Phrasal verbs are the secret sauce that makes English sound natural—native speakers drop them into almost every sentence, from casual chats to work emails. This list gathers around 280 of the most common phrasal verbs you’ll actually hear and need, not the dusty ones from a textbook appendix. Whether you’re a beginner hungry for real-world expressions or an intermediate learner trying to stop translating word by word, this collection helps you understand and use these two‑part wonders with confidence.
Every entry in the interactive table comes with a plain‑English meaning, a realistic example sentence, and easy‑to‑read US IPA so you pronounce each phrasal verb clearly. Tap the play button next to any word to hear it spoken aloud—your ears need practice just as much as your eyes.
Ready to level up your English with a friendly pile of useful verb combos? Scroll to the bottom of the article for the free printable most common phrasal verbs in English vocabulary list PDF and the free downloadable printable most common phrasal verbs in English flashcards.
Words are great, but real English happens in chunks. Our free chunk‑based lessons turn vocabulary into speakable phrases—start with the lessons intro or jump right into Lesson 1—First Greetings to get your mouth moving.
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| Word | Meaning | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| come down | To descend or decrease. | Prices usually come down after the holidays. | |
| come in | To enter a place or become available. | Come in and make yourself comfortable. | |
| come off | To occur successfully or become detached. | The handle came off the door. | |
| come on | used to encourage someone or express disbelief | Come on, you can do it! | |
| come out | To be revealed or become known. | The truth finally came out after years of secrecy. | |
| come over | visit someone's house | Why don't you come over for dinner tonight? | |
| come up | to arise, appear, or be mentioned | A new problem came up during the meeting. | |
| come up with | devise or think of an idea | She came up with a great solution to the problem. | |
| cool down | To calm down or lower temperature. | Give her time to cool down after the argument. | |
| cool off | Become calmer or less angry. | Take a walk to cool off before we continue the discussion. | |
| count on | rely on someone or something | You can count on me to finish the project on time. | |
| cover up | Conceal the truth. | They tried to cover up the scandal but were caught. | |
| crack down | Enforce laws or rules more strictly. | The police are cracking down on drunk driving. | |
| crop up | Appear or happen unexpectedly. | Problems kept cropping up during the project. | |
| cut back | reduce spending or consumption | We need to cut back on unnecessary expenses. | |
| cut down | to reduce the amount of something | I'm trying to cut down on sugar. | |
| cut in | Interrupt or enter a line ahead of others. | He rudely cut in while I was talking to a friend. | |
| cut off | to stop the supply of something, or to interrupt | The storm cut off electricity to the whole neighborhood. | |
| cut out | remove or stop suddenly | The engine cut out in the middle of the highway. | |
| dawn on | Occur to someone; to suddenly realize. | It dawned on me that I had left the keys inside the car. | |
| deal with | handle or manage a situation | We need to deal with these issues before they escalate. | |
| die down | Become quieter or less intense. | The storm finally died down in the evening. | |
| die out | to become extinct or disappear gradually | Some traditions are dying out. | |
| dig in | Start eating enthusiastically or entrench oneself. | The food arrived and we all dug in. | |
| do over | to repeat something, or to redecorate | This work is messy; you need to do it over. |
Free Most Common Phrasal Verbs in English PDF and Flashcards
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