20 Useful Health Phrasal Verbs in English (With Meanings & Examples)

Expanding your vocabulary in health-related English helps you communicate more clearly in everyday conversations and medical situations. Health phrasal verbs are especially useful when talking about illness, recovery, symptoms, and physical conditions in a natural way.

In this lesson, you’ll learn a carefully selected list of health phrasal verbs in English with clear meanings, examples, pronunciation, and grammar notes. Special attention is given to confusing pairs such as come round vs. come to, shake off vs. fight off, and recovery-related verbs like get over and pull through.

List of Common Phrasal Verbs with Health

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1. Pass away
2. Break out
3. Fight off
4. Come to
5. Come round
6. Pass out
7. Get over
8. Come down with
9. Throw up
10. Block up
11. Lay (laid) up
12. Swell up
13. Clog up
14. Dose up (UK)
15. Let up
16. Shake off
17. Pick up
18. Pull through

Health Phrasal Verbs with Meaning and Examples

Pass away

🔊 Pronunciation: /pɑːs əˈweɪ/

📖 Meaning: To die (polite or indirect expression).

📝 Example: His grandmother passed away peacefully last year.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

🔄 Synonyms: Die

Break out

🔊 Pronunciation: /breɪk aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To suddenly develop skin problems such as a rash or spots.

📝 Example: I broke out in a rash after eating seafood.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

🔄 Synonyms: Develop a rash

Fight off

🔊 Pronunciation: /faɪt ɔːf/

📖 Meaning: To successfully resist an illness or infection.

📝 Example: She managed to fight off the flu with rest and fluids.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Separable

⚠️ Pronoun rule: Fight it off

🔄 Synonyms: Resist

Come to

🔊 Pronunciation: /kʌm tuː/

📖 Meaning: To regain consciousness (more common in American English).

📝 Example: He slowly came to after fainting.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Come round

🔊 Pronunciation: /kʌm raʊnd/

📖 Meaning: To regain consciousness (more common in British English).

📝 Example: She is coming round after the operation.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

🧠 Usage Note: Come round (UK) ≈ come to (US).

Pass out

🔊 Pronunciation: /pɑːs aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To lose consciousness.

📝 Example: He passed out because of the heat.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Get over

🔊 Pronunciation: /ɡet ˈoʊvər/

📖 Meaning: To recover from an illness or injury.

📝 Example: It took her two weeks to get over the flu.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Inseparable

🔄 Synonyms: Recover from

Come down with

🔊 Pronunciation: /kʌm daʊn wɪð/

📖 Meaning: To become ill with a disease.

📝 Example: I think I’m coming down with a cold.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Inseparable

Throw up

🔊 Pronunciation: /θroʊ ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To vomit.

📝 Example: She felt nauseous and threw up.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Block up

🔊 Pronunciation: /blɒk ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To become blocked or congested.

📝 Example: My nose is completely blocked up.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Lay (laid) up

🔊 Pronunciation: /leɪ ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To be confined to bed due to illness or injury.

📝 Example: He was laid up with a back injury.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Passive · Structure: Inseparable

Swell up

🔊 Pronunciation: /swel ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To become swollen.

📝 Example: Her ankle swelled up after the fall.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Clog up

🔊 Pronunciation: /klɒɡ ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To block something so it cannot function properly.

📝 Example: Fatty foods can clog up your arteries.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Separable

✅ Usage: Clog up the arteries / Clog the arteries up

Dose up (UK)

🔊 Pronunciation: /doʊs ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To take a large amount of medicine.

📝 Example: The doctor told him to dose up on painkillers.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Inseparable

✅ Usage: Dose up on something

Let up

🔊 Pronunciation: /let ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To decrease in intensity (often pain or symptoms).

📝 Example: The pain was intense at first, but it slowly lets up.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Shake off

🔊 Pronunciation: /ʃeɪk ɔːf/

📖 Meaning: To get rid of an illness.

📝 Example: I’m trying to shake off this cold before the weekend.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Separable

⚠️ Pronoun rule: Shake it off (NOT Shake off it)

Pick up

🔊 Pronunciation: /pɪk ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To catch an illness (often from another person).

📝 Example: He picked up a stomach bug at school.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Transitive · Structure: Separable

⚠️ Pronoun rule: Pick it up (NOT Pick up it)

Pull through

🔊 Pronunciation: /pʊl θruː/

📖 Meaning: To survive a serious illness or a dangerous medical condition.

📝 Example: The doctors weren’t sure at first, but he pulled through.

💡 Grammar Note: Type: Intransitive · Structure: Inseparable

Dialogue Examples with Phrasal Verbs with Health

Dialogue 1: Feeling Sick

A: You don’t look well. Are you okay?

B: I think I’m coming down with something. My nose is blocked up and I feel weak.

A: You should rest. Maybe you picked up a virus at the office.

B: Probably. I’m trying to fight it off with sleep and soup.

Dialogue 2: After an Emergency

A: What happened? Everyone looked worried.

B: He passed out suddenly, but he came to a minute later.

A: That’s scary. Is he okay now?

B: Yes, the doctor said he should recover. We’re just hoping he pulls through without complications.

Exercises with Answers

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

Complete each sentence with the correct phrasal verb.

1. I think I’m ________ ________ a cold.
2. My nose is ________ ________, so I can’t breathe well.
3. He ________ ________ during the heat and had to sit down.
4. It took her a long time to ________ ________ the flu.
5. The headache was bad, but it should ________ ________ after you rest.

Exercise 2: Choose the best option

Choose the correct phrasal verb to complete each sentence.

1. She ________ in a rash after trying a new skincare product. (broke out / pulled through)
2. I’m trying to ________ this infection with rest. (fight off / pass away)
3. After a few minutes, he finally ________. (came to / threw up)
4. He probably ________ a virus on the bus. (picked up / let up)
5. The pain was strong at first, but it started to ________. (let up / clog up)

Answer Key

Exercise 1

1. coming down with
2. blocked up
3. passed out
4. get over
5. let up

Exercise 2

1. broke out
2. fight off
3. came to
4. picked up
5. let up

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1) Is “come round” different from “come to”?

They mean the same thing: “regain consciousness.” Come round is more common in British English, while come to is more common in American English.

2) What’s the difference between “fight off” and “shake off”?

Fight off focuses on resisting an illness (often while it is happening). Shake off focuses on getting rid of an illness so you feel normal again.

3) Can “let up” describe an illness?

Usually, let up describes symptoms such as pain, pressure, or coughing becoming less intense, not the illness itself.

Conclusion

These health phrasal verbs help you talk about symptoms, illness, and recovery more naturally in English. To use them accurately, remember key differences like come round (UK) vs. come to (US), and study the grammar notes for separable verbs such as fight off, shake off, and pick up.

If you want to review later, you can download the PDF version of health phrasal verbs and practice the examples again.

Learn more:

• Sleep Phrasal Verbs
• Phrasal Verbs for Problems