get at
verb (used with object)
1.
to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension.
2.
to cause to be in one's possession or succeed in having available for one's use or enjoyment; obtain; acquire: to get a good price after bargaining; to get oil by drilling; to get information.
3.
to go after, take hold of, and bring (something) for one's own or for another's purposes; fetch: Would you get the milk from the refrigerator for me?
4.
to cause or cause to become, to do, to move, etc., as specified; effect: to get one's hair cut; to get a person drunk; to get a fire to burn; to get a dog out of a room.
5.
to communicate or establish communication with over a distance; reach: You can always get me by telephone.
6.
to hear or hear clearly: I didn't get your last name.
7.
to acquire a mental grasp or command of; learn: to get a lesson.
8.
to capture; seize: Get him before he escapes!
9.
to receive as a punishment or sentence: to get a spanking; to get 20 years in jail.
10.
to prevail on; influence or persuade: We'll get him to go with us.
11.
to prepare; make ready: to get dinner.
12.
(especially of animals) to beget.
13.
Informal. to affect emotionally: Her pleas got me.
14.
to hit, strike, or wound: The bullet got him in the leg.
15.
Informal. to kill.
16.
Informal. to take vengeance on: I'll get you yet!
17.
to catch or be afflicted with; come down with or suffer from: He got malaria while living in the tropics. She gets butterflies before every performance.
18.
Informal. to puzzle; irritate; annoy: Their silly remarks get me.
19.
Informal. to understand; comprehend: I don't get the joke. This report may be crystal-clear to a scientist, but I don't get it.
verb (used without object)
20.
to come to a specified place; arrive; reach: to get home late.
21.
to succeed, become enabled, or be permitted: You get to meet a lot of interesting people.
22.
to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition: to get angry; to get sick.
23.
(used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive): to get married; to get elected; to get hit by a car.
24.
to succeed in coming, going, arriving at, visiting, etc. (usually followed by away, in, into, out, etc. ): I don't get into town very often.
25.
to bear, endure, or survive (usually followed by through or over ): Can he get through another bad winter?
26.
to earn money; gain.
27.
Informal. to leave promptly; scram: He told us to get.
28.
to start or enter upon the action of (followed by a present participle expressing action): to get moving; Get rolling.
00:10
Get at
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
noun
Verb phrases 29.
an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal: the get of a stallion.
30.
a return of a ball, as in tennis, that would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent.
31.
British Slang.
a.
something earned, as salary, profits, etc.: What's your week's get?
b.
a child born out of wedlock.
32.
get about,
a.
to move about; be active: He gets about with difficulty since his illness.
b.
to become known; spread: It was supposed to be a secret, but somehow it got about.
c.
Also, get around. to be socially active: She's been getting about much more since her family moved to the city.
33.
get across,
a.
to make or become understandable; communicate: to get a lesson across to students.
b.
to be convincing about; impress upon others: The fire chief got across forcefully the fact that turning in a false alarm is a serious offense.
34.
get ahead, to be successful, as in business or society: She got ahead by sheer determination.
35.
get ahead of,
a.
to move forward of, as in traveling: The taxi got ahead of her after the light changed.
b.
to surpass; outdo: He refused to let anyone get ahead of him in business.
36.
37.
get around,
a.
to circumvent; outwit.
b.
to ingratiate oneself with (someone) through flattery or cajolery.
c.
to travel from place to place; circulate: I don't get around much anymore.
d.
38.
get at,
a.
to reach; touch: to stretch in order to get at a top shelf.
b.
to suggest, hint at, or imply; intimate: What are you getting at?
c.
to discover; determine: to get at the root of a problem.
d.
Informal. to influence by surreptitious or illegal means; bribe: The gangsters couldn't get at the mayor.
39.
get away,
a.
to escape; flee: He tried to get away, but the crowd was too dense.
b.
to start out; leave: The racehorses got away from the starting gate.
40.
get away with, to perpetrate or accomplish without detection or punishment: Some people lie and cheat and always seem to get away with it.
41.
get by,
a.
to succeed in going past: to get by a police barricade.
b.
to manage to exist, survive, continue in business, etc., in spite of difficulties.
c.
to evade the notice of: He doesn't let much get by him.
42.
get down,
a.
to bring or come down; descend: The kitten climbed the tree, but then couldn't get down again.
b.
to concentrate; attend: to get down to the matter at hand.
c.
to depress; discourage; fatigue: Nothing gets me down so much as a rainy day.
d.
to swallow: The pill was so large that he couldn't get it down.
e.
to relax and enjoy oneself completely; be uninhibited in one's enjoyment: getting down with a bunch of old friends.
43.
get in,
a.
to go into a place; enter: He forgot his key and couldn't get in.
b.
to arrive; come: They both got in on the same train.
c.
to become associated with: He got in with a bad crowd.
d.
to be chosen or accepted, as for office, membership, etc.: As secretary of the club, his friend made sure that he got in.
e.
to become implicated in: By embezzling money to pay his gambling debts quickly, he was getting in further and further.
44.
get off,
a.
to escape the consequences of or punishment for one's actions.
b.
to help (someone) escape punishment: A good lawyer might get you off.
c.
to begin a journey; leave: He got off on the noon flight.
d.
to leave (a train, plane, etc.); dismount from (a horse); alight.
e.
to tell (a joke); express (an opinion): The comedian got off a couple of good ones.
f.
Informal. to have the effrontery: Where does he get off telling me how to behave?
g.
Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm.
h.
to experience or cause to experience a high from or as if from a drug.
i.
to cause to feel pleasure, enthusiasm, or excitement: a new rock group that gets everyone off.
45.
get onalong,
a.
to make progress; proceed; advance.
b.
to have sufficient means to manage, survive, or fare.
c.
to be on good terms; agree: She simply can't get on with her brothers.
d.
to advance in age: He is getting on in years.
46.
get out,
a.
to leave (often followed by of ): Get out of here! We had to get out of the bus at San Antonio.
b.
to become publicly known: We mustn't let this story get out.
c.
to withdraw or retire (often followed by of ): He decided to get out of the dry goods business.
d.
to produce or complete: Let's get this work out!
47.
48.
get through,
a.
to succeed, as in meeting, reaching, or contacting by telephone (usually followed by to ): I tried to call you last night, but I couldn't get through.
b.
to complete; finish: How he ever got through college is a mystery.
c.
to make oneself understood: One simply cannot get through to her.
49.
get to,
a.
to get in touch or into communication with; contact: It was too late by the time he got to the authorities.
b.
Informal. to make an impression on; affect: This music really gets to you.
c.
to begin: When he gets to telling stories about the war, there's no stopping him.
50.
get back,
a.
to come back; return: When will you get back?
b.
to recover; regain: He got back his investment with interest.
c.
to be revenged: She waited for a chance to get back at her accuser.
51.
52.
get going,
a.
to begin; act: They wanted to get going on the construction of the house.
b.
to increase one's speed; make haste: If we don't get going, we'll never arrive in time.
53.
get it, Informal.
a.
to be punished or reprimanded: You'll get it for breaking that vase!
b.
to understand or grasp something: This is just between us, get it?
54.
get it off, Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm.
55.
get it on,
a.
Informal. to work or perform with satisfying harmony or energy or develop a strong rapport, as in music: a rock group really getting it on with the audience.
b.
Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse.
56.
get it up, Slang: Vulgar. to achieve an erection of the penis.
57.
get off on, Slang. to become enthusiastic about or excited by: After years of indifference, she's getting off on baseball.
58.
get round. get around.
59.
60.
get there, to reach one's goal; succeed: He wanted to be a millionaire but he died before he got there.
61.
get together,
a.
to accumulate; gather: to get together a portfolio of 20 stocks.
b.
to congregate; meet: The alumnae chapter gets together twice a year.
c.
to come to an accord; agree: They simply couldn't get together on matters of policy.
62.
get up,
a.
to sit up or stand; arise.
b.
to rise from bed.
c.
to ascend or mount.
d.
to prepare; arrange; organize: to get up an exhibit.
e.
to draw upon; marshal; rouse: to get up one's courage.
f.
to acquire a knowledge of.
g.
(to a horse) go! go ahead! go faster!
h.
to dress, as in a costume or disguise: She got herself up as an astronaut.
i.
to produce in a specified style, as a book: It was got up in brown leather with gold endpapers.
63.
has/have got,
a.
to possess or own; have: She's got a new car. Have you got the tickets?
b.
must (followed by an infinitive): He's got to get to a doctor right away.
c.
to suffer from: Have you got a cold?
Origin:
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.
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.
Related forms
get·ta·ble, get·a·ble, adjective
Synonyms
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.
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 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.
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
The pronunciation
[git] for get has existed since the 16th century. The same change is exhibited in [kin] for can and [yit] for yet. The pronunciation [git] 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]. In educated speech the pronunciation [git] 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].
The pronunciation
[git] for get has existed since the 16th century. The same change is exhibited in [kin] for can and [yit] for yet. The pronunciation [git] 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]. In educated speech the pronunciation [git] 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]. 
ɪŋ
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To get at
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World English Dictionary
get (ɡɛt) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by to) (foll by to) , esp (US) gets, getting, got, got, gotten | |
| 1. | to come into possession of; receive or earn |
| 2. | to bring or fetch |
| 3. | to contract or be affected by: he got a chill at the picnic |
| 4. | to capture or seize: the police finally got him |
| 5. | (also intr) to become or cause to become or act as specified: to get a window open; get one's hair cut; get wet |
| 6. | (intr; |
| 7. | (takes an infinitive) to manage or contrive: how did you get to be captain? |
| 8. | to make ready or prepare: to get a meal |
| 9. | to hear, notice, or understand: I didn't get your meaning |
| 10. | informal (US), (Canadian) to learn or master by study |
| 11. | to come (to) or arrive (at): we got home safely; to get to London |
| 12. | to catch or enter: to get a train |
| 13. | to induce or persuade: get him to leave at once |
| 14. | to reach by calculation: add 2 and 2 and you will get 4 |
| 15. | to receive (a broadcast signal) |
| 16. | to communicate with (a person or place), as by telephone |
| 17. | informal to have an emotional effect (on): that music really gets me |
| 18. | informal to annoy or irritate: her high voice gets me |
| 19. | informal to bring a person into a difficult position from which he or she cannot escape |
| 20. | informal to puzzle; baffle |
| 21. | informal to hit: the blow got him in the back |
| 22. | informal to be revenged on, esp by killing |
| 23. | slang (US) |
| a. ( | |
| b. ( | |
| 24. | informal to have the better of: your extravagant habits will get you in the end |
| 25. | informal (intr; |
| 26. | informal (
|
| 27. | archaic to beget or conceive |
| 28. | get even with See even |
| 29. | informal get it, get it in the neck to be reprimanded or punished severely |
| 30. | slang get with it to allow oneself to respond to new ideas, styles, etc |
| 31. | archaic get with child to make pregnant |
| —n | |
| 32. | rare the act of begetting |
| 33. | rare something begotten; offspring |
| 34. | slang (Brit) a variant of git |
| 35. | informal (in tennis, squash, etc) a successful return of a shot that was difficult to reach |
| [Old English gietan; related to Old Norse geta to get, learn, Old High German bigezzan to obtain] | |
| usage 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 | |
| 'getable | |
| —adj | |
| 'gettable | |
| —adj | |
| GeT | |
| —abbreviation for | |
| Greenwich Electronic Time | |
| get at | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to gain access to: the dog could not get at the meat on the high shelf |
| 2. | to mean or intend: what are you getting at when you look at me like that? |
| 3. | to irritate or annoy persistently; criticize: she is always getting at him |
| 4. | to influence or seek to influence, esp illegally by bribery, intimidation, etc: someone had got at the witness before the trial |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
get
c.1200, from O.N. geta "to obtain, reach" (p.t. gatum, pp. getenn), from P.Gmc. *getan (cf. O.E. begietan "to beget," O.Swed. gissa "to guess," lit. "to try to get"), from PIE base *ghe(n)d- "seize" (cf. Gk. khandanein "to hold, contain," Lith. godetis "be eager," second element in L. prehendere "to
grasp, seize," Welsh gannu "to hold, contain," O.C.S. gadati "to guess, suppose"). Meaning "to seize mentally, grasp" is from 1892. O.E., as well as Du. and Fris., had the root only in compounds (cf. beget, forget). Vestiges of O.E. cognate *gietan remain obliquely in pp. gotten and original pt. gat. The word and phrases built on it take up 29 columns in the OED 2nd edition. Slang get over "recover, rebound" is from 1687. Getaway "escape" is from 1852. Get-up "equipment or costume" is from 1847. Get-rich-quick (adj.) is from 1902. Get wind of "become acquainted with" is from 1840, from earlier to get wind "to get out, become known" (1722).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
get (so's) definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
get at
-
Touch, reach successfully, as in Mom hid the peanut butter so we couldn't get at it. [Late 1700s]
-
Try to make understand-able; hint at or suggest. For example, I think I see what you're getting at. [Late 1800s]
-
Discover, learn, ascertain, as in We must get at the facts of the case. [Late 1700s]
-
Bribe or influence by improper or illegal means, as in He got at the judge, and the charges were dismissed. [Colloquial; mid-1800s]
-
Start on, begin work on, attend to, as in "Get at your canvassing early, and drive it with all your might" (Mark Twain, letter to his publishers, 1884). [Colloquial; late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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