Idioms for get

Origin of get

1
1150–1200; (v.) Middle English geten < Old Norse geta to obtain, beget; cognate with Old English -gietan (> Middle English yeten), German -gessen, in vergessen to forget; (noun) Middle English: something gotten, offspring, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR get

1, 2 Get, obtain, acquire, procure, secure imply gaining possession of something. Get may apply to coming into possession in any manner, and either voluntarily or not. Obtain suggests putting forth effort to gain possession, and acquire stresses the possessing after an (often prolonged) effort. Procure suggests the method of obtaining, as that of search or choice. Secure, considered in bad taste as a would-be-elegant substitute for get, is, however, when used with discrimination, a perfectly proper word. It suggests making possession sure and safe, after obtaining something by competition or the like.
2 win, gain.
7 apprehend, grasp.
10 induce, dispose.
12 engender.

usage note for get

For nearly 400 years, forms of get have been used with a following past participle to form the passive voice: She got engaged when she was 19. He won't get accepted with those grades. This use of get rather than of forms of to be in the passive is found today chiefly in speech and informal writing.
In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses “to receive” or “to acquire”: I have gotten (or got ) all that I ever hoped for.
Have or has got in the sense “must” has been in use since the early 19th century; often the have or has is contracted: You've got to carry your passport at all times. The use of have (or has ) got in the sense of “to possess” goes back to the 15th century; it is also frequently contracted: She's got a master's degree in biology. These uses are occasionally criticized as redundant on the grounds that have alone expresses the meaning adequately, but they are well established and fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing. In some contexts in American English, substituting gotten for got produces a change in meaning: She's got ( possesses ) a new job. She's gotten ( has aquired ) a new job. He's got to ( must ) attend the wedding. He's gotten to ( has been allowed or enabled to ) attend. The children have got ( are suffering from ) the measles. The children have gotten ( have caught ) the measles. The use of got without have or has to mean “must” ( I got to buy a new suit ) is characteristic of the most relaxed, informal speech and does not occur in edited writing except in representations of speech. Gotta is a pronunciation spelling representing this use.

pronunciation note for get

The pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ for get has existed since the 16th century. The same change is exhibited in [kin] /kɪn/ for can and [yit] /yɪt/ for yet. The pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ is not regional and occurs in all parts of the country. It is most common as an unstressed syllable: Let's get going! [lets git-goh-ing] /ˈlɛts gɪtˈgoʊ ɪŋ/. In educated speech the pronunciation [git] /gɪt/ in stressed syllables is rare and sometimes criticized. When get is an imperative meaning “leave immediately,” the pronunciation is usually facetious: Now get! [nou git] /ˌnaʊ ˈgɪt/.

OTHER WORDS FROM get

get·ta·ble, get·a·ble, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for get it (1 of 2)

GeT

abbreviation for

Greenwich Electronic Time

British Dictionary definitions for get it (2 of 2)

get
/ (ɡɛt) /

verb gets, getting, got (ɡɒt) or got or esp US gotten (mainly tr)

noun

Derived forms of get

getable or gettable, adjective

Word Origin for get

Old English gietan; related to Old Norse geta to get, learn, Old High German bigezzan to obtain

usage for get

The use of off after get as in I got this chair off an antique dealer is acceptable in conversation, but should not be used in formal writing

Idioms and Phrases with get it (1 of 2)

get it

1

See catch it.

2

Understand something, as in He claims his plan is reasonable, but I'm not sure I get it. This synonym for catch on was popularized during the 1980s through a televised political debate in which presidential nominee Ronald Reagan told his opponent, You just don't get it, do you? This particular phrase has since been repeated in numerous contexts where one is expressing exasperation at someone's failure to understand something. The phrase is also put in the past tense, got it, meaning “understood.” For example, We're leaving tomorrow.—OK, got it. [Colloquial; late 1800s] Also see get the message.

Idioms and Phrases with get it (2 of 2)

get