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33 Common Phrasal Verbs Starting with L

Published on: May 8, 2026 | English-learning resource for L-initial phrasal verbs.

Phrasal verbs starting with L are very common in everyday English. Below you will find 33 common phrasal verbs starting with L, each with a short example sentence in English.

1. Lay off – stop doing something; dismiss from a job
   Example: The company had to lay off several workers.
2. Lay out – arrange or present clearly
   Example: She laid out the clothes for tomorrow.
3. Laugh off – treat something as unimportant by laughing
   Example: He laughed off the criticism.
4. Leave behind – forget or not take with you
   Example: I left my phone behind at home.
5. Leave out – omit
   Example: Don’t leave out any important details.
6. Let down – disappoint
   Example: I didn’t want to let my team down.
7. Let in – allow to enter
   Example: Please let the cat in.
8. Let off – excuse someone from punishment; make a device explode
   Example: The judge let him off with a warning.
9. Let on – reveal a secret
   Example: She didn’t let on that she knew the answer.
10. Let out – allow to leave; make a sound
    Example: The guard let the visitors out.
11. Lie ahead – be in the future
    Example: Difficult times lie ahead.
12. Lie down – rest in a horizontal position
    Example: I need to lie down for a few minutes.
13. Lift up – raise
    Example: He lifted up the box carefully.
14. Light up – become bright; make happy
    Example: Her face lit up when she heard the news.
15. Line up – arrange in a row; queue
    Example: Students lined up outside the classroom.
16. List out – write down in a list
    Example: Please list out all the items you need.
17. Live on – continue to exist; survive on something
    Example: Many traditions live on for centuries.
18. Live up to – be as good as expected
    Example: The film didn’t live up to my expectations.
19. Look after – take care of
    Example: She looks after her younger brother.
20. Look at – examine or consider
    Example: Let’s look at the problem again.
21. Look back – think about the past
    Example: She looked back on her childhood with joy.
22. Look down on – consider inferior
    Example: He looks down on people who make mistakes.
23. Look for – search for
    Example: I’m looking for my keys.
24. Look forward to – feel excited about something in the future
    Example: I’m looking forward to the weekend.
25. Look into – investigate
    Example: The police will look into the matter.
26. Look out – be careful
    Example: Look out! There’s a car coming.
27. Look over – check quickly
    Example: Please look over the document before signing.
28. Look through – examine carefully
    Example: She looked through the papers on the desk.
29. Look up – search for information; improve
    Example: I looked up the word in the dictionary.
30. Look up to – admire and respect
    Example: Many children look up to their teachers.
31. Lose out – fail to get an advantage
    Example: We may lose out if we wait too long.
32. Latch onto – understand quickly; hold on to
    Example: She latched onto the new idea immediately.
33. Log in – access a computer system or account
    Example: Please log in to your account.

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Content type: Educational English-learning resource. SEO-friendly list of phrasal verbs starting with L.