English Phrasal Verbs
Commonly-used phrasal verbs.
Phrasal Verbs with UP
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Add up | Calculate the total amount | ”Your purchases add up to 95€.” |
| Add up | Make sense; be logical | "Her explanation doesn't add up." |
| Back up | Copy a computer document as a security measure | "It is recommended to back up all files for safety purposes." |
| Back up | Support or defend | "If I tell the boss we've got too much work, will you back me up?" |
| Back up | Reverse a vehicle towards or against something | The car beeped as he backed it up against the wall. |
| Block up | Fill a passage or opening | “All the windows have been blocked up in the old building.” |
| Blow up | Explode | “A bomb blew up outside the bank.” |
| Break up | Separate; end a relationship | “Carla and Alex have broken up.” |
| Brighten up | Lighten | “The sky is brightening up a little.” |
| Brighten up | Become happier | “Jimmy brightened up as soon as his girlfriend arrived.” |
| Bring up | Raise a child | “All parents want to bring up their children as best they can.” |
| Build up | Develop | “They’ve built up a thriving business over the past 20 years.” |
| Burn up | Destroy entirely by heat | “The whole house burned up in the fire.” |
| Call up | Telephone | “Let’s call up the Windsors and invite them over.” |
| Catch up (with) | Reach the same level or standard | “She ran very fast so that he wouldn’t catch up with her.” "After his illness he had to work hard to catch up with the other pupils." |
| Check up | Verify something; make sure that something is ok | "I need to check up on a few things before making a decision." |
| Chop up | Cut into small pieces | “Chop up an onion and add it to the other ingredients.” |
| Cheer up | Make someone happier | “Emily looks sad. Let’s see if we can cheer her up.” |
| Clear up | Make a place tidy again | “We need to clear up the place before our parents get back.” |
| Close up | Lock the doors of a place | “The beach restaurants all close up in winter.” |
| Crack up | Laugh so hard that it hurts | “That child says the funniest things – he cracks me up!” |
| Do up | Fasten | "You should do up your jacket. It's cold outside." |
| Draw up | Move something closer | "My father drew up a chair for the visitor." |
| Draw up | Prepare a document, list or plan | "We must make sure the plans are properly drawn up." |
| Draw up | Bring oneself into an erect position | Jack drew himself up when his name was called.” |
| Dress up | Wear smarter clothes than usual | “There’s no need to dress up. Just come as you are.” |
| Dress up | Wear a costume or disguise | "He dressed up in a skeleton for Halloween." |
| Dry up | No longer contain water | "The land dried up so it was impossible to grow any crops." |
| Eat up | Finish all your food | "You must eat up all your vegetables if you want dessert!" |
| Fix up | Repair or decorate | “They had to fix up the apartment before moving in.” |
| Fix up | Arrange something | “I’ll fix you up with a golf partner.” |
| Get up | Rise; leave bed | "What time do you usually get up in the morning?" |
| Give up | Stop doing something | “You’re coughing a lot. You should give up smoking!” |
| Go up | Increase; rise | "The price of petrol is expected to go up." |
| Grow up | Spend your childhood | "I grew up in a small village." |
| Grow up | Become an adult | "Don't be so childish. You need to grow up!" |
| Heat up | Make hotter | "I'm going to heat up some soup." |
| Hurry up | Move or act more quickly | "Hurry up. We're going to miss the bus!" |
| Keep up | Go at the same speed. | "Don't walk so fast! I can"t keep up with you." |
| Liven up | Make something more fun | "Let's liven up things with some music!" |
| Lock up | Close the doors and windows securely | "It's time to lock up the shop and go home." |
| Look up | Find something; seach for | "Did you look up the word in the dictionary?" |
| Make up | Invent | “Some of us make up excuses when we arrive late for work.” |
| Make up | Prepare a bed for use | "You can stay here tonight. I'll make up a bed for you." |
| Make up | Become friends again | "Come on you two! It's time to shake hands and make up." |
| Meet up | Arrange to meet | "What time are we meeting up on Saturday?" |
| Mix up | Confuse; mistake a person for someone else | "Sorry. I'm afraid you're mixing me up with someone else." |
| Mix up | Not arrange things properly. | "File th papers properly. Don't mix up everything." |
| Open up | Become available or start business | "A new railway line has opened up." |
| Pack up | Put everything in boxes | "He packed up his belongings and left." |
| Pick up | Gather | "She picked up the toys and put them away." |
| Pick up | Improve over time | "The patient's health picked up gradually." |
| Pick up | Learn | "The children picked up English very quickly." |
| Pull up | Stop | "The driver pulled up at the traffic lights." |
| Push up | Force to rise or increase | "The conflict pushed up the price of petrol.” |
| Put up | Raise, build or erect | "They put up a fence between their houses." |
| Put up with | Tolerate; accept | "I don't know how you can put up with such behaviour!" |
| Rake up | Recall unpleasant memories | "She's constantly raking up old quarrels." |
| Ramp up | Increase the quantity or amount | "The company ramped up production to meet the demand." |
| Run up | Accumulate a debt | "James ran up a large amount in hotel expenses at the trade fair." |
| Set up | Arrange | "A meeting was set up to discuss the project." |
| Show up | Appear; arrive | "We expected William to come but he didn't show up." |
| Shut up | Close or imprison | "We shut up all the windows before the storm." "Prisoners are shut up in cells." |
| Shut up | Stop speaking (rude) | "Shut up and stop interfering!" |
| Soak up | Absorb | "She got a sponge to soak up the water." "We soaked up the sun all afternoon." |
| Sober up | Get rid of the effects of too much alcohol | "Jack decided to go for a long walk to sober up." |
| Speak up | Speak in a louder voice | “You need to speak up. We can’t hear you.” |
| Speed up | Accelerate; go faster | "We need to speed up deliveries." |
| Split up | End a relationship | "Carla has split up with her boyfriend." |
| Stand up | Rise from a sitting position | "The pupils stand up when the headmaster arrives." |
| Start up | Begin something | "She started up a conversation with another patient." |
| Start up | Make something work | "It's time to start up the engines." |
| Take up | Make something shorter | "That skirt is too long. It will need to be taken up." |
| Take up | Start as a hobby or pastime | "My father took up golf when he retired." |
| Take up | Occupy too much space or time | "The big table takes up too much room." |
| Take up | Continue after an interruption | "She took up the story where Bill had left off." |
| Think up | Invent a plan or find an idea or solution | "We'll have to think up an excuse to leave early." |
| Turn up | Appear; arrive | "Her train was delayed so she turned up an hour late." |
| Use up | Use something until there is none left | “My mother uses up the leftover vegetables to make soup.” |
| Wake up | Stop sleeping | "Wake up! It's eight o'clock." |
| Warm up | Make hotter | "Here's a coat to warm you up." |
| Wash up | Wash the dishes after a meal | "Who's going to help me wash up?" |
| Wash up | Be carried onto the land or shore | "Items from the boat were washed up on the beach." |
| Wind up | Finish or put an end to something | "Before winding up his speech he thanked everyone for their presence."
"Larry decided to wind up his business and retire." |
| Wind up | Arrive finally in a place | "After a long drive we finally wound up in a village with a spectacular view." |
| Work up | Develop | "A good walk will work up an appetite." |
| Wrap up | Cover; enclose | "She's busy right now. She's wrapping up her Christmas presents." |
| Wrap up | Complete (as task, a discussion) | "The salesman hoped to wrap up a few deals at the end of the demonstration." |
More Phrasal Verbs:
ALPHABETICAL LISTS:VERB LISTS:
Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.