Intransitive Phrasal Verbs in English

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.

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