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M Phrasal Verbs

33 Common Phrasal Verbs Starting with M

Published on: May 9, 2026 | English‑learning resource for M‑initial phrasal verbs.

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

1. Make up – invent, create, or reconcile
   Example: She made up a story to explain the delay.
2. Make up for – compensate for something
   Example: A good dinner made up for the bad day.
3. Make out – understand, see, or kiss
   Example: I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
4. Make for – move toward something
   Example: We made for the nearest exit.
5. Make off with – steal and leave with something
   Example: The thief made off with my wallet.
6. Make over – change the appearance of something
   Example: They made over the old house.
7. Move on – continue to the next stage
   Example: Let’s move on to the next topic.
8. Move in – begin living somewhere
   Example: They moved in last weekend.
9. Move out – leave a place to live elsewhere
   Example: He moved out of the apartment yesterday.
10. Move up – rise in position or move ahead
    Example: She moved up quickly in the company.
11. Mark down – reduce the price
    Example: The store marked down all winter clothes.
12. Mark up – increase the price
    Example: The shop marked up the items before selling them.
13. Mix up – confuse one thing with another
    Example: I mixed up the dates.
14. Mess up – make a mistake or ruin something
    Example: I really messed up the assignment.
15. Meet up – come together socially
    Example: We met up for coffee after class.
16. Meet with – have an official meeting
    Example: The manager met with the staff.
17. Match up – correspond or compare well
    Example: The details don’t match up.
18. Miss out – fail to experience something
    Example: Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
19. Move ahead – progress
    Example: The project is moving ahead smoothly.
20. Move around – change position often
    Example: The children kept moving around during the lesson.
21. Mull over – think carefully about something
    Example: I need time to mull over your offer.
22. Max out – reach the limit
    Example: I maxed out my credit card.
23. Make do – manage with what is available
    Example: We had to make do with less money.
24. Make off – leave quickly
    Example: They made off before the police arrived.
25. Mop up – clean up a spill; finish something
    Example: She mopped up the water on the floor.
26. Move against – oppose or attack
    Example: The group moved against the new policy.
27. Measure up – be good enough
    Example: He didn’t measure up to the team’s standards.
28. Mix with – spend time with others
    Example: She likes to mix with people from different countries.
29. Muster up – gather or find courage
    Example: He mustered up the courage to speak.
30. Make out with – kiss someone passionately
    Example: They made out with each other at the party.
31. Muddle up – confuse
    Example: I muddled up the instructions.
32. Move into – enter a new place to live or work
    Example: They moved into a bigger office.
33. Mind out – be careful
    Example: Mind out, there’s a step here.