v. & n.
v. (getting; past got; past part. got or US (and in comb.) gotten) 1 tr. come into the possession of; receive or earn (get a job; got $200 a week; got first prize). 2 tr. fetch, obtain, procure, purchase (get my book for me; got a new car). 3 tr. go to reach or catch (a bus, train, etc.). 4 tr. prepare (a meal etc.). 5 intr. & tr. reach or cause to reach a certain state or condition; become or cause to become (get rich; get one's feet wet; get to be famous; got them ready; got him into trouble; cannot get the key into the lock). 6 tr. obtain as a result of calculation. 7 tr. contract (a disease etc.). 8 tr. establish or be in communication with via telephone or radio; receive (a radio signal). 9 tr. experience or suffer; have inflicted on one; receive as one's lot or penalty (got four years in prison). 10 a tr. succeed in bringing, placing, etc. (get it round the corner; get it on to the agenda; flattery will get you nowhere). b intr. & tr. succeed or cause to succeed in coming or going (will get you there somehow; got absolutely nowhere). 11 tr. (prec. by have) a possess (have not got a penny). b (foll. by to + infin.) be bound or obliged (have got to see you). 12 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) induce; prevail upon (got them to help me). 13 tr. colloq. understand (a person or an argument) (have you got that?; I get your point; do you get me?). 14 tr. colloq. inflict punishment or retribution on, esp. in retaliation (I'll get you for that). 15 tr. colloq. a annoy. b move; affect emotionally. c attract, obsess. d amuse. 16 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) develop an inclination as specified (am getting to like it). 17 intr. (foll. by verbal noun) begin (get going). 18 tr. (esp. in past or perfect) catch in an argument; corner, puzzle. 19 tr. establish (an idea etc.) in one's mind. 20 intr. sl. be off; go away. 21 tr. archaic beget. 22 tr. archaic learn; acquire (knowledge) by study.
n. 1 a an act of begetting (of animals). b an offspring (of animals). 2 sl. a fool or idiot. get about (or around) 1 travel extensively or fast; go from place to place. 2 manage to walk, move about, etc. (esp. after illness). 3 (of news) be circulated, esp. orally. get across 1 manage to communicate (an idea etc.). 2 (of an idea etc.) be communicated successfully. 3 colloq. annoy, irritate. get along (or on) 1 (foll. by together, with) live harmoniously, accord. 2 be off! nonsense! get at 1 reach; get hold of. 2 colloq. imply (what are you getting at?). get away 1 escape. 2 (as imper.) colloq. expressing disbelief or scepticism. 3 (foll. by with) escape blame or punishment for. get back at colloq. retaliate against. get by colloq. 1 just manage, even with difficulty. 2 be acceptable. get down 1 alight, descend (from a vehicle, ladder, etc.). 2 record in writing. get a person down depress or deject him or her. get down to begin working on or discussing. get even (often foll. by with) 1 achieve revenge; act in retaliation. 2 equalize the score. get his (or hers etc.) sl. be killed. get hold of 1 grasp (physically). 2 grasp (intellectually); understand. 3 make contact with (a person). 4 acquire. get in 1 enter. 2 be elected. get into become interested or involved in. get it sl. be punished or in trouble. get it into one's head (foll. by that + clause) firmly believe or maintain; realize. get off 1 colloq. be acquitted; escape with little or no punishment. 2 start. 3 alight; alight from (a bus etc.). 4 go, or cause to go, to sleep. 5 (foll. by with, together) Brit. colloq. form an amorous or sexual relationship, esp. abruptly or quickly. get a person off colloq. cause a person to be acquitted. get on 1 make progress; manage. 2 enter (a bus etc.). 3 = get along 1. get on to colloq. 1 make contact with. 2 understand; become aware of. get out 1 leave or escape. 2 manage to go outdoors. 3 alight from a vehicle. 4 transpire; become known. 5 succeed in uttering, publishing, etc. 6 solve or finish (a puzzle etc.). 7 Cricket be dismissed. get-out n. a means of avoiding something. get a person out 1 help a person to leave or escape. 2 Cricket dismiss (a batsman). get out of 1 avoid or escape (a duty etc.). 2 abandon (a habit) gradually. get a thing out of manage to obtain it from (a person) esp. with difficulty. get outside (or outside of) sl. eat or drink. get over 1 recover from (an illness, upset, etc.). 2 overcome (a difficulty). 3 manage to communicate (an idea etc.). get a thing over (or over with) complete (a tedious task) promptly. get one's own back colloq. have one's revenge. get-rich-quick adj. designed to make a lot of money fast. get rid of see RID. get round (US around) 1 successfully coax or cajole (a person) esp. to secure a favour. 2 evade (a law etc.). get round to deal with (a task etc.) in due course. get somewhere make progress; be initially successful. get there colloq. 1 succeed. 2 understand what is meant. get through 1 pass or assist in passing (an examination, an ordeal, etc.). 2 finish or use up (esp. resources). 3 make contact by telephone. 4 (foll. by to) succeed in making (a person) listen or understand. get a thing through cause it to overcome obstacles, difficulties, etc. get to 1 reach. 2 = get down to. get together gather, assemble. get-together n. colloq. a social gathering. get up 1 rise or cause to rise from sitting etc., or from bed after sleeping or an illness. 2 ascend or mount, e.g. on horseback. 3 (of fire, wind, or the sea) begin to be strong or agitated. 4 prepare or organize. 5 enhance or refine one's knowledge of (a subject). 6 work up (a feeling, e.g. anger). 7 produce or stimulate (get up steam; get up speed). 8 (often refl.) dress or arrange elaborately; make presentable; arrange the appearance of. 9 (foll. by to) colloq. indulge or be involved in (always getting up to mischief). get-up n. colloq. a style or arrangement of dress etc., esp. an elaborate one. get-up-and-go colloq. energy, vim, enthusiasm. get the wind up see WIND(1). get with child archaic make pregnant. have got it bad (or badly) sl. be obsessed or affected emotionally. gettable adj.
[ ME f. ON geta obtain, beget, guess, corresp. to OE gietan (recorded only in compounds), f. Gmc ]