100 Most Commonly Used Verbs in English with Examples

Ever noticed how English conversations just flow? The secret is verbs—they’re the heartbeat of every sentence. Without them, you can’t describe what you do, what you want, or how you feel. In this article, we’ll explore the 100 most commonly used verbs in English with examples, so you can build stronger sentences, speak naturally, and write more confidently.

Contents

What is a Verb in English?

A verb is a word that shows an action, state, or occurrence. Without verbs, sentences feel incomplete.

Examples:

She runs every morning. (action)
They are happy. (state of being)
The concert starts at 8. (occurrence)

Classification of Verbs in English Grammar

Verbs come in many forms. Here are the main categories:

Action Verbs → express activity (run, eat, swim)
Linking Verbs → connect subject and information (be, seem, become)
Auxiliary Verbs → help main verbs (do, have, will)
Modal Verbs → show ability, possibility, or necessity (can, must, may)
Transitive Verbs → need an object (read a book, write a letter)
Intransitive Verbs → don’t need an object (sleep, arrive)
Phrasal Verbs → verb + particle (give up, take off)
Irregular Verbs → don’t follow usual tense rules (go → went, buy → bought)

List of 100 Most Common Verbs

Here’s the first set of 100 verbs with meanings and examples:

To Be – To exist; describe a state
Example: She is my friend.
To Have – To own or possess
Example: They have a car.
To Do – To perform an action
Example: I do my homework daily.
To Say – To express words
Example: He said it was fine.
To Make – To create or produce
Example: She made a cake.
To Go – To move or travel
Example: We go to school every morning.
To Take – To accept or carry something
Example: Please take this gift.
To See – To notice with the eyes
Example: I can see the stars.
To Come – To arrive or move toward
Example: She comes home at 6.
To Think – To form an opinion
Example: I think you’re right.
To Look – To direct your eyes
Example: He looked at the map.
To Want – To desire something
Example: I want a new phone.
To Give – To offer something
Example: She gave me a gift.
To Use – To put into action
Example: He uses a laptop.
To Find – To discover or locate
Example: They found the keys.
To Tell – To inform someone
Example: Please tell me the truth.
To Ask – To request information
Example: She asked for help.
To Work – To perform a job
Example: He works in an office.
To Feel – To sense or experience
Example: I feel happy today.
To Try – To attempt something
Example: She tried to open the jar.
To Leave – To go away
Example: They left early.
To Call – To name or phone someone
Example: He called me yesterday.
To Put – To place something somewhere
Example: She put the book on the table.
To Keep – To hold or retain
Example: Please keep the change.
To Begin – To start something
Example: The show began at 7.

To Seem – To appear a certain way
Example: She seems happy today.
To Help – To assist someone
Example: Can you help me with this?
To Talk – To speak
Example: They talk on the phone daily.
To Turn – To move around or change direction
Example: She turned the page.
To Start – To begin an action
Example: The movie starts at 8.
To Show – To display or present
Example: He showed me his photos.
To Hear – To perceive sound
Example: I can hear birds singing.
To Play – To engage in a game or activity
Example: The kids play football.
To Run – To move quickly on foot
Example: She runs every morning.
To Move – To change position
Example: He moved to New York.
To Like – To enjoy something
Example: I like chocolate.
To Live – To exist or reside somewhere
Example: They live in Paris.
To Believe – To accept as true
Example: She believes in miracles.
To Hold – To grasp something
Example: Please hold my bag.
To Bring – To carry toward
Example: He brought flowers for her.
To Happen – To take place
Example: What happened yesterday?
To Write – To form letters or words
Example: She writes poems.
To Provide – To supply or give
Example: The hotel provides free Wi-Fi.
To Sit – To rest on a chair
Example: Please sit down.
To Stand – To be upright
Example: He stood by the door.
To Lose – To misplace or fail
Example: She lost her wallet.
To Pay – To give money in exchange
Example: I paid the bill.
To Meet – To come together
Example: They met at the park.
To Include – To contain or involve
Example: The package includes a charger.
To Continue – To keep going
Example: She continued her studies.

To Set – To put something in place
Example: She set the table for dinner.
To Learn – To acquire knowledge
Example: He is learning English quickly.
To Change – To make something different
Example: She changed her hairstyle.
To Lead – To guide or direct
Example: He led the team to victory.
To Understand – To grasp the meaning
Example: I understand your concern.
To Watch – To observe attentively
Example: They watch TV every evening.
To Follow – To go after or obey
Example: Please follow the rules.
To Stop – To bring to an end
Example: He stopped the car suddenly.
To Create – To bring into existence
Example: She created a beautiful painting.
To Speak – To talk verbally
Example: He speaks three languages.
To Read – To look at and understand written words
Example: She reads novels at night.
To Allow – To permit
Example: They don’t allow smoking here.
To Add – To join or increase
Example: Please add sugar to the tea.
To Spend – To use money or time
Example: She spent all her savings.
To Grow – To increase in size
Example: Plants grow with sunlight.
To Open – To make accessible
Example: Please open the window.
To Walk – To move on foot
Example: He walks to work daily.
To Win – To succeed in a competition
Example: She won the prize.
To Offer – To propose or give
Example: He offered me help.
To Remember – To recall
Example: I remember her birthday.
To Love – To feel deep affection
Example: They love their family.
To Consider – To think about carefully
Example: She considered moving abroad.
To Appear – To become visible or seem
Example: A rainbow appeared after the rain.
To Buy – To obtain in exchange for money
Example: He bought a new phone.
To Wait – To stay until something happens
Example: Please wait here.
To Die – To stop living
Example: The plant died without water.
To Send – To cause to go or be taken
Example: She sent an email.
To Expect – To think something will happen
Example: I expect rain tomorrow.
To Build – To construct
Example: They built a bridge.
To Stay – To remain in a place
Example: Please stay here.
To Fall – To drop down
Example: The leaves fell from the tree.
To Cut – To divide with a sharp tool
Example: She cut the paper.
To Reach – To arrive at a place
Example: We reached the station.
To Kill – To cause death
Example: He killed a mosquito.
To Remain – To continue to exist
Example: Only a few seats remained.
To Suggest – To propose an idea
Example: She suggested a new plan.
To Raise – To lift or increase
Example: He raised his hand.
To Pass – To move by or succeed in
Example: She passed the exam.
To Sell – To give in exchange for money
Example: He sells cars.
To Require – To need something
Example: This job requires experience.
To Decide – To choose something
Example: They decided to travel.
To Return – To go back
Example: She returned home late.
To Explain – To make clear
Example: He explained the rules.
To Hope – To wish for something
Example: I hope you succeed.
To Develop – To grow or improve
Example: She developed new skills.
To Carry – To hold and transport
Example: He carried the box.
To Break – To damage or separate
Example: She broke the glass.
To Receive – To get something
Example: I received your letter.
To Agree – To share the same opinion
Example: We agree on this point.
To Choose – To select from options
Example: She chose the red dress.

Different Types of Verb Lists with Examples

Table 1 – Auxiliary Verbs

Verb	Example Sentence
Be	She is reading a book.
Am	I am working now.
Are	They are watching TV.
Was	He was late yesterday.
Were	We were at the park.
Do	I do know the answer.
Does	She does her homework.
Did	He did his best.
Have	We have finished dinner.
Has	She has gone out.
Had	They had already left.
Will	I will call you tomorrow.
Shall	We shall meet again.
Can	You can try again.
Could	He could swim well.
May	You may come in.
Might	She might be tired.
Must	You must listen carefully.
Should	He should apologize.
Would	I would like some tea.
Being	She is being polite.
Been	I have been busy.
Having	They are having lunch.
Doing	He is doing his project.
Helping	She is helping her friend.

Table 2 – Transitive Verbs

Verb	Example Sentence
Buy	She bought a dress.
Read	He read the book.
Write	She wrote a letter.
Eat	They ate pizza.
Drink	He drank water.
Build	They built a house.
Paint	She painted the wall.
Kick	He kicked the ball.
Throw	She threw the keys.
Send	He sent a message.
Bring	She brought flowers.
Tell	He told a story.
Teach	She taught English.
Show	He showed the map.
Fix	They fixed the car.
Wash	She washed the dishes.
Clean	He cleaned the room.
Carry	She carried the bag.
Close	He closed the door.
Open	She opened the window.
Take	He took a photo.
Catch	She caught the ball.
Choose	He chose the best seat.
Watch	They watched a movie.
Finish	She finished her work.

Table 3 – Phrasal Verbs

Verb	Example Sentence
Give up	She gave up smoking.
Take off	The plane took off at 7.
Look after	He looks after his grandmother.
Run into	I ran into an old friend.
Get up	They get up early.
Put off	She put off the meeting.
Bring up	He brought up an important issue.
Look forward to	I look forward to the holidays.
Carry on	Please carry on working.
Pick up	She picked up the phone.
Turn off	He turned off the lights.
Turn on	She turned on the TV.
Break down	The car broke down yesterday.
Come across	I came across a great article.
Call off	They called off the event.
Put on	She put on her jacket.
Take care of	He takes care of his pets.
Find out	I found out the truth.
Go on	The show must go on.
Get along with	She gets along with everyone.
Look up	He looked up the word in a dictionary.
Cut down on	They’re cutting down on expenses.
Run out of	We ran out of milk.
Work out	He worked out at the gym.
Hang out	They hang out after school.

Table 4 – Irregular Verbs

Verb (Base Form)	Example Sentence
Go	She went to school yesterday.
Eat	They ate lunch together.
Drink	He drank too much coffee.
Break	She broke the glass.
Begin	The show began late.
Choose	He chose the blue shirt.
Come	She came home early.
Do	He did his homework.
Draw	She drew a picture.
Drive	He drove to work.
Fall	The vase fell from the table.
Find	She found her keys.
Fly	They flew to London.
Forget	He forgot her birthday.
Give	She gave me a gift.
Know	I knew the answer.
Meet	They met at the café.
Read	She read the newspaper.
Run	He ran every morning.
See	I saw a rainbow.
Sell	They sold their house.
Sing	She sang beautifully.
Speak	He spoke clearly.
Take	She took the bus.
Write	He wrote a poem.

Table 5 – Infinitives (To + Verb)

Infinitive	Example Sentence
To eat	I like to eat pizza.
To drink	She wants to drink tea.
To sleep	He needs to sleep early.
To study	They plan to study abroad.
To read	She loves to read novels.
To write	He decided to write a letter.
To run	They hope to run a marathon.
To speak	She learned to speak Spanish.
To travel	I want to travel the world.
To play	He likes to play football.
To dance	She tried to dance salsa.
To sing	He loves to sing loudly.
To learn	They need to learn grammar.
To work	She agreed to work overtime.
To teach	He wants to teach English.
To drive	She learned to drive last year.
To buy	He went to buy groceries.
To cook	She loves to cook pasta.
To swim	They tried to swim across the lake.
To watch	He wants to watch a movie.
To listen	She stopped to listen carefully.
To build	They decided to build a house.
To help	He offered to help me.
To wait	She refused to wait any longer.
To call	He promised to call later.

Table 6 – Modal Verbs

Modal Verb	Example Sentence
Can	She can swim very well.
Could	He could ride a bike at five.
May	You may leave early today.
Might	It might rain later.
Must	You must wear a seatbelt.
Shall	We shall overcome this challenge.
Should	He should eat healthier food.
Will	They will visit tomorrow.
Would	I would help if I could.
Ought to	You ought to apologize.
Need to	She needs to finish her work.
Have to	We have to submit the form.
Used to	He used to play football.
Dare	She dare not speak loudly.
Can’t	He can’t open the door.
Couldn’t	She couldn’t find her keys.
Won’t	They won’t agree to this.
Wouldn’t	I wouldn’t lie to you.
Shouldn’t	You shouldn’t skip class.
Mustn’t	We mustn’t cheat in exams.
Might not	It might not be true.
May not	You may not enter here.
Will not	He will not return soon.
Shall not	We shall not give up.
Needn’t	You needn’t worry too much.

Table 7 – Linking Verbs

Linking Verb	Example Sentence
Be	She is my sister.
Am	I am ready for school.
Are	They are excited.
Was	He was tired yesterday.
Were	We were late.
Seem	She seems happy today.
Become	He became a doctor.
Appear	The sky appears clear.
Look	You look tired.
Sound	That sounds interesting.
Feel	I feel confident.
Taste	The soup tastes delicious.
Smell	The flowers smell sweet.
Remain	He remained silent.
Stay	Please stay calm.
Turn	She turned pale.
Prove	The theory proved wrong.
Grow	He grew stronger.
Get	She got angry.
Continue	They continued hopeful.
Keep	He kept quiet.
Act	He acted foolish.
Stand	That book stands open.
Fall	She fell asleep.
End up	He ended up famous.

Table 8 – Action Verbs

Action Verb	Example Sentence
Run	She runs every morning.
Jump	The kids jumped over the fence.
Eat	We eat breakfast at 8.
Drink	He drinks coffee daily.
Write	She writes in her journal.
Read	They read the newspaper.
Sing	He sings beautifully.
Dance	She danced all night.
Play	The children play outside.
Cook	She cooks dinner every day.
Study	He studies English hard.
Teach	She teaches math.
Drive	He drives to work.
Fly	Birds fly in the sky.
Swim	She swims in the pool.
Laugh	They laughed at the joke.
Cry	The baby cried loudly.
Talk	We talk on the phone often.
Listen	She listens to music.
Watch	They watch TV at night.
Build	He builds houses.
Draw	She draws cartoons.
Catch	He catches the ball.
Kick	She kicked the ball.
Travel	We travel abroad every summer.

FAQs about Most Commonly Used Verbs in English with Examples

Q1. What is the most commonly used verb?

The verb “to be” is the most frequently used verb in English. You’ll find it in almost every type of sentence.

Q2. What are the most powerful English verbs?

Power verbs like achieve, create, inspire, build, and lead are often considered powerful because they add impact to writing and speaking.

Q3. What are the 23 main verbs?

The “23 helping verbs” include forms of be, have, do, and modal verbs such as can, may, must, shall, will, etc.

Conclusion

Learning the most commonly used verbs in English with examples is like finding the master key to fluency. Once these verbs become familiar, building clear, natural sentences feels effortless.

So, what’s the next step? Keep practicing daily. Try making your own example sentences, or challenge yourself to write a short story using at least 30 verbs from this list—you’ll be surprised at how quickly your confidence grows.

Want to take your English to the next level? Save this guide, share it with friends, and revisit it often until these verbs become second nature in your everyday conversations.

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Arif

I am Arif Ahmed, a teacher and the creator of English Thrive. With a deep passion for the English language and years of teaching experience, I love helping students master English grammar, writing, and communication skills. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced learner, I am here to share practical lessons, clear explanations, and helpful tips to make your learning journey easier and more enjoyable.

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