30 Phrasal Verbs for Free Time

30 Phrasal Verbs for Free Time (with Examples)

Hello English learners! Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we’re going to explore 30  phrasal verbs for free time, leisure, and everyday life. 

When we talk about relaxing, meeting friends, travelling, staying in, or starting new hobbies, native speakers almost always use phrasal verbs. If you want your English to sound more natural and fluent — especially at B2 and C1 level — these expressions are essential.

In this lesson, you will learn:

• phrasal verbs for relaxing and resting
• phrasal verbs for meeting people and socialising
• phrasal verbs for going out, travelling, and activities
• phrasal verbs for starting hobbies and daily routines

Let’s dive in.

Phrasal verbs for relaxing

Chill out – relax

• After a long week at work, I just want to chill out at home.
• You need to chill out and stop worrying so much.

Kick back – relax and do nothing

• We kicked back by the pool and enjoyed the sunshine.
• I just want to kick back and watch a film tonight.

Wind down – relax gradually

• I like to listen to music to wind down before bed.
• Let’s wind down the evening with a cup of tea.

Stay in – remain at home

• It’s raining, so let’s stay in and watch something.
• He prefers to stay in rather than go out.

Turn in – go to bed

• We were exhausted, so we turned in
• I usually read for a bit before I turn in.

Sleep in – sleep longer than usual

• I love to sleep in at weekends.
• We slept in and had a late breakfast.

Phrasal verbs for socialising

Hang out – spend time socially

• We usually hang out at the café after work.
• Sara usually hangs out with her friends at the weekends.

Catch up – meet and share news

• Let’s catch up over coffee.
• We spent the afternoon catching up with old friends.

Meet up – arrange to meet

• Let’s meet up tomorrow evening.
• I often meet up with my friends after work.

Get together – meet as a group

• The family gets together every summer.
• Let’s get together for a barbecue.

Join in – participate

• Don’t be shy — join in!
• She joined in the game with us.

Drop by / Pop in – visit briefly

• I’ll drop by later to say hello.
• I just wanted to pop in for a quick chat.

Show up – arrive (sometimes unexpectedly)

• A lot of people showed up at the party.
• He showed up late, as usual.

Phrasal verbs for going out and travelling

Go out – leave home for social activities

• How do you feel about going out tonight?
• They often go out for dinner on Fridays.

Get away – go on holiday / escape

• We’re getting away for the weekend.
• Monica really needs to get away and relax.

Set off – start a journey

• We set off early to avoid traffic.
• The hikers set off at dawn.

Go back – return

• We’re going back home tomorrow.
• I had to go back because I forgot my wallet.

See someone off – go to say goodbye before a journey

• We saw them off at the airport.
• Thanks for coming to see me off!

Get in – arrive (train/plane/bus)

• What time do we get in to Paris?
• The train got in

Get on / Get off – enter / leave transport

• We got on the bus just in time.
• We got off at the wrong stop.

Check in / Check out – arrive / leave a hotel or airport

• We checked in and went straight to the beach.
• We have to check out by 11.

Take off – leave suddenly / (plane) leave the ground

• We took off early in the morning.
• The plane took off on time.

Stop over – stay somewhere briefly on a journey

• We’ll stop over in Rome on the way to Spain.

Phrasal verbs for hobbies and activities

Take up – start a new hobby

• She took up
• He took up running last year.

Pick up – learn a new skill

• I picked up some Italian while travelling.
• She picked up knitting during the winter.

Work out – exercise

• I work out three times a week.
• Let’s work out at the park.

Take in – visit and enjoy sights / culture

• We took in the sights of the city.
• They took in a show at the theatre.

Look around / Check out – explore a place

• Let’s look around the old town.
• We should check out that new café.

Other Useful Ones

Catch on – become popular

• The idea quickly caught on.
• That game has really caught on.

Hang on – wait a moment

• Hang on, I’ll get my jacket.
• Hang on a second!

Goof off – waste time / not work seriously

• We spent the afternoon goofing off.
• He goofs off too much at work.

Final thought

Phrasal verbs are the secret sauce of natural English. If you can use these comfortably, your English will sound more fluent, more relaxed and more native-like.

And let’s be honest — free time is much more enjoyable when you can talk about it properly. 😉

Phrasal verbs related to free time

If you really want to learn English but don’t know how to do it and where to start, don’t hesitate to contact us. Book an online English lesson with one of our certified and experienced English teachers and take a test and consultation! Tap the banner to learn more!