Here’s a list of 15 intransitive phrasal verbs with example sentences:
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
| break down | stop working | My car broke down and I had to take it to the mechanic. |
| catch on | become popular | Lady Gaga’s music has caught on very fast. |
| come over | go to someone’s house | If you come over after school, we can do the homework together. |
| dress up | wear very nice or formal clothes | We all dressed up for the Christmas party. |
| drop by | visit without an appointment | Sarah dropped by to return the book I had lent her. |
| eat out | eat at a restaurant or café (not at home) | I’m tired and I don’t feel like cooking – let’s eat out tonight. |
| fall through | when something that was planned fails | We were going to spend the holiday at the beach, but our plans fell through because we couldn’t find a place to stay. |
| get by | survive with little money | My job doesn’t have a high salary, but it’s enough to get by. |
| get up | arise or get out of bed | My alarm clock goes off at 6:00, but I don’t get up until 6:30. |
| go back | return to a place | I really enjoyed my visit to Germany; I’m planning to go back next spring. |
| grow up | get older, become an adult, become more mature | My son wants to be an astronaut when he grows up. |
| pass out | lose consciousness | The football player passed out after training for 5 hours in the hot sun. |
| show up | arrive | I agreed to meet Peter at the basketball game, but he never showed up. |
| shut up | stop talking (can be considered a rude way to say this) | My co-worker talks all day about stupid TV shows. I wish she would just shut up! |
| throw up | vomit | Billy threw up after drinking 20 beers. |
Go back to main phrasal verbs lesson


