Phrasal Verbs Related to Health

Phrasal Verbs Related to Health

We all talk about health all the time — when we feel tired, when we catch a cold, when we finally recover, or when something simply doesn’t feel right. And in English, we rarely describe these things with just one simple word. Instead, we love using phrasal verbs. Phrasal Verbs Related to Health

You don’t usually say “I became ill” — you say “I came down with the flu.”
You don’t say “I recovered” — you say “I got over it.”
And if your stomach disagrees with you… well, you might even throw up (let’s hope not).

These small, everyday expressions appear constantly in real conversations, films, TV series, and Cambridge exams (B1–B2, FCE). They make your English sound more natural, fluent, and confident, native-like.

In today’s lesson, you’ll learn useful phrasal verbs related to health, with clear meanings and example sentences, so you can talk about illnesses, recovery, pain, and symptoms the way English speakers really do — without sounding like a medical textbook.

Let’s get you sounding healthy in English, even if your vocabulary has been feeling a bit under the weather lately. 😉

Break out

Meaning: to suddenly get a rash or similar.

• Mark broke out in a rash after eating peanut butter. We didn’t know he was allergic.
• When the wasp stung her, Sara broke out in a cold sweat.

Clog up

Meaning: to block.

• Diet rich in unhealthy fats will clog up your arteries sooner or later.
• I am having a sore throat, and my lungs seem clogged up.

 

Come down with

Meaning: to begin being ill.

• Sean is not coming to work today; he came down with the flu.
• Have you ever come down with measles?

Come round

Meaning: to become conscious again after an operation or similar.

• The patient’s coming round after the anaesthetics.
• Mary fainted, but she’s coming round. 

Fight off

Meaning: to defend yourself against an illness.

• The medicine is a good cure to fight off infection.
• Our immune system naturally fights off illness.

Get over

Meaning: to recover after an illness.

• It took him a few days to get over the operation.
• The doctor told me I will get over the flu more quickly if I drink vitamin C. 

Let up

Meaning: to become less strong.

• Mary had a fever all night but it let up by morning.
• The pain was so strong; I thought it’ll never let up.

Pick up

Meaning: to catch an illness,  especially if you’re travelling.

• I picked up a virus on my trip to Egypt.
• Our holiday was great until I picked up the flu and stayed in bed for three days.

Swell up

Meaning: when part of your body becomes bigger in size.

• Michael could see his leg swelling up when the bee stung him.
• The virus can cause swelling (up).

Throw up

Meaning: to vomit.

• The disgusting smell made him throw up.
• Mark was so sick that he threw up his food.

Do the quiz to perfect you knowledge:

 

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