Listen to two friends chatting in English, and you’ll notice something. They almost never use the long, formal words from the textbook. A native speaker doesn’t “postpone” a plan — he puts it off. He doesn’t “enter” a taxi — he gets in. That’s the sound of real, everyday English, and most of it comes from phrasal verbs: little verbs like get, take and put, joined with tiny words like up, off and out.
This post is Part 3 of our phrasal verbs series. In Part 1 we covered 50 common phrasal verbs for mornings, study, travel and friendship, and Part 2 added 50 more. New to the topic? Begin with our plain-English guide to what a phrasal verb means, then come back. Today you’ll learn 50 fresh ones, grouped into five areas of life: home, travel, technology, feelings and work.
One honest tip before you start: don’t try to memorise all 50 today. Phrasal verbs stick when you meet them inside real sentences, not when you stare at lists. Pick five, use them this week, and let the rest wait. Ready? Let’s start at home.
Phrasal Verbs for Home & Daily Life
Your house is full of phrasal verbs. From the moment the alarm rings to the moment you turn in at night, these ten cover the small jobs and quiet moments of life at home.
- wash up — to wash the dishes and pans after a meal — After dinner, my brother washes up while I dry the plates.
- clear up — to make a place tidy by putting things away — We cleared up the living room just before our guests arrived.
- put up — to fix something to a wall so people can see it — He put up two family photos above his desk.
- lock up — to lock all the doors and windows before leaving — Always lock up when you go out, even for ten minutes.
- sleep in — to sleep later than usual in the morning — On Sundays, we sleep in and enjoy a slow, lazy breakfast.
- doze off — to fall asleep without planning to — Grandpa often dozes off in his armchair after lunch.
- stay in — to spend the evening at home instead of going out — It’s raining hard, so let’s stay in and watch a film.
- freshen up — to wash quickly and tidy yourself so you feel clean — Give me five minutes to freshen up, then we can leave.
- stock up on — to buy a lot of something you will need soon — We stocked up on rice and tea before the long holiday.
- turn in — to go to bed at night — I’m exhausted, so I’m going to turn in early tonight.
Travel & Transport: Phrasal Verbs for the Journey
Journeys run on phrasal verbs — at the airport, in a taxi, on the road. One kindness first: cars and taxis use get in; buses, trains and planes use get on, from Part 1.
- take off — when a plane leaves the ground and starts flying — Our plane took off forty minutes late because of the fog.
- touch down — when a plane lands at an airport — We touched down in Dubai just after midnight.
- set out — to start a journey, especially a long one — They set out at dawn to reach the mountains before dark.
- get in — to enter a car or taxi — The taxi stopped, and we all got in quickly.
- get away — to go on a short holiday to rest and escape daily life — We need to get away for a few days and forget work.
- stop over — to stay somewhere briefly during a long journey — On the way to London, we stopped over in Istanbul for one night.
- break down — when a car, bus or machine stops working — Our bus broke down halfway to the village.
- pull over — to drive to the side of the road and stop — The driver pulled over so we could photograph the valley.
- fill up — to fill a vehicle’s tank completely with fuel — Let’s fill up here; the next petrol station is far away.
- flag down — to wave at a taxi so that it stops for you — He stood at the corner and flagged down a taxi.
Technology & Phones: Phrasal Verbs on Your Screen
Your phone speaks phrasal verbs all day long. Settings menus, apps and message boxes are full of them, so these ten pay you back every day.
- log in — to enter your username and password to use a system — I can’t log in; I’ve forgotten my password again.
- log out — to close your account session on a system or app — Always log out on a computer in a public library.
- sign up — to register for a new service, app or website — She signed up for the language app with her email.
- set up — to prepare a new device or account for use — It took me an hour to set up my new phone.
- back up — to make an extra copy of files or photos — Back up your photos before you change your phone.
- scroll down — to move down a page or screen to see more — Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the price.
- zoom in — to make part of a photo or map look bigger — Zoom in on the map to see the street names.
- pop up — to appear suddenly on a screen — An advert popped up while I was reading the news.
- plug in — to connect a device to electricity or another device — Plug in your phone; the battery is almost dead.
- text back — to reply to a text message — He didn’t text back, so I called him this morning.
Feelings & Relationships: Phrasal Verbs of the Heart
Feelings are hard to explain in any language, and English often uses a phrasal verb for the job. These ten help you talk honestly about love, friendship and trust.
- fall for — to begin to love someone in a romantic way — He fell for her in the first week they worked together.
- ask out — to invite someone to go on a date with you — After months of shyness, Ali finally asked her out.
- hit it off — to like someone immediately when you first meet — We hit it off on day one and are still close friends.
- break up — to end a romantic relationship — They broke up after three years but still speak politely.
- grow apart — to slowly become less close to someone over time — After university, we grew apart and stopped calling each other.
- open up — to start talking honestly about your feelings — It took him months to open up about his worries.
- bottle up — to keep your feelings hidden and say nothing — Don’t bottle up your anger; tell me what’s wrong.
- let down — to disappoint someone by breaking a promise — I won’t let you down; I’ll be there at six, I promise.
- count on — to trust and depend on someone for help — You can count on Omar; he always keeps his word.
- stand up for — to defend someone who is treated unfairly — She stood up for her brother when others laughed at him.
Work & Money: Phrasal Verbs for Your Career
Meetings, bosses, salaries and small businesses — the working world has its own phrasal verbs. These ten make office English, interviews and business news easier to follow.
- work on — to spend time doing or improving a task or project — Our team is working on a new design for the website.
- call off — to cancel something that was planned — The boss called off the meeting; half the team was ill.
- take over — to get control of a company or someone’s job — A bigger company took over the small firm last year.
- hand over — to give control or responsibility to another person — He handed over the keys to the new manager on Friday.
- lay off — to stop employing workers because there is not enough work — The factory laid off fifty workers when orders fell.
- close down — when a business stops operating forever — The little café on our street closed down in March.
- branch out — to start a new and different area of business — The bookshop branched out and now sells coffee too.
- bring in — to earn an amount of money — His small online shop brings in a steady income each month.
- get ahead — to become more successful in your career than others — She studies after work because she wants to get ahead.
- fall behind — to make less progress than others, or finish work late — If you fall behind with rent, talk to your landlord early.
Three Phrasal Verbs Learners Mix Up
Some phrasal verbs look like twins but mean different things. Here are three pairs my students confuse all the time, with a one-line fix for each. A quick honesty note: look up and look after are both in Part 1, and put on and put off are split across Parts 1 and 2, so those pairs are covered.
Take off and take out. Take off, number 11 above, is what a plane does when it leaves the ground — and what you do with your shoes at the door. Take out, not an entry in this series, means to remove something — or invite someone out for a meal. Fix: if it goes up or comes off the body, it’s take off; if it comes out of something, it’s take out.
Turn up and turn down. Neither is an entry anywhere in this series, but learners ask about them weekly. Turn up means to arrive, often without warning: “He turned up at midnight.” Turn down means to refuse an offer: “She turned down the job.” Fix: people turn up at doors; offers get turned down.
Go on and go off. Again, neither is an entry here — Part 1 has go out and go over, which are different verbs. Go on means to continue: “Please, go on; I’m listening.” Go off means a light or machine stops, or food becomes too old to eat: “The milk has gone off.” Fix: on means it continues; off means it has stopped.
How to Learn Phrasal Verbs Faster
Fifty new verbs is a lot, so learn smart, not hard. These three habits beat rereading.
1. Group them by their little word. Look at today’s up family — wash up, back up, open up, sign up, stock up on. Up often carries a feeling of finishing something completely: you wash up until the sink is empty. Learn the story behind the particle, and whole families of verbs make sense together.
2. Learn the story, not the list. Picture one tiny scene: a man sets out early, his car breaks down, he pulls over, and he still reaches the airport as his plane takes off. That one scene taught you four verbs, with pictures attached. Your brain keeps stories for years; it drops bare lists by Friday. The British Council’s LearnEnglish page on phrasal verbs teaches them the same way, with free exercises.
3. Use one a day in a real message. Send a friend a message today with count on or text back inside it. A verb you’ve actually used is worth ten you’ve only read. When a word escapes you, search our free Idiom Finder tool, and pair today’s list with our guide to English collocations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a phrasal verb, in simple words?
A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word like up, off or out — and together they make a new meaning. Look on its own doesn’t mean “care for”, but look after does. The Cambridge Dictionary entry for “phrasal verb” defines it as a verb plus an adverb or preposition that creates a new meaning.
How many phrasal verbs are there in English?
Thousands — big dictionaries list well over five thousand. The good news: you don’t need anywhere near that many. A working set of about 150 to 200 covers nearly everything in daily conversation, and Parts 1, 2 and 3 of this series give you exactly 150.
Can I use phrasal verbs in exams and formal writing?
Yes — carefully. In IELTS speaking, natural phrasal verbs like get ahead and branch out make you sound fluent and relaxed, and examiners reward that. In very formal reports, prefer the neutral ones and expect single formal words more often.
What’s the fastest way to remember phrasal verbs?
Use them, out loud and in writing, the same day you learn them. Pick one verb each morning and drop it into a real message or a diary line before bed. Grouping by particle helps too, because memory loves patterns. And review after a week, not after an hour.
Are phrasal verbs more common in British or American English?
Both use them every day, and nearly everything in this series works on both sides of the Atlantic. A few habits differ — British speakers usually fill in a form, while Americans often fill out the same form — but listeners always understand both.
That’s Part 3 complete: 150 phrasal verbs across the series, and your English is 50 verbs richer. Choose five, say them out loud this week, and let real life do the rest.