phrasal verbs for feelings

Phrasal Verbs for Feelings: A Comprehensive Guide for English Learners

Phrasal verbs are combinations of verbs and prepositions or adverbs that create unique meanings. When it comes to expressing emotions and feelings, phrasal verbs are incredibly useful. This guide will help you understand common phrasal verbs related to feelings, their meanings, and how to use them in sentences.

1. Cheer up

Meaning: To become happier or to make someone happier.

• She was feeling sad, but her friends cheered her up with funny stories.
• I hope the sunny weather will cheer you up.
• He bought her flowers to cheer her up after a tough day.

2. Calm down

Meaning: To become less angry or upset; to relax.

• Take deep breaths to calm down before the interview.
• The teacher asked the noisy students to calm down.
• She couldn’t calm down after hearing the shocking news.

3. Break down

Meaning: To lose control of emotions and start crying.

• She broke down in tears when she heard about her grandfather’s passing.
• He broke down during the speech because it reminded him of his childhood.
• After holding it in for so long, she finally broke down and cried.

4. Freak out

Meaning: To become very anxious, scared, or excited.

• She freaked out when she saw a spider on her bed.
• Don’t freak out, but I have some bad news.
• He freaked out with excitement when he won the lottery.

5. Lighten up

Meaning: To become less serious or more cheerful.

• You need to lighten up and enjoy the party!
• After a stressful week, she decided to lighten up and watch a comedy.
• His jokes helped everyone lighten up during the meeting.

6. Get over

Meaning: To recover from an emotional difficulty.

• It took her months to get over her breakup.
• He couldn’t get over the disappointment of losing the match.
• You’ll get over your fear of public speaking with practice.

7. Work up

Meaning: To gradually develop a strong emotion.

• He worked up the courage to ask her out on a date.
• She worked up her anger after thinking about the unfair treatment.
• Don’t work yourself up over small problems.

8. Bottle up

Meaning: To suppress or hide emotions instead of expressing them.

• He tends to bottle up his feelings, which isn’t healthy.
• She bottled up her sadness and pretended everything was fine.
• Don’t bottle up your anger—talk about what’s bothering you.

9. Open up

Meaning: To start talking about one’s feelings.

• It took years for him to open up about his childhood trauma.
• She finally opened up to her best friend about her struggles.
• The therapist helped him open up and express his emotions.

10. Melt down

Meaning: To have an emotional collapse, often due to stress.

• The child had a meltdown in the supermarket because he wanted candy.
• After working 12-hour shifts, she finally had a meltdown.
• He was so overwhelmed that he melted down in front of his boss.

Exercises

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences with the correct phrasal verb from the list above.

1. She was so stressed that she had a complete __________ in the office.
2. He needs to __________ and stop taking everything so seriously.
3. It’s not good to __________ your emotions—talk to someone.
4. After months of sadness, she finally __________ her depression.
5. The comedian’s jokes helped everyone __________ during the tense meeting.

Exercise 2: Match the Phrasal Verb with Its Meaning

Phrasal Verb	Meaning
Cheer up	a. To recover from an emotional difficulty
Break down	b. To become happier
Get over	c. To lose control of emotions and cry
Open up	d. To start talking about feelings
Freak out	e. To become very anxious or scared

Answer Key

Exercise 1 Answers:

1. meltdown
2. lighten up
3. bottle up
4. got over
5. lighten up

Exercise 2 Answers:

Phrasal Verb	Correct Letter
Cheer up	b
Break down	c
Get over	a
Open up	d
Freak out	e