Phrasal Verbs using Come, Go, and Stay
- michael0585
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Introduction - Phrasal Verbs using come, go, and stay
Why phrasal verbs are useful to know
Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs with prepositions or adverbs (e.g., "give up," "look after") that create new meanings.
They are common in everyday English and often sound more natural than formal alternatives.
Learning them improves your understanding and gives you greater fluency in English.
You will also sound more like a native speaker.
In this article I will give you 20 phrasal verbs for each of the verbs "come", "go", and "stay", with their meanings and example sentences to show how they are used.
Phrasal Verbs with "Come"
Come across – Find unexpectedly
I came across my old diary yesterday.
Come up with – Invent or suggest
She came up with a great marketing idea.
Come in – Enter
Come in and make yourself comfortable.
Come out – Become known or published
The truth finally came out during the trial.
Come over – Visit someone
Do you want to come over this weekend?
Come along – Accompany or progress
He asked if I wanted to come along to the concert.
My essay is coming along very well. I should finish writing it this evening.
Come down with – Become ill
He came down with a bad cold.
Come forward – Offer help or information
No one came forward with an explanation.
Come back – Return
She came back from London yesterday afternoon.
Come off – Succeed or detach
Their plan didn’t come off as expected.
The handle came off when I picked up the suitcase.
Come through – Succeed in a difficult situation
He came through in the final moments of the game.
Come around – Regain consciousness or change opinion
She fainted but came around quickly.
He finally came around after the plan was explained to him.
Come up – Arise or be mentioned
That topic came up during the meeting.
Your name came up at the party.
Come by – Obtain or visit briefly
Jobs like that are very hard to come by.
Come by tomorrow and I will make sure I'm home.
Come into – Inherit
She came into a large fortune after her aunt died.
Come on – Encourage or make progress
Come on, you can do better than that!
Come after – Pursue
The police came after the suspect quickly.
Come apart – Break into pieces
The toy came apart in my hands.
Come down to – Be reduced to
It all comes down to money in the end.
Come at – Approach or attack
He came at me with a knife.
Phrasal Verbs with "Go"
Go out – Leave home for social activities
If you go out to the movies, please make sure you lock the door.
We went out to dinner last night.
Go on – Continue or happen
The show must go on.
Go off – Explode or make a sudden noise
The fire alarm went off unexpectedly.
Go through – Experience something
They went through a tough breakup.
Go ahead – Proceed
You can go ahead with your plan now.
Go over – Review
Let's go over your answers.
Go up – Increase or ascend
Prices are going up everywhere.
Go down – Decrease or descend
The temperature went down last night.
Go back – Return to a place
He went back to his hometown.
Go by – Pass (time) or be known by
As the years go by, I’ve become more patient.
He goes by the name Thomas these days.
Go around – Circulate or visit
There’s a flu bug going around.
Why don't we go around and see him.
Go with – Match or accompany
That shirt goes with your jeans perfectly.
Go against – Oppose
It goes against my values.
Go in for – Enjoy or participate
She doesn’t go in for outdoor sports.
Why don't you go in for the race tomorrow?
Go off with – Leave with something/someone
He went off with my jacket!
Go under – Fail financially
The business went under last year.
Go without – Not have
We had to go without electricity all night.
Go through with – Complete something
He went through with the heart surgery.
Go by – Follow (rules or guidelines)
We have to go by the school's rules and regulations.
Go out with – Date someone
She’s going out with my brother.
Is she really going out with him?
Phrasal Verbs with "Stay"
"Stay" has fewer commonly used phrasal verbs than "come" or "go." Some expressions are idiomatic or less frequent, but I've included variations and colloquial uses.
Stay in – Remain indoors
We stayed in and watched a movie.
Stay out – Remain outside or away
He stayed out until midnight.
Stay up – Remain awake
I stayed up all night studying.
Stay behind – Remain after others have left
She stayed behind to clean up after the party.
Stay away (from) – Avoid
Stay away from that dog. It bites.
Stay over – Sleep at someone else’s place
Can I stay over at your place tonight?
Stay on – Continue after expected time
He stayed on after graduation to work at the university.
Stay back – Remain behind, often for safety
Please stay back from the fire.
Stay down – Remain hidden or on the ground/inability to keep from vomiting up food or water
Stay down until the danger is over.
Stay down so they won't see you.
She is so ill that nothing will stay down, not even water.
Stay out of – Avoid involvement
Stay out of their argument.
Stay together – Remain in a relationship or group
They decided to stay together for the kids.
Stay clear of – Avoid entirely
Stay clear of that area—it’s under construction.
Stay tuned – Keep watching or listening
Stay tuned for more updates.
Stay put – Remain in the same place
Don't go anywhere. Just stay put while I go get help.
Stay calm – Remain calm (figurative use)
Stay calm, and don’t panic.
Stay open – Remain open (physically or metaphorically)
The store often stays open until 9 p.m.
Stay alive – Remain living
After being shot, he fought hard to stay alive.
Stay strong – Remain mentally or physically strong
Make sure that you stay strong through the tough times.
Stay positive – Keep a positive attitude
Even when things get rough, try to stay positive.
Stay the course – Continue with determination
I know it’s hard, but you have to stay the course.
Conclusion
In this article, I have given you a list of phrasal verbs that use come. go, and stay.
I have given you the meaning of each one, as well as example sentences that show them being used.
A good idea is to write them in your notebook, so that you can refer to them easily.
Try to use them in your everyday speech.
Further Reading
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My name is Michael Finemore and I am the owner-operator of Apex English Tutoring.
As an experienced English Teacher, I'm passionate about helping people turn their 'poor' English into great English, with easy and effective ways to practice.
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