In recent years, graphene oxide composite adsorbents have been widely studied in wastewater treatment. The composite materials composed of graphene oxide and natural polymers have the advantages of strong adsorption capacity, good mechanical stability, etc. And the surface modified graphene oxide can further improve its adsorption stability and adsorption capacity. In this paper, the preparation methods of graphene oxide/natural polymer composite adsorbents are introduced. The effects of functional groups of graphene oxide such as sulfhydryl, amino and carboxyl on adsorption properties are summarized. Graphene oxide/natural polymer composite adsorbents are prepared by graphene and chitosan, cellulose, sodium alginate and lignin. Furthermore, the applications in water treatment of dyes and heavy metals are reviewed. Finally, the development direction in the practical application on the outlook is put forward.