Phrasal verbs with get, take, look, go, come and put
Six verbs make most of the phrasal verbs you'll hear: get, take, look, go, come and put. Corpus counts put them among the 20 verbs behind more than half of all phrasal verbs in use. Each has its own list here, with every common meaning, an example and audio.
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Phrasal verbs with get
Get makes more phrasal verbs than any other verb. With on, off, in and out it's mostly about transport and places.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
get up to get out of bed I get up at seven every day. | to get out of bed I get up at seven every day. | ||
get on to enter a bus, train or plane We get on the bus near my house. to have a friendly relationship I get on well with my boss. | to enter a bus, train or plane We get on the bus near my house. to have a friendly relationship I get on well with my boss. | ||
get off to leave a bus, train or plane We get off at the next stop. | to leave a bus, train or plane We get off at the next stop. | ||
get in to enter a car or a place Get in, I'll drive you home. | to enter a car or a place Get in, I'll drive you home. | ||
get out to leave a car or a place Get out of the car, please. | to leave a car or a place Get out of the car, please. | ||
get back to return When did you get back from holiday? to receive again I want to get my money back. | to return When did you get back from holiday? to receive again I want to get my money back. | ||
get over to recover from It takes time to get over a cold. | to recover from It takes time to get over a cold. | ||
get along to have a friendly relationship My sister and I get along well. | to have a friendly relationship My sister and I get along well. | ||
get by to manage with what you have I can get by in French. | to manage with what you have I can get by in French. | ||
get away to escape The thief tried to get away. to go on holiday I need to get away for a few days. | to escape The thief tried to get away. to go on holiday I need to get away for a few days. | ||
get through to reach someone by phone I can't get through to the bank. to survive a hard time We'll get through this together. | to reach someone by phone I can't get through to the bank. to survive a hard time We'll get through this together. | ||
get together to meet as a group Let's get together at the weekend. | to meet as a group Let's get together at the weekend. |
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Phrasal verbs with take
Take off, take up and take on each have two common meanings, and the examples show which is which.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
take off to leave the ground (a plane) The plane takes off at noon. to remove clothes Take off your shoes, please. | to leave the ground (a plane) The plane takes off at noon. to remove clothes Take off your shoes, please. | ||
take out to remove or carry outside Can you take out the rubbish? to invite someone out He wants to take her out for dinner. | to remove or carry outside Can you take out the rubbish? to invite someone out He wants to take her out for dinner. | ||
take up to start a new hobby I want to take up yoga. to use space or time This table takes up too much space. | to start a new hobby I want to take up yoga. to use space or time This table takes up too much space. | ||
take over to take control of His son will take over the business. | to take control of His son will take over the business. | ||
take after to look or act like an older relative She takes after her mother. | to look or act like an older relative She takes after her mother. | ||
take back to return something to a shop I'm going to take these shoes back. to say you were wrong to say something I take back what I said. | to return something to a shop I'm going to take these shoes back. to say you were wrong to say something I take back what I said. | ||
take in to understand new information It was a lot of information to take in. | to understand new information It was a lot of information to take in. | ||
take on to accept work or responsibility I can't take on any more work. to employ The company wants to take on new staff. | to accept work or responsibility I can't take on any more work. to employ The company wants to take on new staff. | ||
take down to write down Take down his phone number. to remove from a wall or high place We take down the decorations in January. | to write down Take down his phone number. to remove from a wall or high place We take down the decorations in January. |
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Phrasal verbs with look
Most look verbs are about searching or watching: look for, look up, look through. Look after and look up to are about people.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
look for to try to find I'm looking for my keys. | to try to find I'm looking for my keys. | ||
look after to take care of Can you look after my cat this weekend? | to take care of Can you look after my cat this weekend? | ||
look up to find information in a book or online Look up the word in a dictionary. | to find information in a book or online Look up the word in a dictionary. | ||
look out used to warn someone of danger Look out! There's a car coming. | used to warn someone of danger Look out! There's a car coming. | ||
look forward to to wait for something with pleasure I'm looking forward to the weekend. | to wait for something with pleasure I'm looking forward to the weekend. | ||
look into to investigate The police are looking into the case. | to investigate The police are looking into the case. | ||
look through to read quickly I look through the news every morning. | to read quickly I look through the news every morning. | ||
look around to visit and look at a place Can we look around the house? | to visit and look at a place Can we look around the house? | ||
look up to to admire and respect Kids often look up to their older brothers. | to admire and respect Kids often look up to their older brothers. | ||
look down on to think you are better than someone Don't look down on people who earn less. | to think you are better than someone Don't look down on people who earn less. |
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Phrasal verbs with go
Go verbs describe movement and change: prices go up and down, time goes by, milk goes off.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
go out to leave home to have fun Let's go out for dinner tonight. to have a romantic relationship They've been going out for a year. to stop burning or shining The lights go out every time there's a storm. | to leave home to have fun Let's go out for dinner tonight. to have a romantic relationship They've been going out for a year. to stop burning or shining The lights go out every time there's a storm. | ||
go back to return to a place I want to go back home. | to return to a place I want to go back home. | ||
go on to happen What's going on here? to continue Meetings here go on for hours. | to happen What's going on here? to continue Meetings here go on for hours. | ||
go away to leave a place Go away, I'm busy! to stop (pain, a problem) The pain will go away in a day or two. | to leave a place Go away, I'm busy! to stop (pain, a problem) The pain will go away in a day or two. | ||
go through to experience something difficult Every family can go through hard times. | to experience something difficult Every family can go through hard times. | ||
go over to check or repeat carefully Let's go over the main points again. | to check or repeat carefully Let's go over the main points again. | ||
go off to ring (an alarm) My alarm goes off at six. to become bad (food) Milk can go off quickly in summer. | to ring (an alarm) My alarm goes off at six. to become bad (food) Milk can go off quickly in summer. | ||
go ahead used to let someone start Go ahead, ask your question. | used to let someone start Go ahead, ask your question. | ||
go up to increase Prices go up every year. | to increase Prices go up every year. | ||
go down to decrease Prices rarely go down. | to decrease Prices rarely go down. | ||
go by to pass (time) Time goes by so fast. | to pass (time) Time goes by so fast. |
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Phrasal verbs with come
With come, something often appears: an idea comes up, a book comes out, a friend comes over.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
come back to return I'll come back in an hour. | to return I'll come back in an hour. | ||
come in to enter Come in and sit down. | to enter Come in and sit down. | ||
come on used to hurry or encourage someone Come on, we'll be late! | used to hurry or encourage someone Come on, we'll be late! | ||
come up to happen unexpectedly Something has come up, I can't make it. | to happen unexpectedly Something has come up, I can't make it. | ||
come across to find or meet by chance I come across new words every day. | to find or meet by chance I come across new words every day. | ||
come up with to think of an idea or plan We need to come up with a plan. | to think of an idea or plan We need to come up with a plan. | ||
come out to be published or released Her new book comes out in May. | to be published or released Her new book comes out in May. | ||
come over to visit someone's home Come over for dinner on Saturday. | to visit someone's home Come over for dinner on Saturday. | ||
come along to go somewhere with someone Do you want to come along? | to go somewhere with someone Do you want to come along? | ||
come down with to start to have an illness Many people come down with flu in winter. | to start to have an illness Many people come down with flu in winter. |
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Phrasal verbs with put
Put is about placing things: put on, put down, put away, put back. Put off and put up with are the two to learn as new words.
| Play pronunciation | Phrasal verb | Meaning and example | |
|---|---|---|---|
put on to dress in something Put on your coat, it's cold. to gain weight I always put on weight in winter. | to dress in something Put on your coat, it's cold. to gain weight I always put on weight in winter. | ||
put off to do something later than planned Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. | to do something later than planned Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. | ||
put away to put something where it belongs Put away your toys, please. | to put something where it belongs Put away your toys, please. | ||
put out to stop a fire burning It took hours to put out the fire. | to stop a fire burning It took hours to put out the fire. | ||
put up with to accept something unpleasant I can't put up with this noise any more. | to accept something unpleasant I can't put up with this noise any more. | ||
put down to place something on a surface Put down that knife! | to place something on a surface Put down that knife! | ||
put up to build or hang something We put up a tent by the lake. to let someone stay at your home Friends can put you up for the night. | to build or hang something We put up a tent by the lake. to let someone stay at your home Friends can put you up for the night. | ||
put back to return something to its place Put the book back on the shelf. | to return something to its place Put the book back on the shelf. | ||
put together to build from parts Can you help me put together this shelf? | to build from parts Can you help me put together this shelf? | ||
put through to connect by phone Can you put me through to the manager? | to connect by phone Can you put me through to the manager? |
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How to remember them
- Take one verb at a time: the get verbs this week, take next week. Pairs help: get on and get off are easier together.
- Watch for the ones with two meanings. Take off is a plane leaving the ground, and it's also what you do with your coat.
- Make sentences about your own day: I get up at seven, I put on my coat, I look for my keys.
FAQ
Which verb has the most phrasal verbs?
Get, with dozens of combinations, and a dozen of them in daily use. Take, go, come, put and look follow.
Should I learn phrasal verbs by verb or by particle?
Both help in different ways. A list by verb is easy to look things up in. The particle carries the meaning more often: off is usually about leaving or stopping, whatever the verb. Learn a verb's list, then notice what its particles share.
How do I know which meaning a phrasal verb has?
From the sentence around it. A plane takes off, but you take off your coat: the subject and the object tell you which one.
Is look forward to followed by -ing?
Yes. To here is a preposition, so a noun or an -ing form follows it: I'm looking forward to seeing you, not to see you.