Phrasal Verbs

Verb	Meaning	Example
1. ask someone out	invite on a date	Brian asked Judy out to dinner and a movie.
2. ask around	ask many people the same question	I asked around but nobody has seen my wallet.
3. add up to something	equal	Your purchases add up to $205.32.
4. back something up	reverse	You'll have to back up your car so that I can get out.
5. back someone up	support	My wife backed me up over my decision to quit my job.
6. blow up	explode	The racing car blew up after it crashed into the fence.
7. blow something up	add air	We have to blow 50 balloons up for the party.
8. break down	stop functioning (vehicle, machine)	Our car broke down at the side of the highway in the snowstorm.
9. break down	get upset	The woman broke down when the police told her that her son had died.
10. break somethingdown	divide into smaller parts	Our teacher broke the final projectdown into three separate parts.
11. break in	force entry to a building	Somebody broke in last night and stole our stereo.
12. break into something	enter forcibly	The firemen had to break into the room to rescue the children.
13. break something in	wear something a few times so that it doesn't look/feel new	I need to break these shoes in before we run next week.
14. break in	interrupt	The TV station broke in to report the news of the president's death.
15. break up	end a relationship	My boyfriend and I broke up before I moved to America.
16. break up	start laughing (informal)	The kids just broke up as soon as the clown started talking.
17. break out	escape	The prisoners broke out of jail when the guards weren't looking.
18. break out insomething	develop a skin condition	I broke out in a rash after our camping trip.
19. bring someone down	make unhappy	This sad music is bringing me down.
20. bring someone up	raise a child	My grandparents brought me up after my parents died.