100 Must-Know Slang Phrasal Verbs You Use Every Day But Never Learned | Spoken English Secrets
English Phrasal Verbs You Never Learn But Use Most: Only Found in Spoken Slang & Idioms
English phrasal verbs you never learn but use most are actually the ones hidden in everyday conversations, especially in spoken English idioms and slang phrasal verbs that aren’t taught in school. These are the daily use phrasal verbs you hear when someone says “chill out,” “freak out,” or “crash out”—all part of real-life casual English expressions. They’re extremely common in chatting, texting, or watching shows, and if you want to know how to speak like a native, mastering these is key. These common phrasal verbs for speaking are essential for fluency and understanding natural speech, especially in WhatsApp English and informal settings. While textbooks focus on formal grammar, these practical phrasal verbs are what truly shape real spoken English.
📘 Table of Contents
- 1. 👋 Introduction
- 2. 🔍 What Are “Spoken Slang Phrasal Verbs”?
- 3. 🎯 Why This Matters to You
- 4. 📚 10 Most Used Spoken Phrasal Verbs (With Simple Examples)
- 5 🧩 100 More Hidden Phrasal Verbs You Hear Every Day
- 6. 💡 How to Learn and Use These Easily
- 7. 📢 Final Thoughts: Speak Real, Not Just Right!
- 8. 🧠 FAQs About Slang Phrasal Verbs
👋 Introduction: “Wait... I Use These Phrasal Verbs?”
Hey there, English learner! 👋 Ever blurted out, chilled out, or freaked out while chatting without realizing you were using phrasal verbs?
These little combos like “hang out”, “zone out”, or “crash out” are not often taught in grammar books—but guess what? Native speakers use them all the time in real conversations, WhatsApp texts, and even on Netflix! 🎬
🔍 What Are “Spoken Slang Phrasal Verbs”?
A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and a preposition or adverb. For example, "chill out" or "freak out".
But not all phrasal verbs are formal. Some are casual, fun, and very common in everyday conversations. These are often missing from textbooks, but they’re the ones we hear daily.
🎯 Why This Matters to You
- Boost your spoken fluency
- Understand native speakers better
- Sound more natural & confident
- Useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and real-life conversations
📚 10 Most Used Spoken Phrasal Verbs (With Simple Examples)
- Chill Out – Relax
“Just chill out! It’s not a big deal.” - Freak Out – Panic or get very emotional
“She freaked out when she saw the bill.” - Blurt Out – Say something suddenly
“He blurted out the answer by mistake.” - Crash Out – Fall asleep quickly
“I crashed out after the party.” - Zone Out – Stop paying attention
“I zoned out during the lecture.” - Back Off – Stop being aggressive
“Back off! I can handle it myself.” - Mess Around – Waste time
“Stop messing around and focus!” - Space Out – Mentally drift
“Sorry, I spaced out.” - Come Over – Visit someone
“Do you want to come over later?” - Clean Up – Tidy or organize
“Let’s clean up the room now.”
🧩 100 More Hidden Phrasal Verbs You Hear Every Day
Sr. No. | Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Hang out | Spend time socially | We hang out at the park. |
2 | Goof off | Avoid work or act silly | Stop goofing off and finish your work. |
3 | Roll with | To adapt to a situation | I didn’t plan it, but I’ll just roll with it. |
4 | Hit up | Contact someone casually | Hit me up later! |
5 | Come through | Deliver on a promise | He came through with the tickets. |
6 | Catch up | Share or talk after a while | Let’s catch up soon! |
7 | Chill out | Relax or stay calm | Just chill out and enjoy! |
8 | Freak out | Become very anxious or scared | She freaked out during the thunderstorm. |
9 | Crash out | Fall asleep quickly | I crashed out on the sofa. |
10 | Zone out | Stop paying attention | I zoned out during the lecture. |
11 | Back off | Move away or stop being aggressive | Back off, I need space. |
12 | Mess around | Waste time or behave playfully | Stop messing around and focus. |
13 | Space out | Drift off mentally | He spaced out during the meeting. |
14 | Come over | Visit someone's place | Do you want to come over tonight? |
15 | Clean up | Make a place tidy | Let’s clean up the kitchen. |
16 | Fill in | Provide missing information | Can you fill in this form? |
17 | Show up | Arrive or appear | He showed up late. |
18 | Look out | Be careful or watchful | Look out! A car is coming. |
19 | Break down | Stop working (machine) or collapse emotionally | My car broke down on the way. |
20 | Call off | Cancel | They called off the meeting. |
21 | Turn up | Arrive unexpectedly | He turned up at the last minute. |
22 | Check out | Look at or investigate | You should check out that new cafe. |
23 | Hold on | Wait | Hold on a second! |
24 | Let down | Disappoint someone | Don’t let me down this time. |
25 | Run into | Meet someone unexpectedly | I ran into an old friend yesterday. |
26 | Give up | Stop trying | Never give up on your dreams. |
27 | Work out | Exercise or resolve something | I work out every morning. |
28 | Look up | Search for information | Look it up on Google. |
29 | Pick up | Collect or learn something | I picked up some Spanish while traveling. |
30 | Drop by | Visit briefly | I’ll drop by after work. |
31 | Stick around | Stay in a place | Stick around, I’ll be back soon. |
32 | Pass out | Faint or lose consciousness | He passed out after the run. |
33 | Wake up | Stop sleeping | Wake up! It’s already 9 AM. |
34 | Cut in | Interrupt | She cut in while I was speaking. |
35 | Catch on | Understand or become popular | That trend is really catching on! |
36 | Go ahead | Proceed | Go ahead, I’m listening. |
37 | Come up | Be mentioned or arise | Your name came up in the meeting. |
38 | Pull up | Stop a vehicle | He pulled up in front of the shop. |
39 | Kick off | Begin something | The game kicks off at 7 PM. |
40 | Log in | Access a system | Log in to your account here. |
41 | Move on | Continue to the next thing | Let’s move on to the next topic. |
42 | Throw up | Vomit | I think I’m going to throw up. |
43 | Turn down | Reject | She turned down the offer. |
44 | Wrap up | Finish | Let’s wrap up the meeting. |
45 | Head out | Leave a place | I’m heading out now. |
46 | Call out | Challenge or accuse someone | She called him out for lying. |
47 | Hold back | Restrain or hesitate | He held back his anger. |
48 | Pull through | Recover or survive | She pulled through after the surgery. |
49 | Run out | Use up completely | We ran out of milk. |
50 | Take off | Become successful or leave quickly | Her career took off last year. |
51 | Fall for | Be tricked or fall in love | He fell for that scam. |
52 | Get by | Manage to survive | We get by on a small income. |
53 | Show off | Brag or display proudly | He likes to show off his car. |
54 | Speak up | Talk louder or express yourself | Please speak up, I can't hear you. |
55 | Cut out | Stop doing something | You need to cut out junk food. |
56 | Find out | Discover or learn | I just found out the truth. |
57 | Figure out | Solve or understand | Can you figure out the answer? |
58 | Get over | Recover from | It took me time to get over it. |
59 | Give in | Surrender or stop resisting | She gave in to the pressure. |
60 | Hang on | Wait or hold tightly | Hang on! We’re almost there. |
61 | Keep up | Maintain pace | Keep up the good work! |
62 | Look after | Take care of | I’ll look after the kids tonight. |
63 | Look into | Investigate | We’ll look into the matter. |
64 | Make up | Reconcile or invent | They made up after the fight. |
65 | Put off | Postpone | Let’s put off the meeting. |
66 | Set up | Arrange or establish | I’ll set up a call tomorrow. |
67 | Stand out | Be noticeable | Her talent really stands out. |
68 | Take over | Assume control | He took over the company. |
69 | Turn off | Stop a device or lose interest | That movie totally turned me off. |
70 | Warm up | Prepare or become friendly | The singer is warming up. |
71 | Break up | End a relationship | They broke up last month. |
72 | Carry on | Continue | Please carry on with your story. |
73 | Do over | Repeat | I had to do the test over. |
74 | Fall apart | Break into pieces or lose control | My plan is falling apart! |
75 | Get ahead | Succeed or progress | She’s getting ahead in her job. |
76 | Let go | Release or stop holding | Let go of the rope! |
77 | Mix up | Confuse things | I mixed up the dates. |
78 | Pull out | Withdraw | The company pulled out of the deal. |
79 | Run over | Hit with a vehicle | The car ran over a squirrel. |
80 | Take in | Understand or absorb | That’s a lot to take in. |
81 | Use up | Consume completely | We used up all the eggs. |
82 | Wind up | End up somewhere or in a situation | I wound up in the wrong place. |
83 | Zone out | Stop focusing | I zoned out during class again. |
84 | Go out | Leave for social activity | Let’s go out tonight! |
85 | Call up | Phone someone | I’ll call up my cousin later. |
86 | Drop out | Leave school or a course | He dropped out of college. |
87 | Fill out | Complete a form | Please fill out this form. |
88 | Hand out | Distribute | The teacher handed out papers. |
89 | Let in | Allow entry | Can you let me in? |
90 | Move in | Start living somewhere | We’re moving in next week. |
91 | Pass on | Give to another or die | He passed on the invitation. |
92 | Put up with | Tolerate | I can't put up with this noise! |
93 | Step down | Resign | The CEO stepped down. |
94 | Talk over | Discuss | We talked it over last night. |
95 | Turn around | Change direction or improve | The company turned around quickly. |
96 | Walk out | Leave suddenly | She walked out in anger. |
97 | Work on | Improve or develop | I’m working on my accent. |
98 | Back up | Support or reverse | I’ll back you up in the meeting. |
99 | Blow up | Explode or get very angry | He blew up after hearing the news. |
100 | Break in | Enter illegally | Someone broke in last night. |
💡 How to Learn and Use These Easily
- Use them in WhatsApp voice messages
- Watch Netflix or YouTube with subtitles
- Create mini-stories with 2–3 phrasal verbs
- Make emoji flashcards for fun learning
📢 Final Thoughts: Speak Real, Not Just Right!
Don’t just memorize English—live it! These spoken slang phrasal verbs make you sound more fluent, friendly, and natural. Use them in your chats, texts, and talks. Practice them daily and soon you'll be speaking like a native!
See also:
- Top 100+ Gen Z Slang Words & Meanings
- Morning English Routine: 10 Easy Habits to Speak Fluent English Before 8 AM
- I Know Grammar But Can’t Speak English – 9 Real Reasons (And How to Fix It!)
- Why English Learners Hesitate to Speak – And 7 Friendly Ways to Fix It
- How to Speak English Fluently Without Grammar? (Even If You're a Beginner!)
- How to Fix: My English is Bad, Terrible, or Poor — Easy Steps to Improve Your English Fast!
- What to Say When You Forget an English Word While Speaking – Easy Tips for Beginners
- Top 10 Spoken English Questions Beginners Ask (With Simple Expert Answers)
- How to Think Directly in English Without Translating: Simple Tips for Beginners
- Mirror Speaking Method: A 10-Minute Daily Spoken English Routine That Actually Works!
🧠 FAQs About Slang Phrasal Verbs
❓ What are slang phrasal verbs?
Slang phrasal verbs are informal combinations of verbs and particles used in everyday spoken English, often found in casual speech, text messages, or pop culture.
❓ Are slang phrasal verbs used in formal English?
No, they are informal and are mainly used in spoken English, casual writing, or text chats. Avoid using them in academic or professional documents.
❓ Are phrasal verbs important for fluency?
Yes! Mastering common and slang phrasal verbs helps you sound more natural, fluent, and confident when speaking English.
❓ Can slang phrasal verbs be used in IELTS or TOEFL?
Yes, they are helpful in IELTS Speaking or Listening sections, but avoid them in Writing tasks unless specifically appropriate.
❓ How can I learn slang phrasal verbs faster?
Watch shows with subtitles, chat with friends, use voice messages, and create mini-stories using phrasal verbs. Practice regularly!
❓ Can beginners use slang phrasal verbs?
Absolutely! Start with simple ones like “chill out” or “hang out” and use them in daily conversations.
❓ What are some daily use slang phrasal verbs?
Examples include: chill out, freak out, crash out, hang out, hit up, and zone out. These are used in everyday English speaking.
❓ Where are slang phrasal verbs most used?
You’ll hear them in movies, songs, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp chats, and casual conversations between native speakers.
❓ Is it okay to use slang phrasal verbs while chatting online?
Yes! In fact, they are very common in platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, and other messaging apps.
❓ What is the difference between a normal and a slang phrasal verb?
Normal phrasal verbs can be formal or neutral (like “take off” a coat), while slang ones are highly informal and trendy (like “crash out” or “freak out”).
📚 References
- Cambridge Dictionary. (2024). Phrasal verbs in spoken English. Retrieved from https://dictionary.cambridge.org
- Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (2024). Informal and slang phrasal verbs. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
- Wikipedia contributors. (2024). Phrasal verb. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrasal_verb
- YouGlish. (2024). Real-life pronunciation and examples. Retrieved from https://youglish.com
- FluentU. (2024). Phrasal verbs in movies and real-life videos. Retrieved from https://www.fluentu.com/blog/english/phrasal-verbs-in-movies/