Phrasal verbs · American English
Break up or break down?
337 phrasal verbs70 verb families
The biggest families, side by side
Each picture shows three members of one family, so you see the difference before you read it.
get
20 phrasal verbs · to obtain, to arrive at, or to become
go
14 phrasal verbs · to move away from the speaker
come
13 phrasal verbs · to move toward the speaker
take
12 phrasal verbs · to grasp, carry, or accept something
put
12 phrasal verbs · to place something somewhere
look
11 phrasal verbs · to direct your eyes or attention
turn
10 phrasal verbs · to rotate or change direction
break
8 phrasal verbs · to separate into pieces, or to stop being whole
run
8 phrasal verbs · to move quickly, or to operate
bring
8 phrasal verbs · to carry something toward the speaker
cut
8 phrasal verbs · to divide with a blade, or to reduce
fall
8 phrasal verbs · to drop, or to lose position
Try “break up”, “breakup”, “tolerate”, or just “get” — 337 entries.
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One verb, many meanings — the particle is what changes them. Pick one to open its family here.
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Particles aren’t random. UP means completion, OFF means separation, OUT means emergence. Learn the logic once and you can guess verbs you’ve never met.
Something is finished, raised, improved, or brought together.
Something exits a container, becomes visible, or is exhausted.
Contact is broken: something detaches, leaves, or stops.
Something decreases, collapses, settles, or gets recorded.
Something moves into a space, a group, or a person's hands.
Something starts running, keeps running, or sits on a surface.
Something is examined from above, done again, or moved across.
Something returns to where it was, or is held in reserve.
Something moves off, vanishes, or keeps going steadily.
Something passes from one end of an obstacle to the other.
Movement with no fixed destination, or a turn to face the other way.
A target, a purpose, or a substitution.
Movement inward that changes state, position, or direction.
Pursuing someone, caring for them, or looking like them.
The person or thing the action is done alongside.
A whole becomes separate parts.
The thing the action points at, sticks to, or is measured against.
Movement past something, without stopping or with nothing to spare.
Moving forward in company, or in agreement.
The topic under discussion, or a change brought into being.