Top 50 Business English Phrasal Verbs with Meanings and Examples

Phrasal verbs are essential in Business English, frequently appearing in meetings, emails, negotiations, and office communication. This list of 50 business-related phrasal verbs will help you sound more professional, confident, and fluent in workplace interactions.

1. Bring up – To mention a topic
   She brought up an important issue during the meeting.
2. Call off – To cancel
   The manager called off the meeting due to an emergency.
3. Come up with – To create or generate an idea
   We need to come up with a new marketing strategy.
4. Follow up – To check progress on something
   I’ll follow up with the client next week.
5. Look into – To investigate
   The team is looking into the customer complaints.
6. Run through – To review or explain quickly
   Let’s run through the presentation one more time.
7. Turn down – To reject an offer
   They turned down our proposal due to budget issues.
8. Get across – To communicate clearly
   It’s important to get across our main message in the pitch.
9. Set up – To arrange or establish
   Can you set up a meeting with the new supplier?
10. Work out – To solve or find a solution
    We need to work out a new pricing strategy.
11. Put forward – To suggest or propose
    He put forward an interesting idea during the meeting.
12. Lay out – To present information clearly
    She laid out the financial plan in her report.
13. Back up – To support with evidence
    Make sure you back up your argument with data.
14. Bring in – To involve or introduce
    We should bring in an expert to help with this project.
15. Go over – To review in detail
    Let’s go over the report before submitting it.
16. Get through – To complete a difficult task
    We finally got through the negotiation process.
17. Look over – To examine carefully
    Please look over the contract before signing.
18. Sort out – To organize or fix a problem
    We need to sort out these customer complaints quickly.
19. Move forward – To proceed with a plan
    The project is ready to move forward next month.
20. Point out – To highlight or mention something important
    He pointed out a flaw in the budget plan.
21. Get back to – To respond to someone later
    I’ll get back to you with more details soon.
22. Write up – To prepare a written document
    She wrote up the minutes of the meeting.
23. Bring down – To reduce costs
    We need to bring down production expenses.
24. Keep up with – To stay informed or updated
    It’s hard to keep up with all the industry trends.
25. Check in – To update or touch base
    Let’s check in later to discuss progress.
26. Go ahead – To proceed with something
    We got approval to go ahead with the project.
27. Fill out – To complete a form
    Please fill out this application form.
28. Hand in – To submit something
    He handed in his resignation yesterday.
29. Keep to – To follow a schedule or rule
    Try to keep to the deadline for this report.
30. Note down – To write information
    I noted down key points from the call.
31. Pass on – To give information to someone else
    I’ll pass on your message to the manager.
32. Follow through – To complete a task
    She always follows through on her commitments.
33. Step up – To take more responsibility
    We need someone to step up and lead this team.
34. Close down – To shut a business permanently
    The company closed down due to financial issues.
35. Pull out – To withdraw from an agreement
    They pulled out of the deal at the last moment.
36. Put off – To delay
    We had to put off the launch due to technical issues.
37. Settle on – To decide on something
    We finally settled on a new advertising strategy.
38. Wrap up – To finish
    Let’s wrap up the meeting and go to lunch.
39. Step down – To resign or leave a position
    The CEO stepped down after five years.
40. Follow up on – To continue checking on something
    Can you follow up on that client request?
41. Take over – To assume control
    She took over the leadership of the department.
42. Hand over – To transfer responsibility
    He handed over the project to his colleague before leaving.
43. Keep up – To maintain performance
    It’s important to keep up with industry changes.
44. Look after – To take care of
    She looks after the company’s marketing strategies.
45. Deal with – To manage a situation
    We need to deal with these client complaints immediately.
46. Carry out – To complete a task
    The team carried out extensive research before the launch.
47. Think over – To consider carefully
    Take some time to think over the proposal before deciding.
48. Go by – To follow (a rule)
    We need to go by the company guidelines.
49. Hold off – To delay action
    Let’s hold off on making the final decision until next week.
50. Look forward to – To anticipate positively
    I look forward to working with you.

Business English Phrasal Verbs Quiz

1. We need to ______ a new marketing strategy before the deadline.
   • a) Come up with
   • b) Put off
   • c) Look into
2. The CEO ______ from his position last month.
   • a) Took over
   • b) Stepped down
   • c) Brought up
3. Can you ______ this report before I submit it?
   • a) Look over
   • b) Bring up
   • c) Hand in
4. She will ______ the team while the manager is away.
   • a) Take over
   • b) Hand in
   • c) Follow up
5. The company had to ______ its expansion plans due to budget cuts.
   • a) Carry out
   • b) Put off
   • c) Keep up with
6. Let’s ______ the proposal before we finalize it.
   • a) Go over
   • b) Look after
   • c) Take over
7. He ______ an interesting idea at the meeting.
   • a) Brought up
   • b) Turned down
   • c) Wrapped up
8. The manager asked me to ______ key points from the meeting.
   • a) Note down
   • b) Keep to
   • c) Step up
9. We need to ______ these issues before launching the product.
   • a) Sort out
   • b) Bring in
   • c) Hold off
10. The company is trying to ______ its production costs.

• • a) Bring down
  • b) Work out
  • c) Follow up

1. a) Come up with
2. b) Stepped down
3. a) Look over
4. a) Take over
5. b) Put off
6. a) Go over
7. a) Brought up
8. a) Note down
9. a) Sort out
10. a) Bring down