get on
Britishverb
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Also (when preposition): get onto. to board or cause or help to board (a bus, train, etc)
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(tr) to dress in (clothes as specified)
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(intr) to grow late or (of time) to elapse
it's getting on and I must go
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(intr) (of a person) to grow old
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to approach (a time, age, amount, etc)
she is getting on for seventy
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(intr) to make progress, manage, or fare
how did you get on in your exam?
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to establish a friendly relationship
he gets on well with other people
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to continue to do
get on with your homework!
interjection
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Also, get upon . Climb on, mount. For example, They say one should get back on a horse as soon as one's fallen off . [Early 1600s]
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See get along , def. 1.
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See get along , def. 2.
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See get along , def. 4. Also see along in years .
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, etc. Prosper or succeed, as in Her inheritance has helped her get on in society , or Dad asked if Bill was getting on in the company . [Early 1800s]
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get on with it . Move ahead, pursue one's work. For example, We've spent enough time talking about it; now let's get on with it . [Early 1800s]
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get on for . Advance toward an age, amount, time, and so on. For example, It's getting on for noon, so we'd better eat lunch . This usage is often put in the participial form, getting on for . [Mid-1800]
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See turn on , def. 3. Also see the subsequent entries beginning with get on .
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 did not make a great start and I had to roll my sleeves up and get on with what I'd got in my squad, and really focus on getting results.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
“That’s how desperate marketers are to get on there,” Rosenthal said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
Not only because the Cardinals represented as close to a gimme as the Chargers are going to get on their precarious schedule.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
“Throw on top of that football, that’s going to be a real challenge. They said you have to be on top of your stuff and can’t let either get on top of you.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
Mom and Dad looked at each other, and Barry understood exactly what they were thinking: There was no way they could get on the highway with Cleo that sick.
From "I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
