Get means to obtain or receive something, to come to be in a particular state, or to arrive at a place. It is also used to form dozens of essential phrasal verbs in everyday English.
What Does Get Mean?
Get comes from Old Norse geta meaning "to obtain" or "to beget", entering Middle English in the 13th century via contact with Scandinavian settlers in northern England. Its Old English relative was gietan (to seize, to obtain), and the root also gives us beget, forget, and the suffix -gate found in place names such as Harrogate and Ramsgate. Over seven centuries the verb expanded far beyond its original sense of physical grasping into a word that can substitute for dozens of more specific verbs.
In contemporary British English, get functions in at least three distinct ways. First, it means to obtain, receive, or fetch something: Can you get some milk? Second, it means to become, signalling a change of state when followed by an adjective: It's getting cold. Third, it means to arrive: We got to London at noon. Beyond these core senses, get is the most productive base for phrasal verbs in English — the Oxford English Dictionary lists more than 150 expressions built with it.
Learners should note that get is stylistically neutral to informal. In formal writing, more precise verbs — obtain, receive, become, arrive — are generally preferred. In everyday speech and informal writing, however, get is the natural first choice.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| I get the bus to work every morning. | A2 — get = take/use transport |
| She got a text message from her friend while she was eating lunch. | B1 — get = receive, simple past |
| It was getting dark, so they decided to head back to the hotel. | B1 — get + adjective = become |
| After months of applications, he finally got the promotion he had been working towards. | B2 — get = obtain/achieve, formal context |
| I simply cannot get my head around the idea that the project has been cancelled after all this time. | C1 — idiomatic: get one's head around = understand |
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning & example |
|---|---|
| get permission | to obtain authorisation — You need to get permission before filming here. |
| get a chance | to have an opportunity — I never got a chance to say goodbye. |
| get in touch | to contact someone — Please get in touch if you have any questions. |
| get the hang of | to learn how to do something — Once you get the hang of it, it's really easy. |
| get rid of | to remove or discard — We need to get rid of these old files. |
| get started | to begin — Let's get started — we haven't got much time. |
| get worse / better | to deteriorate / improve — The weather is getting worse by the hour. |
| get on with | to have a good relationship; to continue a task — She gets on well with all her colleagues. |
| get the point | to understand — I don't think he got the point of my argument. |
| get cold feet | to lose one's nerve — He got cold feet and cancelled the interview at the last minute. |
Usage Notes
Three Core Meanings to Know
1. Obtain / receive / fetch — get replaces many more formal verbs: get a letter (receive), get a degree (obtain), get some bread (fetch/buy).
2. Become (+ adjective) — use get to describe a change of state in natural speech: get tired, get angry, get lost, get married, get dressed. In academic writing, become is preferred.
3. Arrive / reach — especially before prepositions of place: get to work, get home, get there. Note: no preposition before home or here/there.
Have got — in British English, have got is a standard alternative to have for possession ('I've got a car') and obligation ('I've got to go'). It is informal but completely standard in speech.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I got to home very late last night.
I got home very late last night. (no preposition before home, here, or there)
She got boring with the film and left.
She got bored with the film and left. (use the past participle adjective: bored, not boring)
He is getting to know more taller every year.
He is getting taller every year. (get + comparative adjective, no more with one-syllable adjectives)