Phrasal verbs are a common English verb form that consist of a verb followed by a p-word that functions as a particle. To learn more about some of the most common phrasal verbs in the English language, click on a letter in the following menu to browse the Phrasal Verb Dictionary in alphabetical order.
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Note: When a word entry includes a p-word enclosed in parentheses, the phrasal verb is a phrasal-prepositional verb.
| Phrasal Verb | Definition | Category | Example |
| ache for | want something or someone immensely | inseparable transitive | The toddler aches for Elmo. |
| act out | behave badly or in a socially unacceptable often self-defeating manner especially as a means of venting painful emotions | intransitive | The child acted out after the divorce. |
| act up | misbehave, behave improperly | intransitive | My bursitis is acting up again. |
| add up | calculate a sum | separable transitive | Add the numbers up. |
| add up | increase in total | intransitive | A few extra calories a day really add up. |
| add up | make sense | intransitive | The numbers do not add up. |
| add up to | equal an amount | inseparable transitive | The bills add up to more than $100. |
| angle for | try to get or achieve something in an indirect way | inseparable transitive | He angled for a bigger pay raise. |
| answer for | be responsible for | inseparable transitive | Parents should answer for their children’s behavior. |
| ante up | pay a certain amount of money | inseparable transitive | Ante up $25 each. |
| ask out | invite on a date | separable transitive | She asked him out. |
| ask over | invite to a place | separable transitive | He asked her over. |
| attend to | turn attention to | inseparable transitive | The doctors must attend to the sickest patients first. |
