got
Americanverb
auxiliary verb
verb
-
the past tense and past participle of get
-
-
to possess
he has got three apples
-
(takes an infinitive) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion felt to be imposed by or upon the speaker
I've got to get a new coat
-
-
informal to be infatuated
Usage
See get.
Compare meaning
How does got compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
“I didn’t want to do an American movie. I was being offered a lot of comic- book movies and said, ‘I got to do a companion piece for “Devil’s Backbone” no matter what.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Now, don’t get me wrong: The movie isn’t exactly garnering Oscar buzz, or even eliciting the fervent “you’ve got to see this!” refrain that followed 2014’s “Gone Girl” around.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
As he got older, though, work became progressively elusive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Two years ago Evans, from Caersw, Powys, asked for a camera for Christmas and got in touch with his local football club about taking photos.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
One of them got off and invited the other to stay.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
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.
