1
a
: to gain possession of
got a new bicycle
b
: to receive as a return : earn
he got a bad reputation for carelessness
2
a
: to obtain by concession or entreaty
get your mother's permission to go
b
: to become affected by (a disease or bodily condition) : catch
got measles from his sister
3
a
: to seek out and obtain
hoped to get dinner at the inn
b
: to obtain and bring where wanted or needed
get a pencil from the desk
4
: beget
5
a
: to cause to come or go
quickly got his luggage through customs
b
: to cause to move
get it out of the house
c
: to cause to be in a certain position or condition
got his feet wet
d
: to make ready : prepare
get breakfast
6
a
: to be subjected to
got a bad fall
b
: to receive by way of punishment
c
: to suffer a specified injury to
got my nose broken
7
a
: to achieve as a result of military activity
b
: to obtain or receive by way of benefit or advantage
he got little for his trouble
get the better of an enemy
8
a
: seize
The dog got the thief by the leg.
b
: overcome
Such practices will surely get you in the end.
c
: to have an emotional effect on
the final scene always gets me
d
: irritate
the delays were starting to get her
e
: puzzle
This problem really gets me.
f
: to take vengeance on
specifically
: kill
g
: hit
9
: to prevail on : cause
finally got them to tidy up their room
10
a
: have
—used in the present perfect tense form with present meaning
I've got no money
b
: to have as an obligation or necessity
—used in the present perfect tense form with present meaning
you have got to come
11
a
: to find out by calculation
get the answer to a problem
b
: memorize
got the verse by heart
c
: hear
Sorry, but I didn't get your name.
d
: understand
he got the joke
12
: to establish communication with
13
: to put out in baseball
14
: deliver sense 6b
the car gets 20 miles to the gallon
1
a
: to succeed in coming or going : to bring or move oneself
get away to the country
got into the car
b
: to reach or enter into a certain condition
got to sleep after midnight
c
: to make progress
hasn't gotten far with the essay
2
: to acquire wealth
3
a
: to be able
never got to go to college
b
: to come to be
—often used with following present participle
got talking about old times
4
a
: to succeed in becoming : become
… how to get clear of all the debts I owe.—
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
b
: to become involved
people who get into trouble with the law
5
: to leave immediately
told them to get
—used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive voice auxiliary
they got caught in the act
see also get after, get ahead, get a life, get a move on, get at, get away with, get cracking, get even, get even with, get going, get into, get it, get it on, get on, get one's act together, get one's goat, get over, get real, get somewhere, get there, get through, get to, get together, get wind of, get with it
How do you pronounce get?: Usage Guide
The pronunciation \ˈgit\ has been noted as a feature of some British and American dialects since the 16th century. In the phonetic spelling of his own speech Benjamin Franklin records git. However, since at least 1687 some grammarians and teachers have disapproved this pronunciation. It nonetheless remains in widespread and unpredictable use in many dialects, often, but not exclusively, when get is a passive auxiliary (as in get married) or an imperative (as in get up!).
plural gets
1
2
: a return of a difficult shot in a game (such as tennis)
Murray saved match point with a cross-court winner, followed by two amazing gets to claw back to 4-5 and 6-6.—Kevin Mitchell
Kevin Mitchell3
: someone or something that is acquired or gained : acquisition
Michigan State football has reeled in its first big get for the recruiting class of 2024.—Kirkland Crawford
Kirkland Crawford… the future Hall of Fame quarterback will be joining the booth upon his retirement. … It's a big get for Fox Sports …—Griffin Carroll
Griffin CarrollThe … sound system is a good get for the money, too, even if it's the "lite" version …—Justin Narayan
Justin Narayan1
: a document of release from obligation in Jewish law
specifically
: a bill of divorce
2
: a religious divorce by Jewish law
Examples of get in a Sentence
Verb
He got a new bicycle for his birthday.
I never did get an answer to my question.
I got a letter from my lawyer.
She got a phone call from her sister.
Did you get my message?
You need to get your mother's permission to go.
She hasn't been able to get a job.
If you want to be successful you need to get a good education.
It took us a while to get the waiter's attention.
It took us a while to get a taxi.
Noun (1)
in some animal species, a new mate will refuse to raise another male's get
Recent Examples on the Web
Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 4 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, his night was marked by an inability to get anything going.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
But sometimes there’s no give without a get.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Brown rose up for the slam, but Pringle was in his path and got the swat right at the rim to hype the Hogs' crowd.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 4 Jan. 2026
Otherwise, his night was marked by an inability to get anything going.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026
Noun
If a human types a keyword that generates a song, how much credit should the human get?
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 22 Dec. 2025
But sometimes there’s no give without a get.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get
Cite this Entry
“Get.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get. Accessed 5 Jan. 2026.
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