Phrasal Verbs Related to Thinking: Meanings, Examples and Quiz

Hello English learners! In this lesson, you will learn the most useful phrasal verbs related to thinking, including their meanings, example sentences, and a quiz to help you use them confidently in everyday English.

If you want to sound more natural in English, phrasal verbs are well worth learning. They are especially common in everyday conversation, and they often appear in films, TV series, podcasts, and informal writing too.

This is particularly true when we talk about thinking, considering options, solving problems, remembering the past, or making decisions. Instead of always using verbs like consider, reflect, or calculate, native speakers often use phrasal verbs and expressions such as think over, figure out, work out, and sleep on it.

In this lesson, you will learn some of the most useful phrasal verbs and expressions related to thinking, with clear meanings and natural example sentences to help you remember them in context.

1. Think about

Meaning: to consider something carefully; to focus your mind on it.

• I need a bit more time to think about your offer.
• Have you ever thought about changing careers?

2. Think of

Meaning 1: to consider an idea or possibility.

Meaning 2: to remember someone or something.

• We’re thinking of moving to a quieter area.
• When I hear that song, I always think of my university days.

Tip:

Think about usually suggests careful consideration, while think of often means remember or have an idea in mind.

3. Think ahead

Meaning: to plan for the future and consider what might happen later.

• It’s always wise to think ahead when managing your money.
• We need to think ahead and book the hotel before prices go up.

4. Think through

Meaning: to think carefully about all parts and consequences of something before making a decision.

• You should think through the consequences before you quit your job.
• She took the weekend to think everything through.

5. Think over

Meaning: to consider something carefully before deciding.

• Let me think it over and I’ll give you an answer tomorrow.
• He spent a few days thinking over the proposal.

6. Think out

Meaning: to plan or consider something carefully and logically from beginning to end.

• We need to think out a better strategy before the meeting.
• She had clearly thought out every detail of the project.

More often, you will hear think something out.

7. Think back

Meaning: to direct your thoughts to the past; to remember something.

• When I think back to my childhood, I remember long summer evenings in the garden.
• He smiled as he thought back on his first day at work.

8. Think up

Meaning: to invent or create an idea, excuse, plan, or solution.

• We need to think up a name for the new café.
• She’s always thinking up clever ways to save time.

9. Figure out

Meaning: to understand something or find the answer to a problem.

• I can’t figure out why the printer isn’t working.
• It took me ages to figure out how to use the new app.

This is one of the most common expressions for solving a problem by thinking.

10. Work out

Meaning 1: to find the answer to something by thinking carefully.

Meaning 2: to calculate something.

• We’re trying to work out the best way to reduce costs.
• Can you work out how much we’ll need to spend?
• The police are still trying to work out what happened.
• I worked out the total, and it came to nearly £200.

11. Mull over

Meaning: to think carefully about something for a period of time, usually before making a decision.

• I need a day or two to mull over your suggestion.
• She sat quietly, mulling over what he had said.

This expression is slightly more advanced and very useful in both spoken and written English.

12. Sleep on it

Meaning: to wait until the next day before making a decision, so that you can think about it properly.

• It’s an important decision, so I’d like to sleep on it.
• Don’t answer immediately — sleep on it and tell me tomorrow.

A lovely expression, and a sensible one too. English has always had a soft spot for wisdom that arrives after a night’s sleep.

13. Put our heads together

Meaning: to work with someone else to think of a solution or idea.

• Let’s put our heads together and see if we can solve this problem.
• If we put our heads together, I’m sure we’ll come up with a good plan.

Strictly speaking, this is an idiomatic expression rather than a true phrasal verb, but it is very common and useful.

14. Think for yourself

Meaning: to form your own opinions instead of simply accepting what other people say.

• Good teachers encourage their students to think for themselves.
• You’re old enough to think for yourself now.

15. Muster up

Meaning: to gather enough courage, energy, or determination to do something.

• He finally mustered up the courage to tell her how he felt.
• I had to muster up all my confidence before the interview.

This expression is slightly different from the others because it focuses more on mental strength than on the thinking process itself, but it still belongs to the same general area of decision-making and inner effort.

Common patterns to notice

Many of these expressions are used with it or something:

• think it over
• figure it out
• work it out
• sleep on it
• think something through
• think something out

Learning the whole phrase, rather than just the verb, will help you sound much more natural.

Final thoughts

Phrasal verbs related to thinking are extremely useful because we use them whenever we make decisions, solve problems, remember the past, or plan for the future. They make your English sound more fluent, natural, and conversational.

Try not to memorise them as isolated items. Instead, learn them in context, notice the patterns, and practise them in your own sentences.

Here are a few good examples to remember:

• I need to think it over.
• We still haven’t figured it out.
• Let’s put our heads together.
• I’ll sleep on it.
• She thought up a brilliant idea.

That is where real progress begins — not with a hundred random lists, but with phrases you can actually use.

Do the quiz to perfect your knowledge:

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