gotta
American-
got to; have got to.
I can’t stay—I gotta get up early tomorrow.
-
got a; have got a.
Hey, man, gotta light?
verb
Usage
See get.
Etymology
Origin of gotta
First recorded in 1885–90 in spelling gotter, representing the r-less British pronunciation of the phrase (have) got to or (have) got a in continuous rapid speech
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.
“Sometimes a man gotta create their own path,” he said in the video, made by social-media company Footballville.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 10, 2026
“Coach Logan, he’s like, ‘No, you gotta work.
From Los Angeles Times • May 3, 2026
“You gotta get used to it,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
Two days before he was due to pick it up, he wrote: "Something has gotta be done, how long can we sit here and talk over the internet."
From BBC • May 1, 2026
“Yeah, and I’m telling you, it’s not the same without you. Alicia thinks so, too. You gotta find a way to get back to it.”
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
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.
