Skip to main content

Inseparable Phrasal Verbs

OWL logo

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.



Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.


Summary:

Provides an overview and lists of phrasal/two part verbs.

back out of
desert; fail to keep a promise
bear down on
lean on; browbeat
bear on
have to do with
bear up under
endure
break in on
interrupt
break into
interrupt
call for
come to get; require
care for
like; guard; supervise; maintain
carry on with
continue
catch up with
cover the distance between oneself and
check up on
examine; verify
come across
find accidentally
come along with
accompany; make progress
come by
find accidentally
come down with
become ill with
come out with
utter; produce
come up with
utter; produce
count on
rely on
cut in on
interrupt
disagree with
cause illness or discomfort to
do away with
abolish
do without
deprive oneself of
drop in at/on
visit casually without planning
drop out of
leave; quit
face up to
acknowledge
fall behind in
lag; not progress at required pace
fall back on
use for emergency purpose
fall out with
quarrel with
fill in for
substitute for
get ahead of
surpass; beat
get around
evade; avoid
get away with
do without being caught or punished
get by with
manage with a minimum of effort
get down to
become serious about; consider
get in
enter (a vehicle)
get off
descend from; leave
get on
enter (a vehicle); mount
get on with
proceed with
get through with
terminate, finish
go back on
desert; fail to keep (a promise)
go for
like a great deal
go in for
be interested in; participate in
go on with
continue
go over
review
go with
harmonize with; look pleasing together
go without
abstain from
hang around
remain idly in the vicinity of
hear from
receive a communication from
hear of
learn about (sometimes accidentally)
hit on
discover accidentally
hold on to
grasp tightly
hold out against
resist
keep at
persevere at
keep to
persist in; continue
keep up with
maintain the pace of
lie down on
evade; fail to do
live on
support or sustain oneself by means of
live up to
maintain the standard demanded of
look after
take care of
look back on
remember nostalgically
look down on
feel superior to
look forward to
anticipate
look up to
respect; admire
make up for
compensate for
pass on
transmit
pick on
tease; bully
play up to
flatter for personal advantage
put up with
tolerate
read up on
search out information on
run against
compete against in an election
run away with
leave; escape from
run for
campaign for
see about
consider; arrange
see to
arrange; supervise
settle on
decide on; choose
stand for
represent; permit
stand up for
support; demand
stand up to
resist
stick to
persist
stick up for
support; defend
take after
resemble
talk back to
answer impolitely
talk over
discuss
tell on
report misbehavior to authority
touch on
mention briefly
turn into
become
wait on
serve
wait up for
not go to bed while waiting for
watch out for
be careful for