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get¹

  • /ɡɛt/ Canada, US, UK
  • /ɡɪt/
  • /ɡet/ Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛt, -ɪt

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *gʰe(n)d-der.

Proto-Indo-European *gʰed-eti

Proto-Germanic *getaną

Old Norse getabor.

Middle English geten

English get

From Middle English geten, from Old Norse geta, from Proto-Germanic *getaną (“to find; to acquire, attain, get, hold, receive”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰed- (“to find; to hold; to seize; to take”).

Cognates

Cognate with Yola get (“to get”), Danish gide (“to care, like”), Faroese gita (“to be able”), Icelandic geta (“to be able; to beget, father; to achieve, obtain, to guess; to mention”), Norwegian Nynorsk gjeta, gjete (“to guess; to mention”), Scanian gida (“to have the energy to, to feel up for”), gæda (“to guess”), Swedish gita, gitta (“to be able, to bring oneself to, to care”), Gothic 𐌱𐌹𐌲𐌹𐍄𐌰𐌽 (bigitan, “to discover, find”); also Latin edera, hedera (“ivy”), praeda (“booty, pillage, plunder; prey; gain, profit”), prehendō, prēndō (“to grab, grasp, seize; to attain, reach”), Ancient Greek χανδάνω (khandánō, “to comprise, contain, hold”), Albanian gjej (“to find”).

verb gets · getting · got · gat · gotten

  1. ditransitive, transitive To obtain; to acquire. I'm going to get a computer tomorrow from the discount store.
  2. transitive To receive. I got a computer from my parents for my birthday.
  3. transitive To have. See usage notes. I've got a concert ticket for you.
  4. transitive To fetch, bring, take. Can you get my bag from the living-room, please?
  5. copulative To become, or cause oneself to become (often with temporary states, past participle adjectives and comparatives). Near-synonyms: become, turn, go, come, fall, grow, wax
  6. transitive To cause to become; to bring about. That song gets me so depressed every time I hear it.
  7. transitive To cause to do. Somehow she got him to agree to it.
  8. transitive To cause to come or go or move. I got him to his room.
  9. intransitive, usually To adopt, assume, arrive at, or progress towards (a certain position, location, state). The actors are getting into position.
  10. transitive To cover (a certain distance) while travelling. to get a mile
  11. catenative, intransitive (with full infinitive or gerund-participle) To begin (doing something or to do something). We ought to get moving or we'll be late.
  12. transitive To take or catch (a scheduled transportation service). I normally get the 7:45 train.
  13. transitive To respond to (a telephone call, a doorbell, etc). Can you get that call, please? I'm busy.
  14. catenative, intransitive (with full infinitive) To be able, be permitted, or have the opportunity (to do something desirable or ironically implied to be desirable). I'm so jealous that you got to see them perform live!
  15. informal, transitive To understand. (compare get it) Yeah, I get it, it's just not funny.
  16. informal, transitive To be told; be the recipient of (a question, comparison, opinion, etc.). "You look just like Helen Mirren." / "I get that a lot."
  17. auxiliary, informal Used with the past participle to form the dynamic passive voice of a dynamic verb. Compared with static passive with to be, this emphasizes the commencement of an action or entry into a state. He got bitten by a dog.
  18. impersonal, informal Used with a pronoun subject, usually you but sometimes one, to indicate that the object of the verb exists, can occur or is otherwise typical. You get some very rude people here.
  19. transitive To become ill with or catch (a disease). I went on holiday and got malaria.
  20. informal, transitive To catch out, trick successfully. He keeps calling pretending to be my boss—it gets me every time.
  21. informal, transitive To perplex, stump. That question's really got me.
  22. transitive To find as an answer. What did you get for question four?
  23. informal, transitive To bring to reckoning; to catch (usually as a criminal); to effect retribution. The cops finally got me.
  24. transitive To hear completely; catch. Sorry, I didn't get that. Could you repeat it?
  25. transitive To getter. I put the getter into the container to get the gases.
  26. archaic To beget (of a father). I had rather to adopt a child than get it.
  27. archaic To learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; sometimes with out. to get a lesson;  to get out one's Greek lesson
  28. imperative, informal Used with a personal pronoun to indicate that someone is being pretentious or grandiose. Get her with her new hairdo.
  29. imperative, informal, intransitive To go, to leave; to scram. Get, now — get! — before I call an officer and lay a charge against ye.
  30. euphemistic To kill. They’re coming to get you, Barbara.
  31. intransitive, obsolete To make acquisitions; to gain; to profit. We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get.
  32. transitive To measure. Did you get her temperature?
  33. transitive To cause someone to laugh. It gets me every time!

noun gets · git

  1. dated Offspring, especially illegitimate. At the time when I am making these observations, one of his colts is the first favourite for the Derby; and it will be recollected, that a filly of his get won the Oaks in 1808.
  2. Lineage.
  3. A difficult return or block of a shot.
  4. informal Something gotten, something gained or won; an acquisition. I had reconnected with the lust of my life while landing a big get for the magazine.
  5. Internet A message or post on an online platform, particularly imageboards, with a unique identifier deemed special or rare, usually due to patterns in the ID.

get²

  • /ɡɛt/ Canada, US, UK
  • /ɡɪt/
  • /ɡet/ Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛt, -ɪt

Where it comes from

Variant of git.

noun gets

  1. Ireland, UK, regional Synonym of git (“contemptible person”). Kylie: Oi, Bono! You lazy get! Have you finished my song yet?

get³

  • /ɡɛt/ Canada, US, UK
  • /ɡɪt/
  • /ɡet/ Australia, New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɛt, -ɪt

Where it comes from

Etymology tree

Sumerian 𒁍der.

Sumerian 𒁍𒁕bor.

Akkadian 𒁍𒁕der.?

Hebrew גֵּט (gēṭ)der.

English get

From Hebrew גֵּט (gēṭ).

noun gets · gittim · gitten · gett · ghet

  1. Judaism A Jewish writ of divorce. In Israel, rabbinic courts can imprison men until they acquiesce and grant gets to their wives.

Get⁴

noun Gets

  1. A member of the Getae.

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