245 most popular English irregular verbs

• beto exist; to occupy a state
• doto perform; to carry out
• haveTo possess, own, To hold
• getTo obtain; to acquire, To receive, To have. See usage notes
• goto move; to proceed
• knowTo perceive the truth or factuality of; to be certain of; to be certain that, To be or become aware or cognizant, To be aware of; to be cognizant of
• comeTo move nearer to the point of perspective, To move toward the speaker, To move toward the listener
• thinkTo ponder, to go over in one's mind, To have in one's mind; to say to oneself mentally
• seeTo perceive or detect someone or something with the eyes, or as if by sight, To witness or observe by personal experience
• sayto utter in words; to state
• takeTo get into one's hands, possession, or control
• tellTo determine the number, amount, or value of
• letTo allow to, not to prevent, To allow to be or do without interference; to not disturb or meddle with; to leave alone
• makeTo build, construct, produce
• giveTo transfer one's possession or holding of to, To make a present or gift of, To pledge
• findTo encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon, To encounter or discover something being searched for; to locate, To locate on behalf of another
• leaveTo cause or allow to remain as available; to refrain from taking away; to stop short of consuming or otherwise depleting entirely, To cause, to result in
• feelTo become aware of through the skin; to use the sense of touch on, To find one's way by touching or using cautious movements, To receive information by touch or by any neurons other than those responsible for sight
• winTo conquer, defeat, To reach some destination or object
• keepTo continue in ; to not intermit or fall from; to uphold or maintain, To remain faithful to a given promise or word, To maintain possession of
• putTo physically place, To place in abstract; to attach or attribute; to assign, To bring or set
• mustTo do as a requirement; indicates that the sentence subject is required as an imperative or directive to execute the sentence predicate, with failure to do so resulting in a failure or negative consequence, To do with certainty; indicates that the speaker is certain that the subject will have executed the predicate
• showTo display, to have somebody see, To bestow; to confer
• runTo move forward quickly upon two feet by alternately making a short jump off either foot, To go at a fast pace; to move quickly, To cover by running
• bringTo transport toward somebody/somewhere, To supply or contribute, To occasion or bring about
• understandTo know the meaning of; to parse or have parsed correctly; to comprehend, To know the meaning of, To be thoroughly familiar with; to be able to undertake properly
• loseTo cease to have in one's possession or capability, To have removed from one's body, especially by accident
• might(modal) to be able or permitted; past of “may”
• breakTo separate into two or more pieces, to fracture or crack, by a process that cannot easily be reversed for reassembly
• hearto perceive with the ear
• payTo give money or other compensation to in exchange for goods or services, To discharge, as a debt or other obligation
• eatTo consume by putting it into the mouth and swallowing it, To consume a meal, To be eaten
• shootTo fire, To fire a projectile at, To cause a weapon to discharge a projectile
• sitTo be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks, To move oneself into such a position, To occupy a given position
• speakTo communicate with one's voice, to say words out loud, To have a conversation
• sendTo make something go from one place to another, To get one going; move to excitement or rapture; to delight or thrill, To amuse greatly or otherwise stun by absurdity
• meanTo intend, to plan ; to have as one's intention, To have as intentions of a given kind
• sleepTo rest in a state of reduced consciousness, To have sexual intercourse, To accommodate in beds
• fightTo engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with, To conduct or engage in
• standTo support oneself on the feet in an erect position, To rise to one’s feet; to stand up, To remain motionless
• meetTo come face to face with by accident; to encounter, To come face to face with someone by arrangement, To get acquainted with someone
• lieTo rest in a horizontal position on a surface, To be placed or situated, To abide; to remain for a longer or shorter time; to be in a certain state or condition
• writeTo form letters, words or symbols on a surface in order to communicate, To be the author of
• buyTo obtain in exchange for money or goods, To obtain, especially by some sacrifice
• becometo come to be
• hitTo administer a blow to, directly or with a weapon or missile, To come into contact with forcefully and suddenly
• hurtTo cause physical pain and/or injury, To cause emotional pain, To be painful
• readTo look at and interpret letters or other information that is written, To be understood or physically read in a specific way, To read a work or works written by the named author
• driveTo operate, To travel by operating a wheeled motorized vehicle, To convey in a wheeled motorized vehicle
• setTo put down, to rest, To attach or affix to something else
• shutto close
• catchto seize; to capture
• cutTo perform an incision on, for example with a knife, To divide with a knife
• shall(modal) expressing futurity or determination
• buildTo form by combining materials or parts, To develop or give form to according to a plan or process, To increase or strengthen by adding gradually to
• hangTo be or remain suspended, To float, as if suspended
• throwTo hurl; to release with some force from one’s hands, an apparatus, etc. so that it moves rapidly through the air
• beginTo start, to initiate or take the first step into something, To come into existence
• singTo produce musical or harmonious sounds with one’s voice, To perform a vocal part in a musical composition, regardless of technique
• stealTo take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it
• beatto strike repeatedly; to defeat
• drinkTo consume through the mouth, To consume the liquid contained within, To consume alcoholic beverages
• leadto guide; to be in charge of
• flyto move through the air
• wakeTo stop sleeping, To make somebody stop sleeping; to rouse from sleep, To put in motion or action; to arouse; to excite
• teachTo pass on knowledge to, To pass on knowledge generally, especially as one's profession; to act as a teacher
• betto wager
• ringto sound, as a bell does; to telephone
• holdTo grasp or grip, To contain or store, To have and keep possession of something
• chooseTo pick; to make the choice of; to select, To elect, To decide to act in a certain way
• fixTo pierce; now generally replaced by transfix, to direct at someone, To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time
• wedTo perform the marriage ceremony for; to join in matrimony, To take as one's spouse, To take a spouse
• wearTo carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment
• spendTo pay out, To bestow; to employ; often with on or upon, To squander
• sellTo transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money, To be sold, To promote although not being paid in any direct way or at all
• riseTo move upwards, To grow upward; to attain a certain height, To slope upward
• bearto carry; to endure; to give birth to
• drawTo pull in a particular direction or manner, To move in a particular direction, Often followed by tight: to pull so that it tightens or wraps around something more closely
• hideTo put in a place where it will be out of sight or harder to discover, To put oneself in a place where one will be out of sight or harder to find
• grindTo reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion, To shape with the force of friction, To remove material by rubbing with an abrasive surface
• layTo place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position, To cause to subside or abate
• fallTo move to a lower position under the effect of gravity, To come down, to drop or descend
• stickto attach or adhere; to pierce
• quitto leave; to stop; to resign
• upsetto overturn; to disturb
• growTo become larger, to increase in magnitude, To undergo growth; to be present
• costTo incur a charge of; to require payment of a price, To cause something to be lost; to cause the expenditure or relinquishment of, To require to be borne or suffered; to cause
• lightto ignite; to illuminate
• shoeto fit with shoes
• ridto free from; to clear away
• blowTo produce an air current, To propel by an air current, usually with the mouth
• forgetTo lose remembrance of, To unintentionally not do, neglect
• swimTo move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means, To become immersed in
• tearTo rend by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate, To injure as if by pulling apart
• dealto distribute; to do business
• spreadTo stretch out, open out so that it more fully covers a given area of space, To extend ; to stretch out in varying or opposing directions. simple past and past participle of spread
• springTo move or burst forth, To appear, To grow
• splitTo divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line, To break along the grain fully or partly along a more or less straight line, To share; to divide
• mistakeTo understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another, To misunderstand
• seekTo try to find; to look for; to search for, To ask for; to solicit; to beseech, To try to acquire or gain; to strive after; to aim at
• windto turn or coil around something
• feedTo give food to eat, To eat, To give to as food
• wetto make wet
• rideTo transport oneself by sitting on and directing a horse, later also a bicycle etc, To be transported in a vehicle; to travel as a passenger
• rendTo separate into parts with force or sudden violence; to split; to burst, To violently disturb the peace of; to throw into chaos, To part or tear off forcibly; to take away by force; to amputate
• castTo throw, To throw forward into the sea, To throw down or aside
• strikeTo delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate, To hit, To give
• bleedTo shed blood through an injured blood vessel, To menstruate, To let or draw blood from
• freezeto turn to ice; to stop still
• digTo move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like
• bindTo tie; to confine by any ligature, To cohere or stick together in a mass, To be restrained from motion
• shakeTo cause to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly, To move from side to side, especially to indicate refusal
• bidto offer a price; to command
• shineTo emit or reflect light so as to glow, To reflect light, To distinguish oneself; to excel
• shedTo part, separate or divide, To part with
• misunderstandTo understand incorrectly, while believing one has understood correctly
• stinkTo have a strong bad smell, To be greatly inferior; to perform badly, To give an impression of dishonesty
• burstTo break from internal pressure, To cause to break from internal pressure, To cause to break by any means
• biteTo cut into something by clamping the teeth, To hold something by clamping one's teeth, To attack with the teeth
• withdrawTo draw or pull away or back from its original position or situation, To remove from a position or situation; specifically, to remove from a battle or position where they are stationed
• forbidTo disallow; to proscribe, To deny, exclude from
• broadcastto transmit widely; to scatter
• swearTo take an oath, to promise intensely, solemnly
• spinTo rotate, revolve, gyrate ; to partially or completely rotate to face another direction
• blessTo make something holy by religious rite, sanctify, To invoke divine favor upon
• sewTo use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through in order to join them together, To use a needle to pass thread repeatedly through pieces of fabric in order to join them together, Followed by into: to enclose by sewing
• fleeTo run away; to escape, To escape from, To disappear quickly; to vanish; to fleet
• bendTo cause to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action
• forgiveTo pardon ; to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against, To pardon ; to waive any negative feeling over or retribution for, To waive or remit
• stringto thread; to stretch out
• sinkTo descend or submerge into a liquid or similar substance, To cause a vessel to sink, generally by making it no longer watertight
• swingTo rotate about an off-centre fixed point, To dance, To ride on a swing
• sweepTo clean by means of a stroking motion of a broom or brush, To move through a arc or similar long stroke, To search methodically
• overcomeTo surmount ; to prevail over, to get the better of, To prevail
• spitto eject saliva from the mouth
• swellTo become bigger, especially due to being engorged, To cause to become bigger
• creepTo move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground, To grow across a surface rather than upwards, To move slowly and quietly in a particular direction
• speedto move quickly; to hasten
• breedTo produce offspring sexually; to bear young, To give birth to; to be the native place of, To mate
• lendTo allow to be used by someone temporarily, on condition that it or its equivalent will be returned, To make a loan
• beholdTo look at or see, especially appreciatively; to descry, to look upon
• slideTo move in continuous contact with a surface, To move on a low-friction surface, To drop down and skid into a base
• weepTo cry; to shed tears, especially when accompanied with sobbing or other difficulty speaking, as an expression of emotion such as sadness or joy
• handwriteTo write something manually, normally used to emphasise that it is not being typed
• slitto cut a long narrow opening
• thrustto push forcefully
• overhearto hear something one was not meant to
• stingto prick painfully
• knitTo turn thread or yarn into a piece of fabric by forming loops that are pulled through each other. This can be done by hand with needles or by machine, To create a stitch by pulling the working yarn through an existing stitch from back to front, To join closely and firmly together
• shrinkTo cause to become smaller, To become smaller; to contract, To cower or flinch
• resendTo send again, To send back, To forward
• undoTo reverse the effects of an action, To unfasten, To unfasten the clothing of
• rebuildTo build again or anew, To attempt to improve one's performance during a period of struggling
• inputto enter data
• resetTo set back to the initial state, To set to zero, To adjust; to set or position differently
• forsakeTo abandon, to give up, to leave
• striveTo try to achieve a result; to make strenuous effort; to try earnestly and persistently, To struggle in opposition; to be in contention or dispute; to contend; to contest, To vie; to compete as a rival
• babysitTo watch or tend someone else's child for a period of time, often for money, To watch or tend a thing or process without normally intervening in it
• slayTo kill; to murder, To eradicate or stamp out, To defeat; to overcome
• clingto hold on tightly; to adhere
• weaveTo form something by passing lengths or strands of material over and under one another, To spin a cocoon or a web, To unite by close connection or intermixture
• forecastTo estimate how something will be in the future, To foreshadow; to suggest something in advance, To contrive or plan beforehand
• withholdTo keep to oneself rather than giving it back to its owner, To keep to oneself rather than revealing it, To stay back
• misleadTo lead astray, in a false direction, To deceive by telling lies or otherwise giving a false impression
• outputto produce; to send out
• thriveTo grow or increase stature; to grow vigorously or luxuriantly; to enjoy a state of excellent health and well-being; to flourish, To increase in wealth or success; to prosper, be profitable
• dwellto live; to reside
• ariseTo come up from a lower to a higher position, To come up from one's bed or place of repose; to get up, To spring up; to come into action
• kneelTo rest on one's bent knees, sometimes only one; to move to such a position, To sink down so that the entrance is level with the pavement
• undertakeTo take upon oneself; to start, to embark on, To commit oneself
• housekeepTo carry out the domestic duties of housekeeping, To perform the general tasks of housekeeping
• outrunTo run faster than, To exceed or overextend
• undergoTo experience; to pass through a phase, To suffer or endure; bear with, To go or move under or beneath
• rebindTo bind again, To associate a command with a different key
• abideTo endure without yielding; to withstand, To bear patiently, To pay for; to stand the consequences of
• repayto pay back
• wringto twist and squeeze
• flingto throw forcefully
• overdoTo do too much; to exceed what is proper or true in doing; to carry too far, To cook for too long, To give too much work; to require too much effort or strength of ; to use up too much of
• overrunTo defeat an enemy and invade in great numbers, seizing the enemy positions conclusively, To infest
• cheerleadTo participate in cheerleading, To support someone enthusiastically
• sowto scatter seed; to plant
• daydreamto let the mind wander pleasantly
• underlieTo lie in a position directly beneath something, To lie under or beneath, To serve as a basis of; form the foundation of
• rewriteto write anew; to revise
• sightseeTo go sightseeing; to visit places of interest in a city, town or geographical area
• treadTo step or walk ; to trample, To step or walk upon, To proceed
• oversleepTo sleep for longer than intended, To sleep for longer than one intended, To sleep beyond
• slingTo throw with a circular or arcing motion, To throw with a sling, To pass a rope around preparatory to attaching a hoisting or lowering tackle
• smiteTo hit; to strike, To strike down or kill with godly force, To injure with divine power
• shearTo remove the fleece from by clipping, To cut the hair of, To cut
• rerunto run again
• overseeTo survey, look at something in a wide angle, To supervise
• overgrowTo grow beyond one's boundaries or containment, or beyond the proper size, To grow over; to cause to become overgrown
• misreadTo read wrongly; misconstrue; misinterpret; mistake the sense or significance of
• foretellTo predict; to tell before it occurs; to prophesy, To tell of the future
• rewindTo wind again, To wind back, now especially of a cassette or a video tape
• podcastto publish as a podcast
• overtakeTo pass a slower moving object or entity, To become greater than something else in quantity, worth
• strideTo walk with long steps, To stand with the legs wide apart; to straddle, To pass over at a step; to step over
• inbreedTo breed or reproduce with those that are related, To breed with those that share common traits or qualities, To produce or generate within
• upholdTo hold up; to lift on high; to elevate, To keep erect; to support; to sustain; to keep from falling, To support by approval or encouragement; to vindicate; to confirm
• mowTo cut down grass or crops, To cut down or slaughter in great numbers
• redoTo do again
• alightTo make less heavy; to lighten; to alleviate, to relieve, Often followed by from or off: to get off an animal which one has been riding; to dismount; to descend or exit from a vehicle; hence
• foreseeTo perceive in advance, To provide
• awaketo wake from sleep
• overthrowTo bring about the downfall of, especially by force; to usurp, To throw down to the ground
• outdoTo excel; go beyond in performance; surpass
• overbearTo carry over, To push through by physical weight or strength; to overwhelm, overcome
• prepayTo pay in advance, or beforehand
• offsetto counterbalance
• overrideTo ride across or beyond something, To ride over the top of something, usually forcibly
• begetTo produce or bring forth ; to be a parent of; to father or sire, To cause; to produce; to bring forth, To get or obtain
• bookkeepto keep financial accounts
• strewTo distribute objects or pieces of something over an area, especially in a random manner, To cover
• outgrowTo become too big in size or too mature in age or outlook to continue to want, need, use
• breastfeedTo feed milk via the breasts; to suckle; to nurse, To nurse, to suck milk from a breast
• cleaveTo split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument
• matchmakeTo carry out matchmaking: to set up a date between two people or to arrange a marriage
• uppercutto strike upward
• subletTo grant a sublease out of property held under a lease
• underpayTo pay less than the value of their work; to pay insufficiently, To pay less than is due for
• overthinkTo think about; think over
• outbidTo bid more than in an auction
• overpayTo pay too much, To be more than an ample reward for
• rereadTo read again, To read or interpret in a new way
• spellbindTo place under the influence of a magical spell; to enchant or bewitch with a spell, To captivate, or hold the attention of
• befallTo fall upon; fall all over; overtake, To happen, To happen to
• undercutto cut away beneath; to undersell
• mishearto hear wrongly
• mislayTo leave or lay something in the wrong place and then forget where one put it, To err in placing something
• overcastto cloud over
• overdrawTo withdraw more money from an account than there is credit; to make an overdraft, To use a device for shooting arrows shorter than the draw of the bow, To exaggerate
• relendTo lend again
• besetTo assail or attack from all sides; to set about, To occupy and block, especially to prevent people from passing
• rethinkTo think again about something, with the intention of changing or replacing it
• unstickTo free from the condition of being stuck, To become freed from a stuck condition, To leave the ground during takeoff
• withstandTo resist or endure successfully, To oppose forcefully
• foregoTo precede, to go before
• remakeTo make again, To make a new, especially updated
• proofreadTo check a written text for errors in spelling, grammar, syntax
• recastTo cast or throw again, To mould again, To reproduce in a new form
• overshootto go past the target
• joyrideto ride for pleasure

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Inflection tables and senses from Wiktionary contributors via Kaikki.org, CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted. Sources