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This study analyses the semantic component of English phrasal verbs, that is, lexicalized combinations of a verb and a particle which function semantically and syntactically as a single unit, but to varying degrees. More specifically the investigation focuses on how these structures have developed non-compositional readings over time, given that such meanings were not available in the early stages of the language. In the light of data from the Helsinki Corpus, ARCHER 1 and the Corpus of Late Modern English Texts Extended Version, different types of semantic change are described, changes by which means phrasal verbs have developed non-transparent meanings, including several forms of metaphorization, the addition of aspectual/aktionsart particles, specialization, reduction, creation of brand new combinations and changes in the real world. After this, the question of whether phrasal verbs have undergone a process of idiomatization is discussed. The main conclusion is that if idiomatization is understood as a semantic process which occurs within lexicalization and/or grammaticalization and causes the obscuration of meanings of combinations, then it can be maintained that phrasal verbs have undergone idiomatization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]