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Synonyms

get about

British  

verb

  1. to move around, as when recovering from an illness

  2. to be socially active

  3. (of news, rumour, etc) to become known; spread

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
get about Idioms  

  1. Also get around . Move around, be active, especially after an illness. For example, At 85 Jean still gets around very well , or Arthritis makes it hard for him to get about . [Mid-1800s]

  2. Become known, circulate, as in The news of her engagement got about very quickly . [Early 1800s] Also see get around , def. 4.

  3. Be socially active, as in After her husband died, she didn't get about much for a year . Also see get around , def. 3 and 4.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That means redeeming investors will get about $730 million.

From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026

Prices paid to caterers for their oil can depend on how much is available for collection and its quality, but according to the industry, a restaurant could get about 30p a litre.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

Also fascinating are the granular details we get about the people and cultural histories behind these festivals.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

Based on our years of service, we’d each get about 50% of our salaries if we retire at 55, increasing gradually to a maximum of 75% by age 63.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 24, 2025

So if I treat myself to an outing in the tiny fenced-off area beside the store, the only place where employees are allowed to smoke, I get about nine minutes off my feet.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

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.