I forgot my password.	to log in
log out	Remember to log out when you finish your work. He logged out of his email account.	to log out
look after	Can you look after my dog while I’m away? She looks after her younger brother.	to look after, to tend to
look back	When I look back, I feel I could have done things differently. Looking back, I see how much I’ve grown.	to remember, to look back
look for	I’m looking for my glasses, have you seen them? She’s looking for a job.	to look for
look forward to	I’m looking forward to the weekend. We look forward to your visit.	to look forward to
look into	We will look into the matter and inform you about our findings. The police are looking into the incident.	to investigate
look out for	Look out for pedestrians while driving. They always look out for each other.	to watch out for, to be mindful of
look up	You can look up the word in the dictionary. I looked up the address on the internet.	to look up, to consult
make over	She made over her old clothes into something fashionable. The house needs a complete makeover.	to renovate, to transform
make up	He made up an excuse for being late. She takes too much time to make up in the morning.	to invent, to put on make-up
mix up	I always mix up the twins’ names. She mixed up the ingredients for the cake.	to confuse, to mix up
move in	They are planning to move in next week. When are your new roommates moving in?	to move in
move on	It’s time to move on from this issue. Let’s move on to the next topic.	to move on, to pass to
move out	She decided to move out and live on her own. The tenants were asked to move out immediately.	to move out, to vacate
pass away	His grandfather passed away last night. The famous author passed away at the age of 89.	to pass away
pass out	He passed out from exhaustion. Please pass out these papers to everyone in the room.	to faint, to distribute
pick up	Can you pick up some groceries on your way home? She picked up a few German phrases while staying in Berlin.	to pick up, to learn
play down	He tried to play down his mistakes. The government played down the impact of the crisis.	to play down
pull off	It was a difficult task, but she pulled it off. He pulled off a great performance despite being unwell.	to achieve, to pull off
pull over	The police officer signaled for him to pull over. I had to pull over to check the map.	to pull over
put away	Put away your toys before dinner. He put away his savings for retirement.	to put away, to tidy
put off	We had to put off the meeting until next week. Don’t be put off by the negative reviews, the book is really good.	to postpone, to discourage
put on	She put on her coat and left. They are putting on a show next week.	to put on, to place
put up with	I don’t know how she puts up with his behaviour. I can’t put up with the noise anymore.	to tolerate, to put up with
rip off	That shop rips off tourists with high prices. He accidentally ripped off the poster while cleaning.	to rip off, to tear off
roll out	The company is rolling out a new product line. They rolled out the red carpet for the celebrity.	to deploy, to launch
round up	The shepherd rounded up the sheep before nightfall. Can you round up the team for a meeting?	to round up, to gather
run away	The thief ran away when he saw the police. The circus lion ran away from its cage.	to run away, to flee
run by	Can I run a few ideas by you? I’ll run the plan by the team tomorrow.	to consult, to inform
run into	I ran into an old friend at the supermarket. We ran into some problems with the project.	to run into, to encounter
run out	We’ve run out of milk. Time is running out, we need to make a decision.	to run out, to finish
run over	The car ran over a pothole. Can you run over the main points?	to run over, to review
set aside	I set aside some money for emergencies. We should set aside our differences and work together.	to set aside, to reserve
set off	They set off on their trip early in the morning. The fire alarm was set off by the smoke.	to set off on a journey, to trigger
set out	They set out on a journey around the world. She set out her plans for the day.	to start, to undertake
set up	We set up a tent for the night. They are setting up a new company.	to install, to organise
show up	She didn’t show up for the meeting. A strange cat showed up at our door.	to appear, to attend
slip up	Everyone slips up sometimes, don’t worry about it. We can’t afford to slip up on this project.	to make a mistake
stand by	I will stand by you no matter what. The medical team is standing by for any emergencies.	to support, to stay ready
stand out	Her red dress made her stand out in the crowd. This painting stands out in the gallery.	to stand out, to highlight
step in	The teacher had to step in and stop the fight. The government needs to step in and help those in need.	to intervene
step up	We need to step up our efforts if we want to finish on time. She stepped up to take on the leadership role.	to increase, to step up
take in	I tried to take in all the information. They decided to take in a foster child.	to absorb, to accept
take off	The plane will take off in 20 minutes. He took off his hat as he entered the room.	to take off, to remove
take over	The new manager will take over next month. He took over the family business.	to take control of, to take over
take up	She decided to take up yoga. This couch takes up too much space.	to take up a practice, to occupy
tear up	She tore up the letter and threw it away. I accidentally tore up the concert tickets.	to tear up
think over	I need to think over your proposal before making a decision. She thought over the job offer for several days.	to consider, to reflect on
throw away	Don’t throw away this receipt, we might need it. I had to throw away the spoiled milk.	to throw away, to discard
try on	Try on this dress, it looks good on you. He tried on several pairs of shoes before deciding on one.	to try on
turn away	The doorman turned away the uninvited guest. She turned away from the mirror.	to turn away, to reject
turn down	She turned down the job offer. Could you turn down the music? I’m trying to study.	to reject, to turn down
turn off	Please turn off the lights when you leave. This button is used to turn off the machine.	to turn off, to deactivate
turn on	Can you turn on the radio? I turned on the computer to start working.	to turn on, to activate
turn up	He didn’t turn up for his appointment. Can you turn up the volume? I can’t hear the TV.	to appear, to turn up
use up	We’ve used up all the milk. The car uses up a lot of fuel.	to use up
wait on	She’s waiting on her exam results. The waiter is trained to wait on customers efficiently.	to serve, to wait on
wake up	I wake up at 7 am every day. The noise woke me up.	to wake up
wake up to	She woke up to the sound of birds singing. He finally woke up to the truth.	to wake up to, to realise
walk away	He just walked away without saying a word. She could simply walk away from the deal.	to walk away, to leave
wash up	Wash up before dinner. Who’s going to wash up the dishes?	to wash, to do the dishes
watch out	Watch out for pickpockets in the area. You should watch out, the floor is slippery.	to watch out
wipe out	The virus could wipe out the entire population. He was so tired, he wiped out as soon as he got home.	to eliminate, to wipe out
work out	I work out at the gym three times a week. I hope everything works out for you.	to work out, to solve
work up	She worked up the courage to ask for a raise. He needs to work up an appetite.	to generate, to develop (feelings, appetite, etc.)
wrap up	Let’s wrap up the meeting, we’re running out of time. She wrapped up the gift in colourful paper.	to wrap up, to conclude
write down	Write down the recipe so you don’t forget it. He wrote down the address on a piece of paper.	to write down, to note
write off	The car was a write off after the accident. They had to write off their investment.	to write off
zone out	I zoned out during the meeting and missed the important points. She tends to zone out when she’s tired.	to zone out, to lose concentration

I hope this list of 200 phrasal verbs with examples in English and Spanish has been useful and has helped you improve your understanding of this topic. Remember that practising frequently is the key to mastering these verbal structures. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave us a comment and we will gladly help you resolve them. Keep learning and improving your English!

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