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.
“She is officially a picture dog. We gotta get the line in her size. Unfortunately, she’s just got her fur on. We gotta work with Tommy on getting her some good clothes,” Kelce said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 7, 2026
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
“You’ve gotta know that my energy and my soul really want to play music. Hopefully, I will get this figured out much sooner than later. If I could, I would be back out there tomorrow.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 24, 2026
“You can say anything you want on the trombone,” Ellington noted, “but you gotta be careful with words”—an aptly worded statement, ironically.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
“I gotta go to the bathroom first,” said Nathan.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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.
