English Phrasal Verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb followed by a preposition or an adverb; the combination creates a meaning different from the original verb.

Alphabetical lists of commonly-used phrasal verbs in English.

Alphabetical List - G

get about/around
- Move from place to place.
  "It's not easy to get around the city without a map."
- Spread, circulate.
  "News of their separation soon got about."
get along (with)
- Be on good terms; work well with.
  "I must say I get along (well) with my mother-in-law.
get at
- Imply; insinuate.
  "I don't understand. What exactly are you trying to get at?
get away
- Escape.
  "According to the news report, the robbers got away in a black car."
get by (on)
- Manage to cope or have enough to survive.
  " It's difficult to get by on a low salary."
get down to
- Start to actually do something.
  "That's enough chatting. It's time to get down to some serious work!"
get into
- Enter a place.
  "How did the burglar get in?"
get off
- Leave (bus, train, plane).
  "Your best option would be to get off the bus at Trafalgar Square."
- Leave work (at the end of the day).
  "I'll pick you up after work. What time do you get off ?"
- Remove something (clothes, stains).
  "I don't know how I'm going to get this stain off my dress!"
get off with
- Receive almost no punishment.
  "He was lucky. He got off with a small fine."
get on
- Board (bus, train, plane).
  "You can pay when you get on the bus."
get on with
- Continue to do something ; make progress.
  "Be quiet and get on with your homework."
get on (well) with
- Have a good relationship with.
  "Do you get on well with your colleagues?"
get out
- Spend some free time out of the house.
  "Her husband is very ill so she doesn't get out much."
- Leave or go away.
  "We don't want you here. Get out!"
get out of
- Leave a place.
  "The window was closed. How did he get out of the house?"
- Avoid doing something.
  "Some husbands manage to get out of doing any housework."
- Receive; learn; gain from something.
  "What are you hoping to get out of the seminar?"
get over
- Recover from (illness, disappointment).
  "Charlie had the 'flu but he got over it."
get rid of
- Eliminate.
  "It's difficult to get rid of old habits."

get round/around (to)
- Finally do something.
  "He finally got round to tidying the garage."
get together
- Meet each other.
  "Let's get together for lunch one day next week."
get up
- Rise; leave bed.
  "Tony usually gets up at 7 o'clock."
give away
- Give something free of charrge.
  "The artist gave away most of his paintings."
- Reveal something.
  "The names of the witnesses will not be given away."
give back
- Return something to its owner.
  "He promised to give back the book he borrowed."
give in
- accept defeat; surrender
  "The authorities refused to give in to the demands of the population."
give over!
- Stop doing something irritating
  "Give over complaining! It doesn't help at all!"
give up
- Stop doing something.
  "Sarah gave up smoking five years ago."
- Admit defeat; capitulate.
  "Have you found the answer? No, I give up."
gloss over
- Treat something briefly (make it seem unimportant).
  "The director glossed over the recent drop in sales."
go after
- Pursue (an object or a goal).
  "She went after her dream and is now an actress."
go along (with)
- Agree with; accept.
  "Alex tends to go along with anything his wife says."
go away
- Leave a place.
  We decided to go away for a few days.
- Disappear; fade.
  "I've washed it twice but the stain still hasn't gone away."
go back
- Return.
  "Children go back to school after the holidays."
go by
- Pass.
  "A bus went by without stopping."
  "Time goes by so quickly!"
go down
- Decrease, reduce.
  "The price of property has gone down a bit."
go down with
- Become ill with an infectious disease.
  "The match will be difficult . Half of the team has gone down with the flu."
go for
- Try to gain or attain.
  "He trained hard and went for the gold medal."

go in
- Enter.
  "There's a nice restaurant. Let's go in and book a table for tonight."
go into
- Go inside.
  "Go into the bakery and see if they sell croissants."
go in for
- Have something as an interest or hobby.
  "She doesn't really go in for sports."
go off
- Explode.
  "A bomb went off in a crowded restaurant"
- Ring or make a loud noise.
  "The alarm clock was set to go off at 6 a.m."
- Stop working
  "The heating has gone off. It's freezing!"
- No longer be good to eat or drink.
  "The milk has gone off. Don't drink it."
- No longer like or enjoy.
  "My grandmother has gone off crosswords."
go on
- Continue.
  "Sorry for interrupting. Please go on."
go out
- Leave one's home to attend a social event.
  "Many young people go out a lot."
go out
- Stop burning; be extinguished
  "The lights went out before we got to the door."
go out
- Be sent
  "The letter went out yesterday."
go (out) with
- Have someone as a boyfriend/girlfriend.
  "Is Julie going (out) with Tom?"
go over
- Review.
  "Please go over your answers before handing in your test."
go through
- Experience or undergo something.
  "Pete went through a lot of pain after the accident."
- Examine or study carefully.
  "I need time to go through the contract before I sign it."
go through with
- Proceed with something difficult.
  "Bill and Amy finally went through with the divorce."
go up
- Increase, rise.
  "According to the news report the price of petrol is likely to go up."
go together/with
- Match; look good or combine well with
  "The curtains don't go with the carpet."
  "The curtains and carpet don't go together."
go without
- Abstain from something; not have something.
  "I had to go without lunch to finish the report."
  "Camels can go without water for many days."
grow up
- Spend one's childhood; become an adult.
  "He grew up in a small village."
  "Don't be so childish. You need to grow up!"

More Phrasal Verbs:

« A B C D E-F G H I-J-K L M-N O-P-Q R-S T U-Z »

Phrasal Verb Exercises English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions

Please note that British English spelling is used on this website.

cookie policy