Note that phrasal verbs are never written as a single word or with a hyphen.
3.84 Most phrasal verbs consist of two words. These are explained below in paragraphs 3.85 to 3.110. Three-word phrasal verbs are explained in paragraphs 3.111 to 3.113.
intransitive phrasal verbs with adverbs
3.85 Some phrasal verbs are used without an object. These phrasal verbs are generally verb plus adverb combinations.
Rosamund went away for a few days.
The boys were fooling around.
She must have dozed off.
3.86 Here is a list of phrasal verbs that consist of a verb and an adverb with no object:
back away
back down
back off
balance out
barge in
bear up
boil over
bounce back
bow down
bow out
branch out
break away
break out
butt in
camp out
cast about
catch on
change down
change up
check up
chip in
climb down
close in
cloud over
club together
come about
come along
come apart
come away
come back
come down
come forward
come in
come on
come out
come round
come to
come up
cool off
creep in
crop up
cry off
cuddle up
curl up
cut in
die away
die down
die out
dine out
double back
doze off
drag on
drop back
drop by
drop out
ease up
ebb away
end up
fade away
fade out
fall apart
fall away
fall back
fall behind
fall out
fall over
fall through
fight back
fizzle out
flare up
fool around
forge ahead
get about
get ahead
get along
get by
get up
give in
glaze over
go ahead
go along
go around
go away
go back
go down
go on
go out
go under
go up
grow up
hang back
hang together
hit out
hold on
land up
lash out
let up
lie back
lie down
live in
look ahead
look back
look in
loom up
make off
meet up
melt away
mount up
move off
move over
nod off
opt out
own up
pass away
pay up
pine away
play around
pop up
press ahead
press on
push ahead
push on
rear up
ride up
ring off
rise up
roll about
roll in
roll over
rot away
run away
run out
rush in
seize up
sell up
set in
settle down
settle in
settle up
shop around
simmer down
sink in
sit around
sit back
sit down
slip up
speak up
splash out
spring up
stand back
stand down
stand in
stand out
start out
stay in
stay on
stay up
steam up
step aside
step back
step down
step in
stick around
stock up
stop by
stop off
stop over
tag along
tail away
tail off
taper off
tick over
touch down
tune in
wade in
wait about
wait up
walk out
waste away
watch out
wear off
weigh in
intransitive phrasal verbs with prepositions: look after, call on
3.87 Other phrasal verbs used in intransitive clauses are verb plus preposition combinations. These are sometimes called prepositional verbs.
Ski trips now account for nearly half of all school visits.
I’m just asking for information.
…the arguments that stem from gossip.
Note that the nouns at the end of the above examples (nearly half of all school visits, information, and gossip) are objects of the prepositions and not direct objects of the verbs.
3.88 Here is a list of phrasal verbs that consist of a verb with no object and a preposition:
abide by
account for
allow for
answer for
ask after
ask for
bank on
bargain for
break into
break with
brood on
bump into
burst into
call for
call on
care for
come across
come between
come by
come for
come from
come into
come under
come upon
count on
cut across
dawn on
deal with
dispose of
draw on
drink to
dwell on
eat into
embark on
enter into
expand on
fall for
fall into
fall on
feel for
flick through
frown upon
get at
get into
get over
go about
go against
go for
grow on
hang onto
head for
hit on
hold with
jump at
keep to
laugh at
launch into
lay into
leap at
level with
lie behind
live for
live off
live with
look after
look into
look to
make for
meet with
part with
pick at
pick on
pitch into
plan for
plan on
play at
play on
poke at
pore over
provide for
puzzle over
rattle through
reason with
reckon on
reckon with
reckon without
rise above
romp through
run across
run into
run to
sail through
see to
seize on
set about
settle for
settle on
skate over
smile on
stand for
stem from
stick at
stick by
stumble across
stumble on
take after
take against
tamper with
tangle with
trifle with
tumble to
wade through
wait on
walk into
watch for
worry at
preposition or adverb: We looked around the old town, Would you like to look around?
3.89 In the case of some intransitive phrasal verbs, the second word (across, around, down, etc) is a preposition if the second thing involved needs to be mentioned, or can be an adverb if the second thing involved is clear from the context.
I could hang around your office.
We’ll have to hang around for a while.
They all crowded around the table.
Everyone crowded around to see him jump into the water.
3.90 Here is a list of intransitive phrasal verbs whose second word is a preposition if the other thing involved needs to be mentioned, or an adverb if it does not:
ask around
bend over
break through
bustle about
come across
come after
come along
come by
come down
come in
come off