Get |
Meaning + Use
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Examples |
get about
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move or travel in a general sense, spread
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You know how people from Brooklyn get about Brooklyn.
One day, when I am well enough to get about on my own, I will go to a baseball game.
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get along
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have a good relationship
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I still don't get along with her and avoid her when possible.
You don't want to put people together who might not get along as well as you might like.
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get at smth
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mean, try to say, hint at; to learn, to get to know
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Well that's exactly what I'm trying to get at. (what I'm trying to say)
We're going to exhaust all possibilities to get at the truth. (to learn the truth)
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get away
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escape, be free to leave
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Adults come here to get away from children.
She needed a break. She needed to get away from her life if only for a week.
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get away with smth
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do smth wrong or illegal without being reprimanded or punished, usually without even being caught
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Jane was always late, and teachers always let her get away with it.
At home it became too easy to get away with wearing baggy, elastic-waisted clothes.
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get back smth/get smth back
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recover possession of
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You won't get back your job even if you apologize to your boss.
Gregory is trying to get back half of the money he put into that company.
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get back
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reach home again
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Will you be home when I get back on Saturday?
When we get back I'm going to help Mother prepare everything for the party.
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get off
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be acquitted or receive no punishment (compare with get away with it, which implies that the offender is not even caught)
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People think I got off easy. How is 10 years probation and everything that it brings with it, how is that getting off easy when you're innocent?
Domestic violence is ignored or the perpetrators get off too lightly.
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get on
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(a) make progress, be successful
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How is she getting on at her new school?
Mark is getting on very well with his English.
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get on
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(b) (informal) live, work etc., be friendly with someone
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Mother was pleased to see them all together and hoped they would get on well.
How are you and Mrs. Davis getting on?
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get out
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escape from, leave (an enclosed space), go outside
Note that the imperative 'Get out', except when it means 'descend' (from a vehicle), is very rude.
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It would do you good to get out in the fresh air.
The door looked like someone had nearly ripped it off the hinges trying to get out.
Gina pushed open the door but did not get out.
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get out of smth
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free oneself from an obligation or habit, avoid having to do smth
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I didn't want to get myself more involved in this case and I wanted to get out of it.
Jack had already scheduled a late-afternoon meeting at the work site. He couldn't get out of it. (free himself from his promise)
I started smoking to get out of the habit of chewing gum.
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get over (smth)
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recover from (an illness, shock, surprise, distress or mental weakness)
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Your parrot is dead, and you should get over it.
I'm very disappointed. - You'll get over it.
I actually hate the cold. So this is a personal thing to get over.
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get it over with
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deal with it and be finished with it, complete
(the object is usually it which normally represents smth unpleasant)
Be careful not to confuse this with get over it, which is quite different.
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Eager to get it over with, Ron started on his homework.
Let's just get it over with, once and for all.
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get through (smth)
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finish a piece of work, finish successfully, manage to pass through
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I' ve got to get through the budget crisis first. - Just sort of work hard and get through it.
Do not despair. We will get through this project together.
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get through
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get a telephone connection
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Jake could not get through on that cell phone to Tom.
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get up
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rise from bed, rise to one's feet, mount
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I get up in the morning and I go to work just like anybody else in this house.
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get up smth
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arrange, organize (usually an amateur entertainment or a charitable enterprise)
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You can go just about anywhere in Atlanta and get up a checkers game in a barbershop or under a shade tree.
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