The Ultimate FCE Phrasal Verbs List (100 Must-Know)
Master the top 100 FCE phrasal verbs list to pass Cambridge B2 First. Stop losing points in Use of English Part 4. Practice for free with PassFirst today!
Looking for the ultimate FCE phrasal verbs list? To pass the Cambridge B2 First exam, you must master the top 100 phrasal verbs. These are essential for Use of English Part 4, Reading, and Writing. Below is the complete table categorized by topic.
Why You Need This FCE Phrasal Verbs List
Phrasal verbs are the biggest fear for most B2 First candidates.
You study grammar for months. But when you face the real exam, a single missing preposition destroys your score. You lose silly points in Use of English Part 4 (Key Word Transformation) just because you forgot the difference between look into and look up.
It is incredibly frustrating. You hand in your writing practice to an expensive academy teacher. A week later, you get a paper covered in red ink. Why? Because your vocabulary was too basic. You paid €120 a month just to be told you should have used more phrasal verbs, but nobody showed you how.
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Create free accountThe Complete FCE Phrasal Verbs List (By Category)
Here are the 100 indispensable verbs you need for your Cambridge B2 First exam. Memorize them, but most importantly, practice them in context.
Relationships & Social Life
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Bring up | Mention a topic / Raise a child |
| Get along / Get on (with) | Have a good relationship with someone |
| Get together | Meet with people |
| Grow up | Become an adult |
| Look up to | Admire someone |
| Look down on | Feel superior to someone |
| Make up | Reconcile / Invent a story |
| Fall out (with) | Argue and stop speaking |
| Split up / Break up | End a relationship |
| Take after | Look or behave like a family member |
| Ask out | Invite someone on a date |
| Catch up (with) | Exchange the latest news |
| Count on | Rely on someone |
| Let down | Disappoint someone |
| Run into / Bump into | Meet someone by accident |
Routine, Work & Studies
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Carry out | Do or complete a task/experiment |
| Catch on | Become popular / Finally understand |
| Deal with / Cope with | Handle a problem |
| Drop out (of) | Quit a course or school |
| Fill in / Fill out | Complete a form |
| Hand in | Submit homework or a task |
| Keep up (with) | Move at the same speed |
| Look forward to | Feel excited about something (+ -ing) |
| Look into | Investigate a situation |
| Look up | Find information (in a dictionary) |
| Put off | Delay or postpone |
| Put up with | Tolerate a difficult situation |
| Take up | Start a new hobby |
| Work out | Calculate / Find a solution / Exercise |
| Fall behind | Make less progress than others |
| Turn in | Submit work / Go to bed |
| Set out / Set off | Start a project or journey |
| Go over | Review carefully |
| Lay off | Fire staff |
| Take over | Take control of something |
Communication & Expression
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Point out | Draw attention to a fact |
| Speak up | Speak louder / Express an opinion |
| Talk into | Persuade someone to do something |
| Talk out of | Persuade someone NOT to do something |
| Turn down | Reject an offer / Decrease volume |
| Come across | Give an impression / Find by chance |
| Get across | Communicate an idea clearly |
| Break in / Interrupt | Interrupt a conversation |
| Blurt out | Say something suddenly without thinking |
| Make out | Hear or see something with difficulty |
Changes, Movement & Travel
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Check in | Register at a hotel or airport |
| Check out | Leave a hotel / Investigate |
| Drop off | Take someone somewhere by car |
| Get in / Get out (of) | Enter / Leave a car |
| Get on / Get off | Enter / Leave a bus or train |
| Get away (with) | Escape punishment / Go on holiday |
| Head for / Head towards | Move in the direction of |
| Pick up | Collect someone in a car / Learn quickly |
| Set off / Set out | Start a journey |
| Speed up | Go faster |
| Slow down | Reduce speed |
| Stop over | Stay somewhere briefly during a journey |
| Pull over | Stop a vehicle by the side of the road |
| Turn back | Return the way you came |
| Move in / Move out | Start / Stop living in a house |
Unexpected Situations & Problems
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Break down | Stop working (machine) / Lose emotional control |
| Call off | Cancel an event |
| Come up | Happen unexpectedly |
| Come up with | Think of an idea or plan |
| End up | Reach a situation eventually |
| Face up to | Accept and deal with a problem |
| Give in | Surrender or agree to something |
| Give up | Stop a habit / Quit |
| Run out of | Have nothing left (time, money) |
| Turn out | Happen in a particular way |
| Wear out | Make someone tired / Damage by use |
| Blow up | Explode / Become suddenly famous |
| Sort out | Solve a problem |
| Pan out | Develop in a successful way |
| Die down | Become less intense or noisy |
Shopping, Money & Lifestyle
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Clear out | Tidy up and throw away things |
| Cut down on | Reduce the amount of |
| Dress up | Wear formal or special clothes |
| Pay back | Return money |
| Save up (for) | Keep money for a specific purpose |
| Shop around | Compare prices |
| Splash out | Spend a lot of money on a luxury |
| Take back | Return an item to a shop |
| Try on | Put on clothes to see if they fit |
| Wear off | Lose effect gradually |
Health, Mood & Body
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Pass out | Faint or lose consciousness |
| Get over | Recover from an illness |
| Come down with | Become sick with a minor illness |
| Pull through | Survive a serious illness |
| Cheer up | Become happier |
| Calm down | Become relaxed |
| Burn out | Become exhausted from overworking |
| Work off | Remove stress through exercise |
| Throw up | Vomit |
| Check up on | Make sure someone is okay |
Other Essential FCE Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning in English |
|---|---|
| Bring about | Cause something to happen |
| Carry on | Continue doing something |
| Go on | Happen / Continue |
| Hold on | Wait a moment |
| Look out / Watch out | Be careful |
| Show up / Turn up | Arrive or appear |
| Take off | Leave the ground / Become successful |
| Set up | Start a business or organization |
| Go off | Explode / Ring (alarm) / Go bad (food) |
| Stand out | Be easy to notice |
Pro-Tip for Cambridge Exams: In Use of English Part 4, you will often see a sentence where you must replace a standard verb with a phrasal verb. For example: Original sentence: "He invented a great story." Keyword: CAME. Answer: "He CAME UP WITH a great story." Always pay attention to the preposition!
How to Master the FCE Phrasal Verbs List
Reading an FCE phrasal verbs list is only the first step. To guarantee a high score, you must actively use them.
Do not try to memorize all 100 words in one day. Focus on 5 to 10 verbs per day. Write them in your own sentences and include them in your Essays, Articles, or Reviews to boost your "Language" score in the Cambridge rubric.
Stop wasting months at a traditional academy that moves too slow. Pass the First on your first try by preparing with intelligent, instant feedback.
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