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.
Quick Quiz
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Browse the Full List
| Word | Meaning | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| live on | subsist on a particular food or income | They live on a diet of rice and beans. | |
| log in | to enter your name and password to access a computer | You need to log in to check your email. | |
| look after | To take care of someone or something. | Can you look after my cat while I'm away? | |
| look around | To explore or search an area visually. | We looked around the new store for an hour. | |
| look back | To reflect on past events. | Looking back, I have no regrets. | |
| look for | To search for something or someone. | I'm looking for my keys, have you seen them? | |
| look forward to | anticipate eagerly | I look forward to meeting you next week. | |
| look into | investigate | The police promised to look into the matter. | |
| look out | to be careful or watch for danger | Look out! There's a car coming. | |
| look up | to search for information (in a dictionary or online) | I need to look up that word's meaning. | |
| make out | discern with difficulty or kiss | I couldn't make out what she was saying in the noise. | |
| make up | to invent, compose, or reconcile | She made up a story to explain her lateness. | |
| mess up | To do something wrong or make untidy. | I messed up the recipe and had to start over. | |
| mix up | To combine or mistake one for another. | I always mix up the twins' names. | |
| move in | to start living in a new home | They moved in next door yesterday. | |
| move on | to leave the past behind and start something new | It's time to move on and forget about the argument. | |
| move out | To leave a house or apartment permanently. | They plan to move out by the end of the month. | |
| open up | To start business or become communicative. | He finally opened up about his problems. | |
| pass away | die politely | Her grandfather passed away quietly in his sleep. | |
| pass on | To die or give something to someone else. | Our neighbor passed on last week. | |
| pass out | To lose consciousness or distribute items. | He passed out from the heat during the hike. | |
| pay back | to return money that was borrowed | Can I pay you back next week? | |
| pay off | to finish paying money owed, or to bring success | Hard work usually pays off in the end. | |
| pick on | To repeatedly annoy or criticize someone. | Why do you always pick on your little brother? | |
| pick out | To choose or select from a group. | He picked out the ripest tomatoes at the market. |
Free Most Common Phrasal Verbs in English PDF and Flashcards
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