40 Phrasal Verbs for Storytelling and Creative Writing

There’s a list of 40 simple phrasal verbs for storytelling and creative writing, with their meanings and example sentences:

Break down

Meaning: To stop working or functioning.
Sentence: The car broke down in the middle of the road.

Bring up

Meaning: To mention or raise a topic.
Sentence: She brought up a funny story during dinner.

Call off

Meaning: To cancel something.
Sentence: The party was called off because of the rain.

Carry on

Meaning: To continue.
Sentence: He carried on walking, even though it was getting dark.

Check out

Meaning: To look at or examine something.
Sentence: You should check out the new book at the library.

Come across

Meaning: To find by chance.
Sentence: I came across an old letter while cleaning.

Come up with

Meaning: To think of or create an idea.
Sentence: She came up with a great plan to solve the problem.

Cut off

Meaning: To stop something suddenly.
Sentence: The phone call was cut off before I could say goodbye.

Drop by

Meaning: To visit casually.
Sentence: I’ll drop by your house later to give you the book.

Drop out

Meaning: To quit or leave something, usually a class or competition.
Sentence: He dropped out of school to pursue his dreams.

Figure out

Meaning: To understand or solve something.
Sentence: She figured out the puzzle after a long time.

Fill in

Meaning: To complete information on a form.
Sentence: Please fill in your name and address on this sheet.

Get away

Meaning: To escape or leave.
Sentence: They decided to get away for the weekend to relax.

Get back

Meaning: To return to a place.
Sentence: He’ll get back home by evening.

Get over

Meaning: To recover from something difficult.
Sentence: She got over her cold quickly.

Give up

Meaning: To stop trying or quit.
Sentence: Don’t give up, you can do it!

Go on

Meaning: To continue.
Sentence: The story went on for hours, but it was interesting.

Go out

Meaning: To leave home for an activity.
Sentence: Let’s go out for dinner tonight.

Grow up

Meaning: To become an adult.
Sentence: When I grow up, I want to be a teacher.

Hold on

Meaning: To wait or pause.
Sentence: Hold on a second, I’ll be right back.

Hold up

Meaning: To delay or stop something.
Sentence: The rain held up our travel plans.

Keep up

Meaning: To continue doing something at the same pace.
Sentence: It’s hard to keep up with all the new technology.

Look after

Meaning: To take care of.
Sentence: She looks after her little brother while their parents are away.

Look forward to

Meaning: To be excited or happy about something that will happen.
Sentence: I’m looking forward to the weekend!

Look up

Meaning: To search for information.
Sentence: I’ll look up the address online.

Make up

Meaning: To invent or create a story.
Sentence: He made up a funny excuse for being late.

Pick up

Meaning: To lift or gather something.
Sentence: I’ll pick up the book from the table.

Run into

Meaning: To meet unexpectedly.
Sentence: I ran into an old friend at the store today.

Set up

Meaning: To arrange or organize something.
Sentence: They set up the chairs before the event started.

Show up

Meaning: To arrive or appear.
Sentence: She didn’t show up for the meeting on time.

Shut down

Meaning: To stop something from working.
Sentence: The factory shut down for the holiday season.

Sort out

Meaning: To organize or solve a problem.
Sentence: I need to sort out my notes before the exam.

Take off

Meaning: To leave the ground (like an airplane).
Sentence: The plane will take off in 10 minutes.

Take over

Meaning: To gain control of something.
Sentence: She took over the company after her father retired.

Turn up

Meaning: To arrive or appear unexpectedly.
Sentence: He turned up late to the party.

Turn down

Meaning: To refuse or reject something.
Sentence: I had to turn down the job offer because of the long commute.

Wake up

Meaning: To stop sleeping.
Sentence: I woke up early this morning to go for a walk.

Warm up

Meaning: To prepare for something, like exercise or an event.
Sentence: The athletes warmed up before the game.

Work out

Meaning: To exercise or solve something.
Sentence: I work out every morning to stay fit.

Wrap up

Meaning: To finish or complete something.
Sentence: Let’s wrap up the meeting and go home.

More phrasal verbs:

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