Mastering 9 Phrasal Verbs with SEND: Meanings and Examples

Phrasal verbs with SEND are common in everyday English, especially when talking about communication, delivery, requests, and dispatching people or things. However, many learners find these expressions confusing because the meanings are not always literal.

In this lesson, you’ll learn the most essential phrasal verbs with SEND, with accurate meanings, natural examples, pronunciation, and grammar notes. Special attention is given to avoiding unnatural meanings and to distinguishing between everyday English and formal writing.

List of Common Phrasal Verbs with SEND

Here are the most frequently used phrasal verbs with send in daily communication and professional contexts:

Common phrasal verbs with send including send away, send back, send in, send out, send for, send off, send down, send away for, and send up

Send away
Send away for
Send back
Send down
Send off
Send in
Send out
Send for
Send up

Phrasal Verbs with SEND: Meaning and Examples

Below is a comprehensive breakdown of each phrasal verb with send, organized with clear meanings, real-world examples, and essential grammar rules.

Send away

/send əˈweɪ/ transitiveinseparable

📖 1 To tell someone to leave or dismiss them

The manager sent away the customer who was causing trouble.

📖 2 To send someone to a distant place, often implying separation or removal

His parents decided to send him away to boarding school.

🔄 Synonyms: dismissremove

Send away for

/send əˈweɪ fɔːr/ transitiveinseparable

📖 To order or request something to be delivered to you

They sent away for a replacement part.

🔄 Synonyms: orderrequest

Send back

/send bæk/ transitiveseparable

📖 To return something to its original sender or place

She had to send back the dress because it didn’t fit.

🔄 Synonyms: returngive back

Send down

/send daʊn/ transitiveinseparable

📖 1 To expel a student from a university (British English)

He was sent down for cheating on the exam.

📖 2 To sentence someone to prison (informal)

The judge sent him down for five years.

📖 3 To move a player to a lower-level team (sports, American English)

The club sent down the pitcher to the minor leagues.

🔄 Synonyms: expelimprison

The first four phrasal verbs with send focus on dismissal, ordering, returning, and removal. “Send away” and “send away for” emphasize distance and requests, while “send back” centers on returns, and “send down” covers expulsion, sentencing, and demotion in specific contexts.

Send off

/send ɒf/ transitiveseparable

📖 1 To dispatch or mail something, especially packages and parcels

They sent off the parcel this morning.

📖 2 To say goodbye to someone formally as they leave

We went to the airport to send him off on his journey.

🔄 Synonyms: dispatchmail

Send in

/send ɪn/ transitiveinseparable

📖 To submit something for review or approval

Please send in your application by Friday.

🔄 Synonyms: submithand in

Send out

/send aʊt/ transitiveseparable

📖 To distribute something to many people

The company sent out invitations to all clients.

🔄 Synonyms: distributebroadcast

Send for

/send fɔːr/ transitiveinseparable

📖 1 To request someone to come to your location

The doctor sent for a specialist to consult.

📖 2 To order something to be delivered

When the printer broke, we sent for the technician.

🔄 Synonyms: summoncall for

Send up

/send ʌp/ transitiveseparable

📖 1 To mock or imitate someone humorously (British English)

The comedian loves to send up politicians in his shows.

📖 2 To imprison someone (informal/slang, rare)

He was sent up for tax fraud.

🔄 Synonyms: parodymock

Common Mistakes with Phrasal Verbs with SEND

Learners often confuse similar phrasal verbs with send. Here are three common mistakes and how to correct them:

❌ Wrong “I’ll send out the letter back to the customer.” (Incorrect—mixing two phrasal verbs)

✅ Correct “I’ll send back the letter to the customer.” OR “I’ll send out letters to all customers.” (Correct—send back = return; send out = distribute)

❌ Wrong “Please send in your documents to everyone in the office.” (Incorrect—send in is for submission, not distribution)

✅ Correct “Please send in your documents by Friday.” OR “Please send out documents to everyone in the office.” (Correct—send in = submit; send out = distribute)

❌ Wrong “I’ll send for the package from the store.” (Incorrect—send for means to request someone/something to come to you, not to request it elsewhere)

✅ Correct “I’ll send away for the package from the store.” OR “I’ll send for the delivery to arrive.” (Correct—send away for = order something; send for = request to come)

Key Grammar Notes

Dialogue Examples with Phrasal Verbs with SEND

💬 Office Communication: Sending Documents

A: Have you sent in your report yet?
B: Yes, I sent in my report and all supporting documents yesterday.
A: Great! Did you send for the additional data we discussed?
B: Yes, I sent for the updated files from the archive department.
A: What about the invitations for the conference?
B: I’ll send out the invitations this afternoon to all attendees.
A: Perfect. And the defective equipment?
B: We already sent back the printer to the supplier last week.
A: Excellent work. Let me know if the supplier sends for any additional information.
B: I will. I expect everything to be processed smoothly.

Keep expanding your skills by exploring lessons like Phrasal Verbs with SEE, Phrasal Verbs with COME, and Phrasal Verbs with GET to see how these expressions work in everyday English.