22 Useful Phrasal Verbs for Shopping (With Meanings & Examples)

When you go shopping, you naturally use many shopping phrasal verbs without even realizing it. These expressions help you talk about choosing items, trying on clothes, paying, and returning products in a clear and natural way.

In this lesson, you’ll learn a carefully organized list of common phrasal verbs for shopping, complete with pronunciation, meanings, grammar notes, and real-life examples. They are grouped by shopping stages to make them easier to understand and remember.

List of Common Phrasal Verbs for Shopping

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1. Bring back
2. Bring down
3. Do up (UK)
4. Go with something
5. Look out for
6. Pay for
7. Pay off
8. Pick out
9. Pop into
10. Put on
11. Queue up / Line up
12. Ring up
13. Sell out
14. Set (someone) back
15. Shop around
16. Splash out (UK)
17. Stand out
18. Stock up
19. Take off
20. Try on
21. Try out
22. Wear in (UK)

Shopping Phrasal Verbs with Meaning and Examples

Bring back

🔊 Pronunciation: /brɪŋ bæk/

📖 Meaning: To return an item to the store after buying it.

📝 Example: If the shoes don’t fit, you can bring them back for a refund.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable (bring it back)

Bring down

🔊 Pronunciation: /brɪŋ daʊn/

📖 Meaning: To reduce prices (usually done by a store).

📝 Example: The store decided to bring down prices during the sale.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Do up (UK)

🔊 Pronunciation: /duː ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To fasten clothing, such as a zipper or buttons.

📝 Example: Can you help me do up the zipper on this dress?

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Go with something

🔊 Pronunciation: /ɡəʊ wɪð/

📖 Meaning: To match or look good together.

📝 Example: This scarf goes well with your coat.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Look out for

🔊 Pronunciation: /lʊk aʊt fɔːr/

📖 Meaning: To watch carefully for something you want.

📝 Example: Look out for discounts at your favorite stores.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Pay for

🔊 Pronunciation: /peɪ fɔːr/

📖 Meaning: To give money in exchange for goods.

📝 Example: I need to pay for these groceries.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Inseparable

Pay off

🔊 Pronunciation: /peɪ ɒf/

📖 Meaning: To finish paying all the money you owe for something.

📝 Example: She finally paid off her credit card bill.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Pick out

🔊 Pronunciation: /pɪk aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To choose something from a group.

📝 Example: He helped me pick out a birthday gift.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable (pick it out)

Pop into

🔊 Pronunciation: /pɒp ˈɪntuː/

📖 Meaning: To visit a store for a short time.

📝 Example: I’ll pop into the shop to grab some milk.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Put on

🔊 Pronunciation: /pʊt ɒn/

📖 Meaning: To wear clothing (often in a fitting room).

📝 Example: She put on the jacket to see how it looked.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Queue up / Line up

🔊 Pronunciation: /kjuː ʌp/ – /laɪn ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To wait in a line to pay or receive something.

📝 Example: Customers had to queue up at the checkout.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Ring up

🔊 Pronunciation: /rɪŋ ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To record a purchase using a cash register.

📝 Example: The cashier rang up my items quickly.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable (ring it up)

Sell out

🔊 Pronunciation: /sel aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To have no more of an item left.

📝 Example: The store sold out of the popular sneakers.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Set (someone) back

🔊 Pronunciation: /set bæk/

📖 Meaning: To cost someone a certain amount of money.

📝 Example: The jacket set me back $150.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Object required

Shop around

🔊 Pronunciation: /ʃɒp əˈraʊnd/

📖 Meaning: To compare prices at different stores.

📝 Example: It’s smart to shop around before buying electronics.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Splash out (UK)

🔊 Pronunciation: /splæʃ aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To spend a lot of money on something special.

📝 Example: They splashed out on a luxury watch.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Stand out

🔊 Pronunciation: /stænd aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To be easily noticed.

📝 Example: That bright dress really stands out.

💡 Grammar Note: Intransitive – Inseparable

Stock up

🔊 Pronunciation: /stɒk ʌp/

📖 Meaning: To buy large quantities for future use.

📝 Example: We stocked up on food before the holiday.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Take off

🔊 Pronunciation: /teɪk ɒf/

📖 Meaning: To remove clothing (usually in a fitting room).

📝 Example: He took off the jacket after trying it on.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Try on

🔊 Pronunciation: /traɪ ɒn/

📖 Meaning: To put on clothes to see if they fit.

📝 Example: You should try it on before buying.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable (try it on ❌ try on it)

Try out

🔊 Pronunciation: /traɪ aʊt/

📖 Meaning: To test a product before purchasing.

📝 Example: Customers can try out the headphones in-store.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Wear in (UK)

🔊 Pronunciation: /weə(r) ɪn/

📖 Meaning: To make new clothes or shoes comfortable by wearing them.

📝 Example: These shoes need to be worn in.

💡 Grammar Note: Transitive – Separable

Dialogue Examples with Shopping Phrasal Verbs

Dialogue 1

A: Do you want to try on that jacket?

B: Yes, I’ll put it on and see if it fits.

A: That color really goes with your jeans.

B: I like it too. If it’s too expensive, I might shop around first.

Dialogue 2

A: This phone is really expensive.

B: True, but I’ve paid off my credit card, so I might splash out.

A: Let’s look out for discounts before buying it.

B: Good idea. If the store has sold out, we can pop into another shop.

Exercises with Answers

Exercise 1: Fill in the blanks

Complete the sentences using the correct shopping phrasal verbs.

1. You should ______ around before buying a laptop.
2. The shoes ______ me back $120.
3. Please ______ the items at the counter.
4. If it doesn’t fit, you can ______ it back.
5. She decided to ______ out on a designer bag.

Answer Key

1. shop
2. set
3. ring up
4. bring
5. splash

Exercise 2: Choose the correct phrasal verb

Choose the correct answer to complete each sentence.

1. I want to ______ this dress before I decide.
   (try on / pay for)
2. The store has ______ all the popular sizes.
   (sold out / set back)
3. This jacket really ______ your shoes.
   (goes with / picks out)
4. He decided to ______ on a luxury watch.
   (splash out / bring back)
5. If the shirt is too small, you can ______ it to the shop.
   (bring back / ring up)

Answer Key

1. try on
2. sold out
3. goes with
4. splash out
5. bring back 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What’s the difference between “pay for” and “pay off”?

A: Pay for means giving money for a purchase, while pay off means finishing all payments for something, often a debt or installment.

Q2: What’s the difference between “try on” and “try out”?

A: Try on is used for clothing to see if it fits or looks good, while try out means testing a product or service before deciding to buy it. 

Conclusion

Learning these shopping phrasal verbs will help you communicate more naturally when shopping in English. Practice them in real-life situations to build confidence.

👉 Download the PDF of shopping phrasal verbs to study offline.

👉 Learn more with:

• Phrasal Verbs for Travel
• Phrasal Verbs Around the House

Phrasal Verbs for Shopping | Video