got
[ got ]
/ gɒt /
verb
a simple past tense and past participle of get.
auxiliary verb
Informal. must; have got (followed by an infinitive).
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Nearby words
Usage note
See get.
Definition for got (2 of 2)
Origin of get
11150–1200; (v.) Middle English geten < Old Norse geta to obtain, beget; cognate with Old English -gietan (> Middle English yeten), German -gessen, in vergessen to forget; (noun) Middle English: something gotten, offspring, derivative of the v.
SYNONYMS FOR get
1, 2 Get, obtain, acquire, procure, secure imply gaining possession of something. Get may apply to coming into possession in any manner, and either voluntarily or not. Obtain suggests putting forth effort to gain possession, and acquire stresses the possessing after an (often prolonged) effort. Procure suggests the method of obtaining, as that of search or choice. Secure, considered in bad taste as a would-be-elegant substitute for get, is, however, when used with discrimination, a perfectly proper word. It suggests making possession sure and safe, after obtaining something by competition or the like.
2 win, gain.
7 apprehend, grasp.
10 induce, dispose.
12 engender.
Related forms
get·ta·ble, get·a·ble, adjectiveUsage note
For nearly 400 years, forms of get have been used with a following past participle to form the passive voice: She got engaged when she was 19. He won't get accepted with those grades. This use of get rather than of forms of to be in the passive is found today chiefly in speech and informal writing.
In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses “to receive” or “to acquire”: I have gotten (or got ) all that I ever hoped for.
Have or has got in the sense “must” has been in use since the early 19th century; often the have or has is contracted: You've got to carry your passport at all times. The use of have (or has ) got in the sense of “to possess” goes back to the 15th century; it is also frequently contracted: She's got a master's degree in biology. These uses are occasionally criticized as redundant on the grounds that have alone expresses the meaning adequately, but they are well established and fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing. In some contexts in American English, substituting gotten for got produces a change in meaning: She's got ( possesses ) a new job. She's gotten ( has aquired ) a new job. He's got to ( must ) attend the wedding. He's gotten to ( has been allowed or enabled to ) attend. The children have got ( are suffering from ) the measles. The children have gotten ( have caught ) the measles. The use of got without have or has to mean “must” ( I got to buy a new suit ) is characteristic of the most relaxed, informal speech and does not occur in edited writing except in representations of speech. Gotta is a pronunciation spelling representing this use.
In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses “to receive” or “to acquire”: I have gotten (or got ) all that I ever hoped for.
Have or has got in the sense “must” has been in use since the early 19th century; often the have or has is contracted: You've got to carry your passport at all times. The use of have (or has ) got in the sense of “to possess” goes back to the 15th century; it is also frequently contracted: She's got a master's degree in biology. These uses are occasionally criticized as redundant on the grounds that have alone expresses the meaning adequately, but they are well established and fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing. In some contexts in American English, substituting gotten for got produces a change in meaning: She's got ( possesses ) a new job. She's gotten ( has aquired ) a new job. He's got to ( must ) attend the wedding. He's gotten to ( has been allowed or enabled to ) attend. The children have got ( are suffering from ) the measles. The children have gotten ( have caught ) the measles. The use of got without have or has to mean “must” ( I got to buy a new suit ) is characteristic of the most relaxed, informal speech and does not occur in edited writing except in representations of speech. Gotta is a pronunciation spelling representing this use.
Pronunciation note
The pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ for get has existed since the 16th century. The same change is exhibited in [kin] /kɪn/ for can and [yit] /yɪt/ for yet. The pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ is not regional and occurs in all parts of the country. It is most common as an unstressed syllable: Let's get going! [lets git-goh-ing] /ˈlɛts gɪtˈgoʊ ɪŋ/. In educated speech the pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ in stressed syllables is rare and sometimes criticized. When get is an imperative meaning “leave immediately,” the pronunciation is usually facetious: Now get! [nou git] /ˌnaʊ ˈgɪt/.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
British Dictionary definitions for got (1 of 3)
got
/ (ɡɒt) /
verb
the past tense and past participle of get
have got
- to possesshe has got three apples
- (takes an infinitive) used as an auxiliary to express compulsion felt to be imposed by or upon the speakerI've got to get a new coat
have got it bad or have got it badly informal to be infatuated
British Dictionary definitions for got (2 of 3)
GeT
abbreviation for
Greenwich Electronic Time
British Dictionary definitions for got (3 of 3)
get
/ (ɡɛt) /
verb gets, getting, got (ɡɒt) or got or esp US gotten (mainly tr)
noun
Derived Forms
getable or gettable, adjectiveWord Origin for get
Old English gietan; related to Old Norse geta to get, learn, Old High German bigezzan to obtain
usage
The use of off after get as in I got this chair off an antique dealer is acceptable in conversation, but should not be used in formal writing
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
Medicine definitions for got
GOT
abbr.
glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with got
get
In addition to the idioms beginning with get
- get a bang out of
- get about
- get a break
- get a charge
- get across
- get a dirty look
- get a fix
- get a fix on
- get a free hand
- get after
- get a grip on
- get a hand
- get a handle on
- get ahead
- get a head start
- get a kick out of
- get a life
- get a line on
- get a load of
- get along
- get a move on
- get an in with
- get another guess
- get a rise out of
- get around
- get at
- get a thing about
- get away
- get away with
- get a word in edgewise
- get back
- get back at
- get back to
- get behind
- get better
- get busy
- get by
- get cracking
- get credit for
- get down
- get down to brass tacks
- get going
- get goose pimples
- get gray hair from
- get hold of
- get in
- get in a snit
- get in a stew
- get in bad with
- get in on
- get in one's hair
- get in someone's face
- get in the way
- get into
- get into bed with
- get into hot water
- get into one's head
- get into the act
- get into the swing of things
- get into trouble
- get in touch
- get involved
- get in with
- get it
- get it on
- get lost
- get mileage out of
- get nowhere
- get off
- get off on
- get off one's chest
- get off one's tail
- get off on the wrong foot
- get off scot-free
- get off someone's back
- get off the dime
- get off the ground
- get off the hook
- get on
- get one down
- get one's
- get one's
- get one's act together
- get one's bearings
- get one's comeuppance
- get one's ducks in a row
- get one's feet on the ground
- get one's feet wet
- get one's fill
- get one's hands dirty
- get one's hands on
- get one's head examined
- get one's money's worth
- get one's own back
- get one's teeth into
- get one's walking papers
- get one's way
- get one's wires crossed
- get on someone's good side
- get on someone's nerves
- get on the bandwagon
- get on the stick
- get on with it
- get out
- get out from under
- get out of
- get out of one's face
- get out of one's system
- get out of someone's sight
- get out of the way
- get out while the getting is good
- get over
- get physical
- get ready
- get real
- get religion
- get rid of
- get right
- get rolling
- get round
- get set
- get sick
- get someone's back up
- get someone's goat
- get someone's number
- get someone wrong
- get something into one's head
- get something on someone
- get somewhere
- get straight
- get stuffed
- get the advantage of
- get the air
- get the ax
- get the ball rolling
- get the better of
- get the business
- get the can
- get the drift
- get the drop on
- get the feel of
- get the goods on
- get the hang of
- get theirs
- get the jump on
- get the lead out
- get the message
- get the most out of
- get the nod
- get the picture
- get there
- get the runaround
- get the sack
- get the show on the road
- get the upper hand
- get the worst of it
- get through
- get through one's head
- get through to
- get to
- get to first base
- get together
- get to one's feet
- get to the bottom of
- get to the heart of
- get to the point
- get tough with
- get under someone's skin
- get up
- get up one's nerve
- get up on the wrong side of bed
- get up steam
- get used to
- get well
- get what's coming to one
- get wind of
- get wise to
- get with it
also see:
- 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
Also see underbecomegivehave.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.