get on
Britishverb
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Also (when preposition): get onto. to board or cause or help to board (a bus, train, etc)
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(tr) to dress in (clothes as specified)
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(intr) to grow late or (of time) to elapse
it's getting on and I must go
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(intr) (of a person) to grow old
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to approach (a time, age, amount, etc)
she is getting on for seventy
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(intr) to make progress, manage, or fare
how did you get on in your exam?
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to establish a friendly relationship
he gets on well with other people
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to continue to do
get on with your homework!
interjection
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Also, get upon . Climb on, mount. For example, They say one should get back on a horse as soon as one's fallen off . [Early 1600s]
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See get along , def. 1.
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See get along , def. 2.
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See get along , def. 4. Also see along in years .
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, etc. Prosper or succeed, as in Her inheritance has helped her get on in society , or Dad asked if Bill was getting on in the company . [Early 1800s]
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get on with it . Move ahead, pursue one's work. For example, We've spent enough time talking about it; now let's get on with it . [Early 1800s]
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get on for . Advance toward an age, amount, time, and so on. For example, It's getting on for noon, so we'd better eat lunch . This usage is often put in the participial form, getting on for . [Mid-1800]
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See turn on , def. 3. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with get on .
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.
"There's that societal expectation of 'man up' and get on with it. I was just popping paracetamol and getting early nights."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In response to this, Thune told reporters that “maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes.”
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
“I’m dying to get on it,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
ALTER: The ideal is a lower toilet, which better suits our anatomy, with grab bars that make it safer to get on and off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
And the flowers aren’t the only surprise I get on Sunday.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
