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.
“And I’m like, ‘oh, we gotta start getting the Boston flights ready.’”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
"There's no signs really saying where I gotta go," says the mining industry employee, who traveled from Perth, Australia.
From Barron's • May 27, 2026
Another snippet I overheard in Studio City: “You gotta make music from the heart, man, and the label will feel it.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2026
“Sometimes you gotta have the number two to prove that the number one is still number one.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 20, 2026
Instead she told him, “You made your bed. Now you gotta lie in it.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
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.
