Daily Life & Routines

Everyday phrasal verbs for common activities

Introduction

Daily life is built on phrasal verbs. We "wake up," "get up," "clean up," "tidy up," and eventually "turn in" for the night. These expressions describe the rhythms of ordinary existence.

This chapter covers the phrasal verbs of daily routines: morning rituals, household tasks, personal care, and the small actions that make up our days.

Themes

All Phrasal Verbs in This Chapter (72)

• wake up To stop sleeping
• get up To rise from bed or a seated position
• turn on To start a device or appliance
• turn off To stop a device or appliance
• throw away To dispose of something in the rubbish
• tidy up To make a place neat and organized
• put on To dress in clothing or start playing media
• take off To remove clothing or leave the ground
• wash up To wash the dishes (British) or wash hands/face (American)
• hang up To end a phone call or place on a hook
• clear up To tidy; to resolve a problem; when weather improves
• pop in To visit briefly
• pop out To leave briefly
• lie in To stay in bed later than usual
• run out To use all of something so none is left
• put away To return something to its proper place
• lock up To secure a building by locking doors
• heat up To make something warmer
• cool down To become less hot; to become calmer
• fill up To make something completely full
• dry off To remove water from something or someone
• tuck in To put a child to bed; to start eating heartily
• nod off To fall asleep unintentionally
• freshen up To wash and make oneself presentable
• doze off To fall asleep lightly
• stock up To buy large quantities for future use
• top up To refill to the top
• dress up To wear formal or special clothes
• switch off To turn off; to stop paying attention
• switch on To turn on a device
• eat out To have a meal at a restaurant
• stay in To remain at home
• go out To leave home for entertainment
• tidy away To put things in their proper places
• lie down To recline on a surface
• sit down To take a seat
• stand up To rise to a standing position
• give back To return something to its owner
• take out To remove something; to go on a date
• bring back To return with something; to evoke memories
• come in To enter a place
• empty out To remove all contents
• turn in To go to bed
• crash out To fall asleep suddenly from exhaustion
• conk out To fall asleep suddenly or stop working
• dress down To wear casual clothes
• bundle up To dress warmly
• kick off To remove shoes quickly
• try on To test how clothes fit
• straighten up To tidy or stand up straight
• hoover up To vacuum or consume quickly
• wipe down To clean surfaces by wiping
• scrub down To clean thoroughly by scrubbing
• mop up To clean up liquid or finish off
• dust off To remove dust or reuse something old
• air out To ventilate or freshen
• hang out To put washing outside to dry
• hang up To put clothes on a hanger
• fold up To fold neatly
• iron out To press clothes smooth
• chop up To cut into pieces
• mix up To combine ingredients
• stir in To mix by stirring
• dish up To serve food
• serve up To provide or present food
• wolf down To eat very quickly
• gobble up To eat greedily
• pig out To eat a lot greedily
• load up To fill with items or eat a lot
• veg out To relax doing nothing
• potter about To do small tasks leisurely
• putter around To do small tasks leisurely