get
get about
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get about, you go to different places and visit different people.
So you're getting about a bit again? Not shutting yourself away?
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
The way that someone gets about is the way that they walk or go from one place to another.
She was finding it increasingly difficult to get about.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If news gets about, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people. (mainly BRIT)
The story had soon got about that he had been suspended.
= get aroundget across
[PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V n P
When an idea gets across or when you get it across, you succeed in making other people understand it.
Officers felt their point of view was not getting across to ministers...
I had created a way to get my message across while using as few words as possible.
= get overget ahead
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you want to get ahead, you want to be successful in your career.
He wanted safety, security, a home, and a chance to get ahead.
= get onget along
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, pl-n V P
If you get along with someone, you have a friendly relationship with them. You can also say that two people get along.
It's impossible to get along with him...
They seemed to be getting along fine.
= get on
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep
Get along means the same as get by.
You can't get along without water...
= manage, surviveget around
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To get around a problem or difficulty means to overcome it.
None of these countries has found a way yet to get around the problem of the polarization of wealth.
= get over
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get around a rule or law, you find a way of doing something that the rule or law is intended to prevent, without actually breaking it.
Although tobacco ads are prohibited, companies get around the ban by sponsoring music shows.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P that, it V P that
If news gets around, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people.
They threw him out because word got around that he was taking drugs...
I'll see that it gets round that you've arrived.
= get about
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get around someone, you persuade them to allow you to do or have something by pleasing them or flattering them.
Max could always get round her.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get around, you visit a lot of different places as part of your way of life.
He claimed to be a journalist, and he got around.get around to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n/-ing
When you get around to doing something that you have delayed doing or have been too busy to do, you finally do it. (in BRIT, also use get round to)
I said I would write to you, but as usual I never got around to it...get at
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To get at something means to succeed in reaching it.
A goat was standing up against a tree on its hind legs, trying to get at the leaves.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get at the truth about something, you succeed in discovering it.
We want to get at the truth. Who killed him? And why?
= find out
3 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you ask someone what they are getting at, you are asking them to explain what they mean, usually because you think that they are being unpleasant or are suggesting something that is untrue.
`What are you getting at now?' demanded Rick.get away
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P from n, V P
If you get away, you succeed in leaving a place or a person's company.
She'd gladly have gone anywhere to get away from the cottage...
I wanted a divorce. I wanted to get away.
= escape
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get away, you go away for a period of time in order to have a holiday.
He is too busy to get away.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
When someone or something gets away, or when you get them away, they escape.
Dr Dunn was apparently trying to get away when he was shot...
I wanted to get her away to somewhere safe.get back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P to n, also V P into n
If someone or something gets back to a state they were in before, they are then in that state again.
Then life started to get back to normal...
I couldn't get back to sleep.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to/onto n
If you get back to a subject that you were talking about before, you start talking about it again.
It wasn't until we had sat down to eat that we got back to the subject of Tom Halliday.
= return
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something back after you have lost it or after it has been taken from you, you then have it again.
You have 14 days in which you can cancel the contract and get your money back.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V n P
If you get back at someone or get them back, you do something unpleasant to them in order to have revenge for something unpleasant that they did to you. (INFORMAL)
The divorce process should not be used as a means to get back at your former partner...
I'm going to get you back so badly you'll never to be able to show your face again.get back to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you get back to an activity, you start doing it again after you have stopped doing it.
I think I ought to get back to work.get by
[PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P on n
If you can get by with what you have, you can manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way.
I'm a survivor. I'll get by...
Melville managed to get by on a small amount of money.
= survive, manageget down
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If something gets you down, it makes you unhappy.
At times when my work gets me down, I like to fantasize about being a farmer.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on n, V P
If you get down, you lower your body until you are sitting, kneeling, or lying on the ground.
She got down on her hands and knees on the floor...
`Get down!' she yelled. `Somebody's shooting!'
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, also V P n (not pron)
If you get something down, especially something that someone has just said, you write it down.
The idea has been going around in my head for quite a while and now I am getting it down on paper.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, also V P n (not pron)
If you get food or medicine down, you swallow it, especially with difficulty. (INFORMAL)
I bit into a hefty slab of bread and cheese. When I had got it down I started talking.get down to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you get down to something, especially something that requires a lot of attention, you begin doing it.
With the election out of the way, the government can get down to business.get in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a political party or a politician gets in, they are elected.
If the Conservatives got in they might decide to change it.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something in, you manage to do it at a time when you are very busy doing other things.
I plan to get a few lessons in.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
To get crops or the harvest in means to gather them from the land and take them to a particular place.
We didn't get the harvest in until Christmas, there was so much snow.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a train, bus, or plane gets in, it arrives.
We would have come straight here, except our flight got in too late.get into
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get into a particular kind of work or activity, you manage to become involved in it.
He was eager to get into politics.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get into a school, college, or university, you are accepted there as a student.
I was working hard to get into Cambridge.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you ask what has got into someone, you mean that they are behaving very differently from the way they usually behave. (INFORMAL)
What has got into you today? Why are you behaving like this?get off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n
If someone who has broken a law or rule gets off, they are not punished, or are given only a very small punishment.
He is likely to get off with a small fine.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get off, you leave a place because it is time to leave.
At eight I said `I'm getting off now.'
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you tell someone to get off a piece of land or a property, you are telling them to leave, because they have no right to be there and you do not want them there.
I told you. Get off the farm.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
You can tell someone to get off when they are touching something and you do not want them to.
I kept telling him to get off...
`Get off me!' I screamed.get on
1 [PHRASAL VERB] pl-n V P, V P with n
If you get on with someone, you like them and have a friendly relationship with them.
The host fears the guests won't get on...
What are your neighbours like? Do you get on with them?
= get along
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, V P
If you get on with something, you continue doing it or start doing it.
Jane got on with her work...
Let's get on.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv, V P adv
If you say how someone is getting on, you are saying how much success they are having with what they are trying to do.
Livy's getting on very well in Russian. She learns very quickly...
When he came back to see me I asked how he had got on.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you try to get on, you try to be successful in your career. (mainly BRIT)
Politics is seen as a man's world. It is very difficult for women to get on.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If someone is getting on, they are getting old. (INFORMAL)
I'm nearly 31 and that's getting on a bit for a footballer.get out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P of n, V P
If you get out, you leave a place because you want to escape from it, or because you are made to leave it.
They probably wanted to get out of the country...
I told him to leave and get out.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get out, you go to places and meet people, usually in order to have a more enjoyable life.
Get out and enjoy yourself, make new friends.
= go out
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P of n, V P of n, also V P
If you get out of an organization or a commitment, you withdraw from it.
I wanted to get out of the group, but they wouldn't let me...
Getting out of the contract would be no problem.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P that
If news or information gets out, it becomes known.
If word got out now, a scandal could be disastrous...
Once the news gets out that Armenia is in a very critical situation, I think the world will respond.get over
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get over an unpleasant or unhappy experience or an illness, you recover from it.
It took me a very long time to get over the shock of her death.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get over a problem or difficulty, you overcome it.
How would they get over that problem, he wondered?
= get around
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P to n
If you get your message over to people, they hear and understand it.
We have got to get the message over to the young that smoking isn't cool.
= get acrossget round
see get aroundget through
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a task or an amount of work, especially when it is difficult, you complete it.
I think you can get through the first two chapters.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a difficult or unpleasant period of time, you manage to live through it.
It is hard to see how people will get through the winter...
= survive
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a large amount of something, you use it. (mainly BRIT)
You'll get through at least ten nappies a day.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P to n, also V P
If you get through to someone, you succeed in making them understand something that you are trying to tell them.
An old friend might well be able to get through to her and help her...
The message was finally getting through to him.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If you get through to someone, you succeed in contacting them on the telephone.
Look, I can't get through to this number...
I've been trying to ring up all day and I couldn't get through.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n, also V P
If you get through an examination or get through, you pass it. (mainly BRIT)
Did you have to get through an entrance examination?
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
If a law or proposal gets through, it is officially approved by something such as a parliament or committee.
...if his referendum law failed to get through...
Such a radical proposal would never get through parliament.
= go throughget together
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When people get together, they meet in order to discuss something or to spend time together.
This is the only forum where East and West can get together.
see also get-together
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something together, you organize it.
Paul and I were getting a band together, and we needed a new record deal.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get an amount of money together, you succeed in getting all the money that you need in order to pay for something.
Now you've finally got enough money together to put down a deposit on your dream home.
= scrape togetherget up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is sitting or lying down gets up, they rise to a standing position.
I got up and walked over to where he was.
= stand up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When you get up, you get out of bed.
They have to get up early in the morning.
3
see also get-upget up to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you say that someone gets up to something, you mean that they do it and you do not approve of it. (BRIT mainly SPOKEN)
They get up to all sorts behind your back.♦♦♦ get1 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) CHANGING, CAUSING, MOVING, OR REACHING
In most of its uses get is a fairly informal word. Gotten is an American form of the past tense and past participle.
1 [V-LINK] V adj, V adj, V adj
You use get with adjectives to mean `become'. For example, if someone gets cold, they become cold, and if they get angry, they become angry.
The boys were getting bored...
There's no point in getting upset...
From here on, it can only get better.
2 [V-LINK] V adj, V prep/adv, V prep/adv
Get is used with expressions referring to states or situations. For example, to get into trouble means to start being in trouble.
Half the pleasure of an evening out is getting ready...
Perhaps I shouldn't say that-I might get into trouble...
How did we get into this recession, and what can we do to get out of it?
3 [VERB] V n adj, V n adj, V n prep
To get someone or something into a particular state or situation means to cause them to be in it.
I don't know if I can get it clean...
What got me interested was looking at an old New York Times...
Brian will get them out of trouble.
4 [VERB] V n to-inf, V n to-inf
If you get someone to do something, you cause them to do it by asking, persuading, or telling them to do it.
...a long campaign to get US politicians to take the Aids epidemic more seriously...
How did you get him to pose for this picture?
= persuade
5 [VERB] V n -ed, V n -ed
If you get something done, you cause it to be done.
I might benefit from getting my teeth fixed...
It was best to get things done quickly.
6 [VERB] V prep/adv, V prep/adv
To get somewhere means to move there.
I got off the bed and opened the door...
I heard David yelling and telling them to get back.
7 [VERB] V to n, V adv
When you get to a place, you arrive there.
Generally I get to work at 9.30am...
It was dark by the time she got home.
8 [VERB] V n with adv, V n prep
To get something or someone into a place or position means to cause them to move there.
Mack got his wallet out...
The UN was supposed to be getting aid to where it was most needed.
9 [AUX] AUX -ed, AUX -ed
Get is often used in place of `be' as an auxiliary verb to form passives.
Does she ever get asked for her autograph?...
A pane of glass got broken.
10 [VERB] V to-inf
If you get to do something, you eventually or gradually reach a stage at which you do it.
No one could figure out how he got to be so wealthy.
11 [VERB] V to-inf, V to-inf
If you get to do something, you manage to do it or have the opportunity to do it.
Do you get to see him often?...
They get to stay in nice hotels.
12 [VERB] V -ing
You can use get in expressions like get moving, get going, and get working when you want to tell people to begin moving, going, or working quickly.
I aim to be off the lake before dawn, so let's get moving...
13 [VERB] V to n, V adv, it V to n
If you get to a particular stage in your life or in something you are doing, you reach that stage.
We haven't got to the stage of a full-scale military conflict...
If she gets that far, Jane may get legal aid to take her case to court...
It got to the point where I was so ill I was waiting to die.
14 [VERB] V adv, V n adv
You can use get to talk about the progress that you are making. For example, if you say that you are getting somewhere, you mean that you are making progress, and if you say that something won't get you anywhere, you mean it will not help you to progress at all.
Radical factions say the talks are getting nowhere and they want to withdraw...
My perseverance was getting me somewhere.
15 [V-LINK] it V to n, it V towards n, it V adj
When it gets to a particular time, it is that time. If it is getting towards a particular time, it is approaching that time.
It got to after 1am and I was exhausted...
It was getting towards evening when we got back...
It's getting late.
16 [VERB] V to n
If something that has continued for some time gets to you, it starts causing you to suffer.
That's the first time I lost my cool in 20 years in this job. This whole thing's getting to me.
17 [VERB] no passive, V n
If something gets you, it annoys you. (INFORMAL)
What gets me is the attitude of so many of the people.♦♦♦ get2 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) OBTAINING, RECEIVING, OR CATCHING
1 [VERB] V n, V n, V n n, also V n for n
If you get something that you want or need, you obtain it.
I got a job at the sawmill...
He had been having trouble getting a hotel room...
I asked him to get me some information.
2 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get something, you receive it or are given it.
I'm getting a bike for my birthday...
He gets a lot of letters from women...
3 [VERB] V n, V n n, V n for n
If you get someone or something, you go and bring them to a particular place.
I came down this morning to get the newspaper...
Go and get me a large brandy...
Go and get your daddy for me.
4 [VERB] V n
If you get a meal, you prepare it.
She was getting breakfast as usual.
5 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a particular result, you obtain it from some action that you take, or from a calculation or experiment.
You could run that race again and get a different result each time...
What do you get if you multiply six by nine?
6 [VERB] V n for n
If you get a particular price for something that you sell, you obtain that amount of money by selling it.
He can't get a good price for his crops.
7 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get the time or opportunity to do something, you have the time or opportunity to do it.
You get time to think in prison...
Whenever I get the chance I go to Maxim's for dinner.
8 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get an idea, impression, or feeling, you begin to have that idea, impression, or feeling as you learn or understand more about something.
I get the feeling that you're an honest man...
The study is an attempt to get a better idea of why people live where they do...
9 [VERB] V n, V n out of/from n/-ing
If you get a feeling or benefit from an activity or experience, the activity or experience gives you that feeling or benefit.
Charles got a shock when he saw him...
She gets enormous pleasure out of working freelance...
10 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a look, view, or glimpse of something, you manage to see it.
Young men climbed on buses and fences to get a better view...
Crowds shouted and pushed to get a glimpse of their hero.
= obtain
11 [VERB] V n, V n
If a place gets a particular type of weather, it has that type of weather.
Riyadh got 25 mm of rain in just 12 hours...
Northern Kentucky is likely to get snow mixed with sleet.
12 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a joke or get the point of something that is said, you understand it.
Did you get that joke, Ann? I'll explain later...
You don't seem to get the point.
13 [VERB] V n
If you get an illness or disease, you become ill with it.
When I was five I got measles.
14 [VERB] V n
When you get a train, bus, plane, or boat, you leave a place on a particular train, bus, plane, or boat.
What time are you getting your train?
15 [VERB] V n
If you get a person or animal, you succeed in catching, killing, or hitting them.
Take it easy. We've got him. He's not going to kill anyone else.
16
see also getting, got♦♦♦ get3 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) PHRASES AND PHRASAL VERBS
1 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
You can say that something is, for example, as good as you can get to mean that it is as good as it is possible for that thing to be.
Consort has a population of 714 and is about as rural and isolated as you can get.
2 [PHRASE] PHR n
If you say you can't get away from something or there is no getting away from something, you are emphasizing that it is true, even though people might prefer it not to be true. (INFORMAL)
There is no getting away from the fact that he is on the left of the party.
3 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you get away from it all, you have a holiday in a place that is very different from where you normally live and work.
...the ravishing island of Ischia, where rich Italians get away from it all.
4 [CONVENTION]
Get is used in rude expressions like get stuffed and get lost to express contempt, disagreement, or refusal to do something. (RUDE)
5 [PHRASE]
You can say, for example, `How lucky can you get?' or `How stupid can you get?' to show your surprise that anyone could be as lucky or stupid as the person that you are talking about. (INFORMAL)
I mean, how crazy can you get?
6 [PHRASE] PHR n
You can use you get instead of `there is' or `there are' to say that something exists, happens, or can be experienced. (SPOKEN)
You get a lot of things like that now, don't you...
That's where you get some differences of opinion.
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get about, you go to different places and visit different people.
So you're getting about a bit again? Not shutting yourself away?
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
The way that someone gets about is the way that they walk or go from one place to another.
She was finding it increasingly difficult to get about.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If news gets about, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people. (mainly BRIT)
The story had soon got about that he had been suspended.
= get aroundget across
[PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V n P
When an idea gets across or when you get it across, you succeed in making other people understand it.
Officers felt their point of view was not getting across to ministers...
I had created a way to get my message across while using as few words as possible.
= get overget ahead
[PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you want to get ahead, you want to be successful in your career.
He wanted safety, security, a home, and a chance to get ahead.
= get onget along
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, pl-n V P
If you get along with someone, you have a friendly relationship with them. You can also say that two people get along.
It's impossible to get along with him...
They seemed to be getting along fine.
= get on
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P prep
Get along means the same as get by.
You can't get along without water...
= manage, surviveget around
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To get around a problem or difficulty means to overcome it.
None of these countries has found a way yet to get around the problem of the polarization of wealth.
= get over
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get around a rule or law, you find a way of doing something that the rule or law is intended to prevent, without actually breaking it.
Although tobacco ads are prohibited, companies get around the ban by sponsoring music shows.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P that, it V P that
If news gets around, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people.
They threw him out because word got around that he was taking drugs...
I'll see that it gets round that you've arrived.
= get about
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get around someone, you persuade them to allow you to do or have something by pleasing them or flattering them.
Max could always get round her.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get around, you visit a lot of different places as part of your way of life.
He claimed to be a journalist, and he got around.get around to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n/-ing
When you get around to doing something that you have delayed doing or have been too busy to do, you finally do it. (in BRIT, also use get round to)
I said I would write to you, but as usual I never got around to it...get at
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
To get at something means to succeed in reaching it.
A goat was standing up against a tree on its hind legs, trying to get at the leaves.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get at the truth about something, you succeed in discovering it.
We want to get at the truth. Who killed him? And why?
= find out
3 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If you ask someone what they are getting at, you are asking them to explain what they mean, usually because you think that they are being unpleasant or are suggesting something that is untrue.
`What are you getting at now?' demanded Rick.get away
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P from n, V P
If you get away, you succeed in leaving a place or a person's company.
She'd gladly have gone anywhere to get away from the cottage...
I wanted a divorce. I wanted to get away.
= escape
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get away, you go away for a period of time in order to have a holiday.
He is too busy to get away.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V n P
When someone or something gets away, or when you get them away, they escape.
Dr Dunn was apparently trying to get away when he was shot...
I wanted to get her away to somewhere safe.get back
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P to n, also V P into n
If someone or something gets back to a state they were in before, they are then in that state again.
Then life started to get back to normal...
I couldn't get back to sleep.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to/onto n
If you get back to a subject that you were talking about before, you start talking about it again.
It wasn't until we had sat down to eat that we got back to the subject of Tom Halliday.
= return
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something back after you have lost it or after it has been taken from you, you then have it again.
You have 14 days in which you can cancel the contract and get your money back.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P at n, V n P
If you get back at someone or get them back, you do something unpleasant to them in order to have revenge for something unpleasant that they did to you. (INFORMAL)
The divorce process should not be used as a means to get back at your former partner...
I'm going to get you back so badly you'll never to be able to show your face again.get back to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you get back to an activity, you start doing it again after you have stopped doing it.
I think I ought to get back to work.get by
[PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P on n
If you can get by with what you have, you can manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way.
I'm a survivor. I'll get by...
Melville managed to get by on a small amount of money.
= survive, manageget down
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If something gets you down, it makes you unhappy.
At times when my work gets me down, I like to fantasize about being a farmer.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P on n, V P
If you get down, you lower your body until you are sitting, kneeling, or lying on the ground.
She got down on her hands and knees on the floor...
`Get down!' she yelled. `Somebody's shooting!'
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, also V P n (not pron)
If you get something down, especially something that someone has just said, you write it down.
The idea has been going around in my head for quite a while and now I am getting it down on paper.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P, also V P n (not pron)
If you get food or medicine down, you swallow it, especially with difficulty. (INFORMAL)
I bit into a hefty slab of bread and cheese. When I had got it down I started talking.get down to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you get down to something, especially something that requires a lot of attention, you begin doing it.
With the election out of the way, the government can get down to business.get in
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If a political party or a politician gets in, they are elected.
If the Conservatives got in they might decide to change it.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something in, you manage to do it at a time when you are very busy doing other things.
I plan to get a few lessons in.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
To get crops or the harvest in means to gather them from the land and take them to a particular place.
We didn't get the harvest in until Christmas, there was so much snow.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When a train, bus, or plane gets in, it arrives.
We would have come straight here, except our flight got in too late.get into
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get into a particular kind of work or activity, you manage to become involved in it.
He was eager to get into politics.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get into a school, college, or university, you are accepted there as a student.
I was working hard to get into Cambridge.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you ask what has got into someone, you mean that they are behaving very differently from the way they usually behave. (INFORMAL)
What has got into you today? Why are you behaving like this?get off
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n
If someone who has broken a law or rule gets off, they are not punished, or are given only a very small punishment.
He is likely to get off with a small fine.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get off, you leave a place because it is time to leave.
At eight I said `I'm getting off now.'
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you tell someone to get off a piece of land or a property, you are telling them to leave, because they have no right to be there and you do not want them there.
I told you. Get off the farm.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
You can tell someone to get off when they are touching something and you do not want them to.
I kept telling him to get off...
`Get off me!' I screamed.get on
1 [PHRASAL VERB] pl-n V P, V P with n
If you get on with someone, you like them and have a friendly relationship with them.
The host fears the guests won't get on...
What are your neighbours like? Do you get on with them?
= get along
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P with n, V P
If you get on with something, you continue doing it or start doing it.
Jane got on with her work...
Let's get on.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P adv, V P adv
If you say how someone is getting on, you are saying how much success they are having with what they are trying to do.
Livy's getting on very well in Russian. She learns very quickly...
When he came back to see me I asked how he had got on.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you try to get on, you try to be successful in your career. (mainly BRIT)
Politics is seen as a man's world. It is very difficult for women to get on.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] usu cont, V P
If someone is getting on, they are getting old. (INFORMAL)
I'm nearly 31 and that's getting on a bit for a footballer.get out
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P of n, V P
If you get out, you leave a place because you want to escape from it, or because you are made to leave it.
They probably wanted to get out of the country...
I told him to leave and get out.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
If you get out, you go to places and meet people, usually in order to have a more enjoyable life.
Get out and enjoy yourself, make new friends.
= go out
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P of n, V P of n, also V P
If you get out of an organization or a commitment, you withdraw from it.
I wanted to get out of the group, but they wouldn't let me...
Getting out of the contract would be no problem.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P that
If news or information gets out, it becomes known.
If word got out now, a scandal could be disastrous...
Once the news gets out that Armenia is in a very critical situation, I think the world will respond.get over
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get over an unpleasant or unhappy experience or an illness, you recover from it.
It took me a very long time to get over the shock of her death.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get over a problem or difficulty, you overcome it.
How would they get over that problem, he wondered?
= get around
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P to n
If you get your message over to people, they hear and understand it.
We have got to get the message over to the young that smoking isn't cool.
= get acrossget round
see get aroundget through
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a task or an amount of work, especially when it is difficult, you complete it.
I think you can get through the first two chapters.
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a difficult or unpleasant period of time, you manage to live through it.
It is hard to see how people will get through the winter...
= survive
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n
If you get through a large amount of something, you use it. (mainly BRIT)
You'll get through at least ten nappies a day.
4 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P to n, also V P
If you get through to someone, you succeed in making them understand something that you are trying to tell them.
An old friend might well be able to get through to her and help her...
The message was finally getting through to him.
5 [PHRASAL VERB] V P to n, V P
If you get through to someone, you succeed in contacting them on the telephone.
Look, I can't get through to this number...
I've been trying to ring up all day and I couldn't get through.
6 [PHRASAL VERB] V P n, also V P
If you get through an examination or get through, you pass it. (mainly BRIT)
Did you have to get through an entrance examination?
7 [PHRASAL VERB] V P, V P n
If a law or proposal gets through, it is officially approved by something such as a parliament or committee.
...if his referendum law failed to get through...
Such a radical proposal would never get through parliament.
= go throughget together
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When people get together, they meet in order to discuss something or to spend time together.
This is the only forum where East and West can get together.
see also get-together
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get something together, you organize it.
Paul and I were getting a band together, and we needed a new record deal.
3 [PHRASAL VERB] V n P
If you get an amount of money together, you succeed in getting all the money that you need in order to pay for something.
Now you've finally got enough money together to put down a deposit on your dream home.
= scrape togetherget up
1 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When someone who is sitting or lying down gets up, they rise to a standing position.
I got up and walked over to where he was.
= stand up
2 [PHRASAL VERB] V P
When you get up, you get out of bed.
They have to get up early in the morning.
3
see also get-upget up to
[PHRASAL VERB] V P P n
If you say that someone gets up to something, you mean that they do it and you do not approve of it. (BRIT mainly SPOKEN)
They get up to all sorts behind your back.♦♦♦ get1 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) CHANGING, CAUSING, MOVING, OR REACHING
In most of its uses get is a fairly informal word. Gotten is an American form of the past tense and past participle.
1 [V-LINK] V adj, V adj, V adj
You use get with adjectives to mean `become'. For example, if someone gets cold, they become cold, and if they get angry, they become angry.
The boys were getting bored...
There's no point in getting upset...
From here on, it can only get better.
2 [V-LINK] V adj, V prep/adv, V prep/adv
Get is used with expressions referring to states or situations. For example, to get into trouble means to start being in trouble.
Half the pleasure of an evening out is getting ready...
Perhaps I shouldn't say that-I might get into trouble...
How did we get into this recession, and what can we do to get out of it?
3 [VERB] V n adj, V n adj, V n prep
To get someone or something into a particular state or situation means to cause them to be in it.
I don't know if I can get it clean...
What got me interested was looking at an old New York Times...
Brian will get them out of trouble.
4 [VERB] V n to-inf, V n to-inf
If you get someone to do something, you cause them to do it by asking, persuading, or telling them to do it.
...a long campaign to get US politicians to take the Aids epidemic more seriously...
How did you get him to pose for this picture?
= persuade
5 [VERB] V n -ed, V n -ed
If you get something done, you cause it to be done.
I might benefit from getting my teeth fixed...
It was best to get things done quickly.
6 [VERB] V prep/adv, V prep/adv
To get somewhere means to move there.
I got off the bed and opened the door...
I heard David yelling and telling them to get back.
7 [VERB] V to n, V adv
When you get to a place, you arrive there.
Generally I get to work at 9.30am...
It was dark by the time she got home.
8 [VERB] V n with adv, V n prep
To get something or someone into a place or position means to cause them to move there.
Mack got his wallet out...
The UN was supposed to be getting aid to where it was most needed.
9 [AUX] AUX -ed, AUX -ed
Get is often used in place of `be' as an auxiliary verb to form passives.
Does she ever get asked for her autograph?...
A pane of glass got broken.
10 [VERB] V to-inf
If you get to do something, you eventually or gradually reach a stage at which you do it.
No one could figure out how he got to be so wealthy.
11 [VERB] V to-inf, V to-inf
If you get to do something, you manage to do it or have the opportunity to do it.
Do you get to see him often?...
They get to stay in nice hotels.
12 [VERB] V -ing
You can use get in expressions like get moving, get going, and get working when you want to tell people to begin moving, going, or working quickly.
I aim to be off the lake before dawn, so let's get moving...
13 [VERB] V to n, V adv, it V to n
If you get to a particular stage in your life or in something you are doing, you reach that stage.
We haven't got to the stage of a full-scale military conflict...
If she gets that far, Jane may get legal aid to take her case to court...
It got to the point where I was so ill I was waiting to die.
14 [VERB] V adv, V n adv
You can use get to talk about the progress that you are making. For example, if you say that you are getting somewhere, you mean that you are making progress, and if you say that something won't get you anywhere, you mean it will not help you to progress at all.
Radical factions say the talks are getting nowhere and they want to withdraw...
My perseverance was getting me somewhere.
15 [V-LINK] it V to n, it V towards n, it V adj
When it gets to a particular time, it is that time. If it is getting towards a particular time, it is approaching that time.
It got to after 1am and I was exhausted...
It was getting towards evening when we got back...
It's getting late.
16 [VERB] V to n
If something that has continued for some time gets to you, it starts causing you to suffer.
That's the first time I lost my cool in 20 years in this job. This whole thing's getting to me.
17 [VERB] no passive, V n
If something gets you, it annoys you. (INFORMAL)
What gets me is the attitude of so many of the people.♦♦♦ get2 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) OBTAINING, RECEIVING, OR CATCHING
1 [VERB] V n, V n, V n n, also V n for n
If you get something that you want or need, you obtain it.
I got a job at the sawmill...
He had been having trouble getting a hotel room...
I asked him to get me some information.
2 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get something, you receive it or are given it.
I'm getting a bike for my birthday...
He gets a lot of letters from women...
3 [VERB] V n, V n n, V n for n
If you get someone or something, you go and bring them to a particular place.
I came down this morning to get the newspaper...
Go and get me a large brandy...
Go and get your daddy for me.
4 [VERB] V n
If you get a meal, you prepare it.
She was getting breakfast as usual.
5 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a particular result, you obtain it from some action that you take, or from a calculation or experiment.
You could run that race again and get a different result each time...
What do you get if you multiply six by nine?
6 [VERB] V n for n
If you get a particular price for something that you sell, you obtain that amount of money by selling it.
He can't get a good price for his crops.
7 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get the time or opportunity to do something, you have the time or opportunity to do it.
You get time to think in prison...
Whenever I get the chance I go to Maxim's for dinner.
8 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get an idea, impression, or feeling, you begin to have that idea, impression, or feeling as you learn or understand more about something.
I get the feeling that you're an honest man...
The study is an attempt to get a better idea of why people live where they do...
9 [VERB] V n, V n out of/from n/-ing
If you get a feeling or benefit from an activity or experience, the activity or experience gives you that feeling or benefit.
Charles got a shock when he saw him...
She gets enormous pleasure out of working freelance...
10 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a look, view, or glimpse of something, you manage to see it.
Young men climbed on buses and fences to get a better view...
Crowds shouted and pushed to get a glimpse of their hero.
= obtain
11 [VERB] V n, V n
If a place gets a particular type of weather, it has that type of weather.
Riyadh got 25 mm of rain in just 12 hours...
Northern Kentucky is likely to get snow mixed with sleet.
12 [VERB] V n, V n
If you get a joke or get the point of something that is said, you understand it.
Did you get that joke, Ann? I'll explain later...
You don't seem to get the point.
13 [VERB] V n
If you get an illness or disease, you become ill with it.
When I was five I got measles.
14 [VERB] V n
When you get a train, bus, plane, or boat, you leave a place on a particular train, bus, plane, or boat.
What time are you getting your train?
15 [VERB] V n
If you get a person or animal, you succeed in catching, killing, or hitting them.
Take it easy. We've got him. He's not going to kill anyone else.
16
see also getting, got♦♦♦ get3 /g'et/ (get gets getting gotor gotten) PHRASES AND PHRASAL VERBS
1 [PHRASE] v-link PHR, PHR after v
You can say that something is, for example, as good as you can get to mean that it is as good as it is possible for that thing to be.
Consort has a population of 714 and is about as rural and isolated as you can get.
2 [PHRASE] PHR n
If you say you can't get away from something or there is no getting away from something, you are emphasizing that it is true, even though people might prefer it not to be true. (INFORMAL)
There is no getting away from the fact that he is on the left of the party.
3 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you get away from it all, you have a holiday in a place that is very different from where you normally live and work.
...the ravishing island of Ischia, where rich Italians get away from it all.
4 [CONVENTION]
Get is used in rude expressions like get stuffed and get lost to express contempt, disagreement, or refusal to do something. (RUDE)
5 [PHRASE]
You can say, for example, `How lucky can you get?' or `How stupid can you get?' to show your surprise that anyone could be as lucky or stupid as the person that you are talking about. (INFORMAL)
I mean, how crazy can you get?
6 [PHRASE] PHR n
You can use you get instead of `there is' or `there are' to say that something exists, happens, or can be experienced. (SPOKEN)
You get a lot of things like that now, don't you...
That's where you get some differences of opinion.