20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

Hello, English learners! Welcome to a new lesson. If you drive or travel often, you know that road trips come with a whole set of expressions. In English, many phrasal verbs are connected to driving. They don’t just describe what happens on the road – many are also used in everyday life with figurative meanings. 20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

Let’s take a look at some of the most useful driving-related phrasal verbs with examples.

Pull over

Meaning: to move your car to the side of the road and stop.

• The police officer asked me to pull over.

Pull out

Meaning: to start moving onto a road or into traffic.

• Be careful when you pull out of the car park.

Pull in

Meaning: to arrive and stop somewhere.

• The bus pulled in right on time.

Pull up

Meaning: to stop a vehicle.

• He pulled up outside the café to pick his girlfriend up.

Pick up

Meaning: to collect someone in a vehicle.

• Can you pick me up from the station at 7?

20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

Drop off

Meaning: to take someone to a place and leave them there.

• I’ll drop you off at the airport.

Speed up

Meaning: to drive faster.

• We need to speed up if we want to catch the ferry.

Slow down

Meaning: to reduce speed.

• Slow down—there’s a school ahead.

Drive off

Meaning: to leave in a car.

• He drove off without saying goodbye.

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Run over

Meaning: to hit someone/something with a vehicle.

• The driver almost ran over a cyclist.

Turn off

Meaning: to leave the main road.

• Turn off at the next exit for Oxford.

20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

Turn around

Meaning: to drive back in the opposite direction.

• We missed the turning and had to turn around.

Cut in

Meaning: to suddenly move in front of another car.

• That car just cut in front of me!

Break down

Meaning: when a vehicle stops working.

• Our car broke down on the motorway.

Fill up

Meaning: to put petrol/diesel in the tank.

• I need to fill up before we leave.

Run out (of petrol)

Meaning: to use all of something and have none left.

• We ran out of petrol halfway home.

Pull away

Meaning: to start moving after being stopped.

• The car pulled away from the traffic lights.

20 Phrasal Verbs Related to Driving

Flag down

Meaning: to signal a vehicle to stop.

• He flagged down a taxi outside the hotel.

Back up

Meaning: to reverse a car.

• Could you back up a bit so I can park?

Write off

Meaning: when a car is too damaged to be repaired.

• The accident completely wrote off his car.

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Phrasal verbs related to driving

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