gotta

American

[got-uh] / ˈgɒt ə /

Informal.

got to; have got to.

I can’t stay—I gotta get up early tomorrow.
got a; have got a.

Hey, man, gotta light?

gotta British

/ ˈɡɒtə /

verb

got to

"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.

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.

“They screwed up, basically, and when you screw up, you gotta be accountable,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 20, 2026

But you've gotta be in the Premier League title race to win it, right?

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

“Darling, I gotta admit that sounds a little insane,” he said.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

If you go heavy metal, you gotta cut the sleeves off a black shirt — not blue.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

“Misunderstood creatures like us gotta look out for each other!”

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023