get in English
- get⇄expr. get about,
a. to go from place to place.
Ex. Not even a cab can get about in December for the snow (F. C. Philips).
b. to become widely known; spread.
Ex. The rumour ... had got about that the timber was not his (Frank Bar - get⇄expr. get across (to),
a. (Informal.) to make clear, understood, or appreciated.
Ex. I sometimes wish I could get hold of some of you and shake you and get across to you that there is a way out (Billy Graham).
b. (Slang.) to reach the - get⇄expr. get after,
a. to scold.
Ex. The teacher gets after everyone who comes late to school.
b. to urge.
Ex. You'd better get after him if you want his help. - get⇄expr. get ahead. See under ahead.
- get⇄expr. get along,
a. to go away.
Ex. Get along with you!
b. to advance.
Ex. The farther he got along in his studies, the more difficult the work became.
c. to manage.
Ex. The house isn't as large as I thought it woul - get⇄expr. get around to, to find time for; turn one's attention to.
Ex. He didn't get around to visiting the dentist until he got a toothache. - get⇄expr. get around,
a. to go from place to place.
Ex. The new roads will allow people to get around faster.
b. to become widely known; spread.
Ex. The news of the theft got around quickly.
c. to overcome.
Ex. He found - get⇄expr. get at,
a. to reach; arrive at.
Ex. The cat in the tree could not be got at without a ladder.
b. to find out; learn.
Ex. The court will get at the facts on which its judgment is to hinge (Law Times).
c. to talk abou - get⇄expr. get away with, (Informal.) to take or do (something) and escape safely.
Ex. to get away with lying. It can be argued that for us to allow them to ""get away with it"" might cause us to lose prestige (Wall Street Journal). - get⇄expr. get away,
a. to go away.
Ex. Let's get away from here. Take whatever you like, and get away (Jane Austen).
b. to escape.
Ex. The prisoner got away.
c. to start, as in a race.
Ex. The hunting party was glad to - get⇄expr. get back at (or on), (Slang.) to take revenge on.
Ex. You cannot afford to be rude to a journalist. Someday he will get back on you (London Daily Chronicle). - get⇄expr. get back,
a. to return.
Ex. It is a moot point whether the family doctor ""ousted from the hospital"" really wants to get back (Observer).
b. to recover.
Ex. Austria got back its hold on Italy (Thomas F. Tout). - get⇄expr. get behind,
a. to support; endorse.
Ex. The district voters got firmly behind the incumbent congressman and reelected him.
b. to fail to keep up.
Ex. to get behind in schoolwork. - get⇄expr. get by, (Informal.)
a. to pass.
Ex. Let him get by first, as he's in a great hurry.
b. to not be noticed or caught by.
Ex. Somehow the escaping convicts got by the guards.
c. (Figurative.) to make a living; manage. - get⇄expr. get cracking. See under cracking.
- get⇄expr. get down to,
a. to attend or apply oneself to.
Ex. Sooner or later we shall have to get down to a sober appraisal of the economic possibilities of natural gas (Manchester Guardian Weekly).
b. to make (something) into; bring to a - get⇄expr. get down,
a. to come down from; descend.
Ex. to get down a ladder.
b. to depress.
Ex. Life got him down.
c. to swallow.
Ex. Get down that medicine. - get⇄expr. get even with, to get revenge on.
Ex. The angry townsmen swore to get even with the men who had tricked them out of their savings. - get⇄expr. get even,
a. to owe nothing.
b. to have revenge.
Ex. One should always ""get even"" in some way, else the sore place will go on hurting (Mark Twain). - get⇄expr. get in,
a. to go in.
Ex. He hoped to get in without being seen.
b. to put in.
Ex. She kept talking, and he couldn't get a word in.
c. to arrive.
Ex. Our train should get in at about 9 P.M.
d. to gather - get⇄expr. get into,
a. to find out about.
Ex. I endeavored to get, as well as I could, into the state of national credit there (Thomas Jefferson).
b. to get control of.
Ex. A passion for sailing got into him.
c. to come to be - get⇄expr. get it, (Informal.)
a. to understand.
Ex. [He is] a dissenter (get it?) from Defense Department policies (Time).
b. to be punished or scolded.
Ex. Not that it's so unusual, but the U.S. certainly is getting it from all sid - get⇄expr. get nowhere. See under nowhere.
- get⇄expr. get off on,
a. to start.
Ex. We finally got off on our vacation before summer was over.
b. to pass onto without special intention; drift onto.
Ex. During a discussion of ocean life we got off on the subject of sharks.get⇄expr. get off,
a. to come down from or out of.
Ex. to get off a horse, train, or bus.
b. to take off; remove.
Ex. Get your coat off.
c. to escape punishment.
Ex. The leaders of the rebellion were powerful enough toget⇄expr. get on to,
a. to learn; grasp.
Ex. He will get on to calculus as he keeps on working at it.
b. (British.) to communicate with.
Ex. I got on to the police (London Times).get⇄expr. get on,
a. to go up, on, or into.
Ex. to get on a ladder or a train.
b. to put on.
Ex. Get on your rubbers; we have to go out in the rain.
c. to advance.
Ex. to get on in years.
d. (Figurative.) to managet⇄expr. get one's goat. See under goat.get⇄expr. get out of,
a. to escape from; evade.
Ex. He tried to ... get out of giving a direct reply (Earl Dunmore).
b. to help to escape.
Ex. to get one out of a predicament.
c. to draw out from; elicit.
Ex. to get monget⇄expr. get out,
a. to go out.
Ex. Let's get out of here!
b. to take out.
Ex. He got out his pencil and began to write.
c. to go away.
Ex. You have nothing to do here (said she): Get out! (Lord Molesworth).
d.get⇄expr. get over with, to come to grips with and dispose of (something unpleasant).
Ex. The Democrats view civil rights as a painful but inevitable issue which they might as well get over with as soon as possible so wounds will be healed before the .get⇄expr. get over,
a. to recover from.
Ex. She was a long time in getting over her illness.
b. to overcome.
Ex. We have happily got over the prejudice of last century (Tait's Magazine).
c. to make clear or convincing.get⇄expr. get round,
a. to outwit.
Ex. This prince was clever enough to get round the Regent (Lytton Strachey).
b. to wheedle; cajole.
Ex. The little boy always got round his grandmother by making a sad face.get⇄expr. get set, to get ready; prepare.
Ex. On your mark, get set, go!get⇄expr. get somewhere. See under somewhere.get⇄expr. get there, to succeed.
Ex. Being ambitious and diligent, he is sure to get there.get⇄expr. get through,
a. to make oneself or something clear or understood.
Ex. [He] told the dealers that their advertising wasn't getting through (New York Times).
b. to secure favorable action; finish.
Ex. The Irish Tithe Bill ..get⇄expr. get to, (Informal.)
a. to start.
Ex. When I got to thinking about the problem, I had an idea.
b. to reach.
Ex. How are we going to get to the public without an advertising campaign?
c. to affect or influence.get⇄expr. get together, (Informal.)
a. to bring or come together; meet; assemble.
Ex. Let's get together again next week.
b. (Figurative.) to come to an agreement.
Ex. The jury was unable to get together (New York Times).get⇄expr. get up,
a. to get out of bed; arise.
Ex. He got up at six o'clock.
b. to stand up.
Ex. The old man fell and could not get up.
c. to prepare; arrange.
Ex. He has got up the legal aspect of the question (Edmundget⇄expr. get wind of. See under wind (1).get⇄get, verb, gotor (Archaic)gat,gotor (especially U.S.)gotten,getting,noun.get⇄noun 1. the return of a ball difficult to reach or hit, as in tennis.
Ex. Never applaud a difficult get in the middle of a rally (London Daily Express).
2. the offspring of animals.
Ex. The term sire, incidentally, is applied only to aget⇄v.i. 1. to reach; arrive.
Ex. I got home early last night. Your letter got here yesterday.
2. to be; become.
Ex. to get sick. It is getting colder. Don't get nervous when you take the test.
3. to come or go.
Ex. We finallyget⇄v.t. 1. to come to have; obtain; acquire.
Ex. I got a new coat yesterday. He got first prize in the spelling contest. He gets $5.00 a week for running errands.
(SYN) receive, gain.
2a. to catch; get hold of.
Ex. I have got a bad
get in Malayalam മലയാളം
get in Marathi मराठी
get in Sindhi سنڌي
Get
Part of Speech
Verb
Pronunciation
/ɡɛt/
Definitions
- Verb: To obtain, acquire, or receive something.
- Verb: To become, to arrive at a state or condition.
- Verb (Informal): To bring someone or something to a location.
- Verb (Informal): To understand or comprehend something.
- Verb (Phrasal): To have something happen or come to pass (e.g., get by, get along).
Usage Examples
- She needs to get a new phone for work.
- We got there just in time for the event.
- He didn't get the joke at first.
- They got married last summer.
- I have to get this report done by tomorrow.
Etymology
Old English "getan" (meaning "to obtain" or "to reach"), from Proto-Germanic *gitan (cf. Old High German "getan", Middle Low German "geten"), from Proto-Indo-European *ghedh- ("to seize, take").
Synonyms
- Obtain
- Acquire
- Receive
- Gain
- Procure
Antonyms
- Lose
- Miss
- Give
- Release
Translations
| Language | Translation | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | Obtener | /obteˈneɾ/ |
| French | Obtenir | /ɔbteˈniʁ/ |
| German | Bekommen | /bəˈkɔmən/ |
| Italian | Ottenere | /otteˈneːre/ |
| Portuguese | Obter | /obˈteɾ/ |
| Russian | Получать | /pɐlʊˈt͡ɕatʲ/ |
| Mandarin Chinese | 得到 (dédào) | /dèdào/ |
| Arabic | يحصل على (yaḥṣul ʿalā) | /jaħsul ʕalɑː/ |
| Japanese | 得る (Eru) | /eɾu/ |
| Hindi | प्राप्त करना (Prapt Karna) | /pɾaːpt kəɾnaː/ |
| Korean | 얻다 (Eodda) | /ʌtda/ |
| Turkish | Almak | /almak/ |
Regional Pronunciation Variations
The pronunciation of "get" is generally consistent across English dialects, though regional accents may affect the intensity of the "e" sound. In some dialects, such as in certain American English variants, the vowel might sound closer to the "a" sound in "cat," while in others, it remains closer to the short "e" sound as in "bed."
Historical Usage
Originally, "get" was used in English in its early forms as far back as the 12th century. The Old English form was "getan" and was used in the sense of obtaining or gaining possession. Over time, the word's usage expanded and adapted to various phrasal forms (e.g., "get up," "get out," etc.) and took on more meanings, including informal expressions such as "get along" and "get by." The verb has maintained a versatile and prominent position in the language throughout history.
Cultural Nuances
"Get" is a highly versatile word in English, frequently used in both formal and informal contexts. It can convey the act of obtaining something, reaching a state of being, or understanding something. Its informal usage includes phrasal verbs like "get going," "get together," and "get off," all of which add a more casual, conversational tone to the language. In various cultures, the act of getting something—whether knowledge, material goods, or even experiences—carries cultural and social significance. For example, in Western cultures, the idea of "getting ahead" in life is often tied to individualism and success, while in more communal cultures, the idea of "getting along" with others may hold more value.
More Information
"Get" is one of the most commonly used verbs in English, with a variety of meanings and applications. From simple actions like obtaining an object to more abstract uses such as achieving a goal or acquiring knowledge, it plays a key role in both written and spoken communication. It is also the foundation of many phrasal verbs, which are essential to everyday English. While its meaning can vary depending on context, "get" remains an integral part of the language, allowing for nuanced expressions and flexible communication.