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Synonyms

got

American  
[got] / gɒt /

verb

  1. a simple past tense and past participle of get.

auxiliary verb

  1. Informal. must; have got (followed by an infinitive).

got British  
/ ɡɒt /

verb

  1. the past tense and past participle of get

    1. to possess

      he has got three apples

    2. (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

  3. informal to be infatuated

"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

Usage

See get.

Compare meaning

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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.

"We got some clarity on their aims and their ambitions, what their short-term goal is now and how they're looking to achieve it."

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Born Aug. 21, 1950, in the Texas Panhandle, Jones got her start in local theater in Austin.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

So it came off more as “this is good policy” rather than “I’ve got text and history on my side.”

From Slate • Apr. 1, 2026

One of her regulars, Max Auth, got into EMS training after an ankle injury kept him from pole dancing, his preferred form of exercise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Zara’s got one in her hand too, but I know she’s not drinking it.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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.