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get
1[ get ]
verb (used with object)
- to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of:
to get a birthday present; to get a pension.
- to cause to be in one's possession or succeed in having available for one's use or enjoyment; obtain; acquire:
to get a good price after bargaining;
to get oil by drilling;
to get information.
- to go after, take hold of, and bring (something) for one's own or for another's purposes; fetch:
Would you get the milk from the refrigerator for me?
- to cause or cause to become, to do, to move, etc., as specified; effect:
to get one's hair cut;
to get a person drunk;
to get a fire to burn;
to get a dog out of a room.
- to communicate or establish communication with over a distance; reach:
You can always get me by telephone.
- to hear or hear clearly:
I didn't get your last name.
- to acquire a mental grasp or command of; learn:
to get a lesson.
- to capture; seize:
Get him before he escapes!
- to receive as a punishment or sentence:
to get a spanking;
to get 20 years in jail.
- to prevail on; influence or persuade:
We'll get him to go with us.
- to prepare; make ready:
to get dinner.
- (especially of animals) to beget.
Synonyms: engender
- Informal. to affect emotionally:
Her pleas got me.
- to hit, strike, or wound:
The bullet got him in the leg.
- Informal. to kill.
- Informal. to take vengeance on:
I'll get you yet!
- to catch or be afflicted with; come down with or suffer from:
He got malaria while living in the tropics.
She gets butterflies before every performance.
- Informal. to puzzle; irritate; annoy:
Their silly remarks get me.
- Informal. to understand; comprehend:
I don't get the joke.
This report may be crystal-clear to a scientist, but I don't get it.
verb (used without object)
- to come to a specified place; arrive; reach:
to get home late.
- to succeed, become enabled, or be permitted:
You get to meet a lot of interesting people.
- to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition:
to get angry;
to get sick.
- (used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive):
to get married;
to get elected;
to get hit by a car.
- to succeed in coming, going, arriving at, visiting, etc. (usually followed by away, in, into, out, etc. ):
I don't get into town very often.
- to bear, endure, or survive (usually followed by through or over ):
Can he get through another bad winter?
- to earn money; gain.
- Informal. to leave promptly; scram:
He told us to get.
- to start or enter upon the action of (followed by a present participle expressing action):
to get moving;
Get rolling.
noun
- an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal:
the get of a stallion.
- a return of a ball, as in tennis, that would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent.
- British Slang.
- something earned, as salary, profits, etc.:
What's your week's get?
- a child born out of wedlock.
verb phrase
- to escape; flee:
He tried to get away, but the crowd was too dense.
- to start out; leave:
The racehorses got away from the starting gate.
- to succeed, as in meeting, reaching, or contacting by telephone (usually followed by to ):
I tried to call you last night, but I couldn't get through.
- to complete; finish:
How he ever got through college is a mystery.
- to make oneself understood:
One simply cannot get through to her.
- to go into a place; enter:
He forgot his key and couldn't get in.
- to arrive; come:
They both got in on the same train.
- to become associated with:
He got in with a bad crowd.
- to be chosen or accepted, as for office, membership, etc.:
As secretary of the club, his friend made sure that he got in.
- to become implicated in:
By embezzling money to pay his gambling debts quickly, he was getting in further and further.
- to circumvent; outwit.
- to ingratiate oneself with (someone) through flattery or cajolery.
- to travel from place to place; circulate:
I don't get around much anymore.
- to go away; leave.
- to leave (often followed by of ):
Get out of here!
We had to get out of the bus at San Antonio.
- to become publicly known:
We mustn't let this story get out.
- to withdraw or retire (often followed by of ):
He decided to get out of the dry goods business.
- to produce or complete:
Let's get this work out!
- Also get around.
- to move about; be active:
He gets about with difficulty since his illness.
- to become known; spread:
It was supposed to be a secret, but somehow it got about.
- to be socially active:
She's been getting about much more since her family moved to the city.
- to succeed in going past:
to get by a police barricade.
- to manage to exist, survive, continue in business, etc., in spite of difficulties.
- to evade the notice of:
He doesn't let much get by him.
- to get in touch or into communication with; contact:
It was too late by the time he got to the authorities.
- Informal. to make an impression on; affect:
This music really gets to you.
- to begin:
When he gets to telling stories about the war, there's no stopping him.
- to escape the consequences of or punishment for one's actions.
- to help (someone) escape punishment:
A good lawyer might get you off.
- to begin a journey; leave:
He got off on the noon flight.
- to leave (a train, plane, etc.); dismount from (a horse); alight.
- to tell (a joke); express (an opinion):
The comedian got off a couple of good ones.
- Informal. to have the effrontery:
Where does he get off telling me how to behave?
- Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm.
- to experience or cause to experience a high from or as if from a drug.
- to cause to feel pleasure, enthusiasm, or excitement:
a new rock group that gets everyone off.
- to reach; touch:
to stretch in order to get at a top shelf.
- to suggest, hint at, or imply; intimate:
What are you getting at?
- to discover; determine:
to get at the root of a problem.
- Informal. to influence by surreptitious or illegal means; bribe:
The gangsters couldn't get at the mayor.
- to make progress; proceed; advance.
- to have sufficient means to manage, survive, or fare.
- to be on good terms; agree:
She simply can't get on with her brothers.
- to advance in age:
He is getting on in years.
- to bring or come down; descend:
The kitten climbed the tree, but then couldn't get down again.
- to concentrate; attend:
to get down to the matter at hand.
- to depress; discourage; fatigue:
Nothing gets me down so much as a rainy day.
- to swallow:
The pill was so large that he couldn't get it down.
- to relax and enjoy oneself completely; be uninhibited in one's enjoyment:
getting down with a bunch of old friends.
- to move forward of, as in traveling:
The taxi got ahead of her after the light changed.
- to surpass; outdo:
He refused to let anyone get ahead of him in business.
- to make or become understandable; communicate:
to get a lesson across to students.
- to be convincing about; impress upon others:
The fire chief got across forcefully the fact that turning in a false alarm is a serious offense.
- to perpetrate or accomplish without detection or punishment:
Some people lie and cheat and always seem to get away with it.
- to be successful, as in business or society:
She got ahead by sheer determination.
- to recover from:
to get over an illness.
get
2[ get ]
noun
- a legal document, executed by a rabbi or Jewish court of law, dissolving the marriage bond between husband and wife.
- a divorce granted in accordance with Jewish law.
get
1/ ɡɛt /
verb
- to come into possession of; receive or earn
- to bring or fetch
- to contract or be affected by
he got a chill at the picnic
- to capture or seize
the police finally got him
- also intr to become or cause to become or act as specified
get wet
to get a window open
get one's hair cut
- intr; foll by a preposition or adverbial particle to succeed in going, coming, leaving, etc
get off the bus
- takes an infinitive to manage or contrive
how did you get to be captain?
- to make ready or prepare
to get a meal
- to hear, notice, or understand
I didn't get your meaning
- informal.to learn or master by study
- introften foll byto to come (to) or arrive (at)
to get to London
we got home safely
- to catch or enter
to get a train
- to induce or persuade
get him to leave at once
- to reach by calculation
add 2 and 2 and you will get 4
- to receive (a broadcast signal)
- to communicate with (a person or place), as by telephone
- informal.also intrfoll byto to have an emotional effect (on)
that music really gets me
- informal.to annoy or irritate
her high voice gets me
- informal.to bring a person into a difficult position from which he or she cannot escape
- informal.to puzzle; baffle
- informal.to hit
the blow got him in the back
- informal.to be revenged on, esp by killing
- slang.
- foll by to to gain access (to a person) with the purpose of bribing him
- often foll by to to obtain access (to someone) and kill or silence him
- informal.to have the better of
your extravagant habits will get you in the end
- informal.intr; foll by present participle to begin
get moving
- informal.used as a command go! leave now!
- archaic.to beget or conceive
- get even withSee even 1
- get it or get it in the neck informal.to be reprimanded or punished severely
- get with it slang.to allow oneself to respond to new ideas, styles, etc
- get with child archaic.to make pregnant
noun
- rare.the act of begetting
- rare.something begotten; offspring
- slang.a variant of git
- informal.(in tennis, squash, etc) a successful return of a shot that was difficult to reach
GeT
2abbreviation for
- Greenwich Electronic Time
Usage Note
Usage
Pronunciation Note
Derived Forms
- ˈgetable, adjective
Other Words From
- get·ta·ble get·a·ble adjective
Word History and Origins
Origin of get1
Word History and Origins
Origin of get1
Idioms and Phrases
- get back,
- to come back; return:
When will you get back?
- to recover; regain:
He got back his investment with interest.
- to be revenged:
She waited for a chance to get back at her accuser.
- get going,
- to begin; act:
They wanted to get going on the construction of the house.
- to increase one's speed; make haste:
If we don't get going, we'll never arrive in time.
- get it off, Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm.
- get it on,
- Informal. to work or perform with satisfying harmony or energy or develop a strong rapport, as in music:
a rock group really getting it on with the audience.
- Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
- get it up, Slang: Vulgar. to achieve an erection of the penis.
- get it, Informal.
- to be punished or reprimanded:
You'll get it for breaking that vase!
- to understand or grasp something:
This is just between us, get it?
- get off on, Slang. to become enthusiastic about or excited by:
After years of indifference, she's getting off on baseball.
- get there, to reach one's goal; succeed:
He wanted to be a millionaire but he died before he got there.
- get together,
- to accumulate; gather:
to get together a portfolio of 20 stocks.
- to congregate; meet:
The alumnae chapter gets together twice a year.
- to come to an accord; agree:
They simply couldn't get together on matters of policy.
- get up,
- to sit up or stand; arise.
- to rise from bed.
- to ascend or mount.
- to prepare; arrange; organize:
to get up an exhibit.
- to draw upon; marshal; rouse:
to get up one's courage.
- to acquire a knowledge of.
- (to a horse) go! go ahead! go faster!
- to dress, as in a costume or disguise:
She got herself up as an astronaut.
- to produce in a specified style, as a book:
It was got up in brown leather with gold endpapers.
- has / have got,
- to possess or own; have:
She's got a new car. Have you got the tickets?
- must (followed by an infinitive):
He's got to get to a doctor right away.
- to suffer from:
Have you got a cold?
- get even. even 1( def 26 ).
- get round. get around.
- get the lead out. lead 2( def 15 ).
More idioms and phrases containing get
- be (get) busted
- come and get it
- dip (get) one's toes into
- early bird catches (gets) the worm
- give as good as one gets
- ground floor, get in on the
- it takes getting used to
- lay (get) one's hands on
- marching orders, get one's
- play hard to get
- squeaky wheel gets the grease
- tell someone where to get off
- when the going gets tough
- you get what you pay for
- become
- give
- have
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
In this cockamamie get-rich scheme, would they all issue an apology if he cut a check?
The kids are out of school, Mom is out of get-up-and-go, Dad is out of work.
But while Yariv and Nakarin have had plenty of their friends over for dinner, this is no regular get-together.
So it's really a take-what-you-can-get kind of situation with him.
And so I knew from the get-go that they would have to add action, which they have.
The man called Shiv was driving Delancy's get-away car at a conservative pace so as not to excite suspicion.
Ten minutes later, Delancy drove the get-away car out of the service station.
It was in this room that Delancy's get-away car had changed paint jobs, and in about ten minutes.
But the exquisite was used to it; he would only have felt badly if they had ignored his new get-up.
There was some sort of a phonograph device under the cowl of that get-away car, and this was hooked up to the radio switch.
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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