Phrasal Verbs 2: in/out

The Core Idea: in and out

In and out are two of the most common particles in phrasal verbs. At their simplest, they describe physical movement:

• in = entering a space (a room, a building, a vehicle, water)
• out = leaving a space

Direction	Example
in	The office door was open, so I walked in.
out	She grabbed her laptop bag and hurried out.

You already know verbs like go in, come in, walk in, and break in. The same logic works for out: go out, get out, move out, let somebody out.

in vs. into / out vs. out of

When the destination or origin is mentioned, use into or out of instead.

Without an object	With an object
I’m moving in on Monday.	I’m moving into my new apartment on Monday.
He climbed out quickly.	He climbed out of the pool quickly.

Think of in / out as the short version you use when the place is already clear from context.

Useful Phrasal Verbs with in

drop in

Drop in means to visit someone without planning it ahead of time. You pass by and decide to stop.

• I dropped in to see my former manager on the way back from the client meeting.
• If you’re ever near our office, drop in and say hello.

join in

Join in means to start taking part in an activity that other people are already doing.

• The team was brainstorming ideas for the campaign, so I joined in.
• Feel free to join in whenever you’re ready.

plug in

Plug in means to connect an electrical device to a power source.

• My laptop died because I forgot to plug the charger in.
• Make sure the projector is plugged in before the presentation starts.

take somebody in

Take somebody in means to fool or deceive them. It is often used in the passive: be taken in.

• The email looked official, but it was a scam. Several employees were taken in.
• Don’t be taken in by that fake invoice — always verify the sender.

fill in / fill out

Fill in (or fill out) a form or questionnaire means to write the required information on it. Both versions mean exactly the same thing.

• Please fill in the expense report and submit it by Friday.
• You need to fill out the onboarding form before your first day.

Useful Phrasal Verbs with out

eat out

Eat out means to have a meal at a restaurant instead of at home.

• Nobody felt like cooking after the conference, so we decided to eat out.
• Our team eats out together every Friday.

drop out (of)

Drop out of a course, programme, or race means to quit before finishing.

• She started the management training programme but dropped out after two months.
• Two runners dropped out of the marathon at the halfway point.

get out of

Get out of something you are supposed to do means to find a way to avoid doing it.

• I said I’d cover the Saturday shift. I don’t want to, but I can’t get out of it now.
• He always tries to get out of doing the monthly report.

leave out

Leave out means to not include something — to skip it or omit it.

• The summary is good, but you left out the sales figures for Q3.
• Make sure you don’t leave anything out when you write the handover notes.

cross out

Cross out means to draw a line through something written, usually to show it is wrong or no longer needed.

• If you make an error on the form, just cross it out and write the correct answer next to it.
• Several items on the agenda had been crossed out.

Quick Reference Table

Phrasal Verb	Meaning	Workplace Example
drop in	visit without planning	My old colleague dropped in at the office today.
join in	take part in an activity in progress	We were discussing the budget, and the CFO joined in.
plug in	connect to a power supply	Can you plug in the monitor for me?
take in	deceive, fool	Don’t be taken in by that phishing email.
fill in / out	complete a form	*Fill in the travel request before you book your flight.*
eat out	eat at a restaurant	The whole team ate out to celebrate the launch.
drop out (of)	quit before finishing	He dropped out of the certification course.
get out of	avoid doing something	I can’t get out of the client dinner tonight.
leave out	omit, not include	You left out an important detail in the proposal.
cross out	draw a line through	*Cross out any items that no longer apply.*

Quick Self-Check