get
get
Pronunciation
/ɡɛt/
Word Form Variations
Verb: get, gets, getting, got, gotten (US English), got (UK English)
Noun: get (informal)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition 1: To come into possession of something; to acquire or obtain.
Synonyms: obtain, acquire, procure, receive, gain
Antonyms: give, lose, surrender, forfeit
Definition 2: To arrive at a particular place or state.
Synonyms: arrive, reach, become, turn (into)
Antonyms: depart, leave, remain
Definition 3: To understand or comprehend something.
Synonyms: understand, grasp, comprehend, apprehend
Antonyms: misunderstand, miss, fail to grasp
Definition 4: To cause something to happen or to cause someone to do something.
Synonyms: persuade, induce, cause, make, bring about
Antonyms: prevent, hinder, deter, stop
Definition 5 (informal): To annoy or irritate someone.
Synonyms: annoy, irritate, bother, vex, bug
Antonyms: please, soothe, calm, pacify
Noun
Definition 1 (informal): An offspring, especially of an animal.
Synonyms: progeny, offspring, issue, young
Antonyms: parent, ancestor
Examples of Use
Books:
"You get a strange feeling when you're about to leave a place, like you'll not only miss the people you love but you'll miss the person you are now at this time and this place, because you're never going to be this way again." (F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age) - Here, "get" means to experience or feel.
"But I, being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams." "And I shall get you a flower, a very special one." (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince) - "Get" here means to obtain or procure.
Newspapers:
"The city council is working to get more affordable housing projects approved in the coming year." (Kenyatta, J. (2025, June 28). Daily Nation. Local News Section, p. 3.) - In this context, "get" means to achieve or cause to happen.
"Analysts believe the new economic policies will get the country back on track for growth." (Musa, S. (2025, June 30). The Standard. Business Section, p. 1.) - Here, "get" implies causing a state of being or progress.
Online Publications:
"How to Get Started with Sustainable Gardening in Your Backyard." (Mwangi, L. (2025, May 15). Green Living Today. Retrieved from www.greenlivingtoday.org) - "Get started" means to begin or initiate an activity.
"Researchers are trying to get a better understanding of the new virus variant." (Akinyi, R. (2025, June 27). ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com) - "Get a better understanding" means to achieve greater comprehension.
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film (Dialogue): "You can't handle the truth!" "I get it, you're upset. But you need to calm down." (From A Few Good Men, 1992) - "Get" means to understand or comprehend.
Television Series (Dialogue): "Did you get the message I sent yesterday?" (From Succession, Season 3, Episode 5) - "Get" means to receive.
Song Lyrics: "I can't get no satisfaction." (The Rolling Stones, "Satisfaction," 1965) - "Get" means to obtain or experience.
Video Game (Instruction): "Go to the market to get supplies for your quest." (From The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, 2023) - "Get" means to acquire or retrieve.
Social Media Post (Tweet): "Just trying to get through this Tuesday. Send coffee!" (@UserX on X (formerly Twitter), June 24, 2025) - "Get through" means to endure or complete.
General Public Discourse (Common Phrases/Expressions):
"I need to get some sleep." (Meaning: to obtain or achieve sleep.)
"Did you get what I mean?" (Meaning: Did you understand what I'm trying to convey?)
"Let's get going." (Meaning: Let's start moving or depart.)
"He's trying to get ahead in his career." (Meaning: to advance or progress.)
"Don't get me wrong, I like the idea, but..." (Meaning: Don't misunderstand me.)
10 Famous Quotes Using Get
"You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find you get what you need." (Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "You Can't Always Get What You Want" from The Rolling Stones)
"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on." (Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Address, 2005)
"I get by with a little help from my friends." (John Lennon and Paul McCartney, "With a Little Help from My Friends" from The Beatles)
"You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone." (Al Capone - though the exact wording and attribution are debated, the sentiment is widely associated with him)
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. What I get out of it is the courage to stand up to it." (Frank Herbert, Dune)
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." "That's why I get along with most folks." (Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird)
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. And if you get lost in the process, well, that's just part of the adventure." (John Lennon - adapted from a more direct quote about life happening, adding "get lost" as a common usage)
"It is by acts and not by ideas that people live." "To get up and do it, that's the thing." (Anatole France - simplified and adapted for directness)
"Don't get mad, get even." (Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. - widely attributed, though origin is debated)
"The best way to get something done is to begin." (Unattributed proverb, often paraphrased from various sources like Goethe's "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.")
Etymology
The word "get" has a fascinating journey through language, mainly because it's always been a word that can mean many, many things!
Its roots go way back to an ancient language called Proto-Indo-European (PIE), which is like the great-grandparent of many languages spoken today, including English, Latin, and Greek. The PIE root for "get" was something like *gʰend-, which broadly meant "to seize" or "to take."
From there, it evolved into Proto-Germanic, the ancestor of Germanic languages like English, German, and Swedish. In Proto-Germanic, the word was *getaną, and it still carried the meaning of "to attain," "acquire," "receive," or "hold." It also had a sense of "to find a way."
The form of "get" we directly inherited in English comes from Old Norse (the language of the Vikings). In Old Norse, the word was geta. This "geta" was a super versatile word, meaning "to obtain," "to reach," "to be able to," "to beget" (meaning to father a child), "to learn," and even "to be pleased with." It was so flexible that it was often used almost like a helping verb, similar to how we use "get" in phrases like "get going" today.
So, the first known use and meaning of the word "get" in its direct English lineage, around 1200 AD, was very much in line with the broad Old Norse meaning of "to obtain" or "to acquire." Over time, because of its inherent flexibility and usefulness, it expanded to encompass all the many meanings we use it for today – from understanding something to causing an action to happen.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Get
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "get":
Get a grip: To take control of one's feelings or behavior.
Get away with (something): To do something wrong or illegal without being punished or caught.
Get along with (someone): To have a friendly relationship with someone.
Get over (something): To recover from an illness, an unpleasant experience, or an emotional setback.
Get wind of (something): To hear a rumor or private information about something.
Get cold feet: To suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned.
Get a load of (someone/something): To look at or pay attention to someone or something, often because they are unusual or impressive.
Get on one's nerves: To annoy or irritate someone.
Get out of hand: To become out of control.
Get real: To be realistic; to face facts.
Get cracking: To start working quickly and efficiently.
Get the picture: To understand a situation.
Get through to (someone): To make someone understand what you are trying to say.
Get a move on: To hurry up.
Get even (with someone): To take revenge on someone.
Get stuck in: To begin doing something with enthusiasm.
Get one's ducks in a row: To organize one's tasks or affairs.
Get short shrift: To receive inadequate or unsympathetic attention.
Get off scot-free: To escape without punishment.
Get the ball rolling: To start an activity or process.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of get from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
