get - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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”).

get (third-person singular simple present gets, present participle getting, simple past got or (Scotland, Northern England, archaic) gat, past participle got or (US, Canada, more recently UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand) gotten or (Geordie) getten)

  1. (transitive or ditransitive) To obtain; to acquire.
    Synonyms: acquire, come by, have; see also Thesaurus:achieve, Thesaurus:acquire
    Antonym: lose
    I'm going to get a computer tomorrow from the discount store.
    Lance is going to get Mary a ring.
  2. (transitive) To receive.
    Synonyms: receive, be given; see also Thesaurus:receive
    I got a computer from my parents for my birthday.
    He got a severe reprimand for that.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 175:
      Afore we got to the shanty Colonel Applegate stuck his head out of the door. His temper had been getting raggeder all the time, and the sousing he got when he fell overboard had just about ripped what was left of it to ravellings.
  3. (transitive, in a perfect construction, with present-tense meaning) To have. See usage notes.
    I've got a concert ticket for you.
    • 2012, James Hibbitts, Joe Roberts, The Secret of Graveyard Hill, Tate Publishing, →ISBN, page 74:
      "Yeah, and I got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you," was Peter's response to his wife.
  4. (transitive) To fetch, bring, take.
    Synonyms: bring, fetch, retrieve
    Can you get my bag from the living-room, please?
    I need to get this to the office.
    • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 634:
      He […] got himself […] to the strong town of Mega.
  5. (copulative, rather informal, followed by an adjective) 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
    I'm getting hungry; how about you?
    I'm going out to get drunk.
    • November 1, 1833, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Table Talk
      His chariot wheels get hot by driving fast.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VIII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 175:
      Afore we got to the shanty Colonel Applegate stuck his head out of the door. His temper had been getting raggeder all the time, and the sousing he got when he fell overboard had just about ripped what was left of it to ravellings.
  6. (transitive) To cause to become; to bring about.
    Synonyms: cause to be, cause to become, make
    That song gets me so depressed every time I hear it.
    I'll get this finished by lunchtime.
    I can't get these boots off.
    I can’t get my hands warm.
    • 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter I, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 6:
      Then there came a reg'lar terror of a sou'wester same as you don't get one summer in a thousand, and blowed the shanty flat and ripped about half of the weir poles out of the sand. We spent consider'ble money getting 'em reset, and then a swordfish got into the pound and tore the nets all to slathers, right in the middle of the squiteague season.
  7. (transitive) To cause to do.
    Synonym: make
    Somehow she got him to agree to it.
    I can't get it to work.
    I can't get it working.
    I can’t get my kids to go to bed early.
  8. (transitive) To cause to come or go or move.
    I got him to his room.
  9. (intransitive, with various prepositions, such as into, over, or behind; for specific idiomatic senses see individual entries get into, get over, etc.) To adopt, assume, arrive at, or progress towards (a certain position, location, state).
    Synonyms: arrive at, reach
    Synonyms: go, move
    The actors are getting into position.
    When are we going to get to London?
    I'm getting into a muddle.
    We got behind the wall.
  10. (transitive) To cover (a certain distance) while travelling.
    to get a mile
  11. (intransitive, catenative) (with full infinitive or gerund-participle) To begin (doing something or to do something).
    Synonyms: begin, commence, start; see also Thesaurus:begin
    We ought to get moving or we'll be late.
    After lunch we got chatting.
    I'm getting to like him better now.
  12. (transitive) To take or catch (a scheduled transportation service).
    Synonyms: catch, take
    I normally get the 7:45 train.
    I'll get the 9 a.m. [flight] to Boston.
  13. (transitive) To respond to (a telephone call, a doorbell, etc).
    Synonym: answer
    Can you get that call, please? I'm busy.
  14. (intransitive, catenative) (with full infinitive) To be able, be permitted, or have the opportunity (to do something desirable or ironically implied to be desirable).
    Synonym: be able to
    I'm so jealous that you got to see them perform live!
    The finders get to keep 80 percent of the treasure.
    Great. I get to clean the toilets today.
  15. (transitive, informal) To understand. (compare get it)
    Synonyms: dig, follow, make sense of, understand
    Yeah, I get it, it's just not funny.
    I don't get what you mean by "fun". This place sucks!
    I mentioned that I was feeling sad, so she mailed me a box of chocolates. She gets me.
  16. (transitive, informal) To be told; be the recipient of (a question, comparison, opinion, etc.).
    "You look just like Helen Mirren." / "I get that a lot."
  1. (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.
    Synonym: to be
    He got bitten by a dog.
  1. (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.
    It was the kind of shop you used to get in most small towns.
  1. (transitive) To become ill with or catch (a disease).
    Synonyms: catch, come down with
    I went on holiday and got malaria.
  2. (transitive, informal) To catch out, trick successfully.
    Synonyms: con, deceive, dupe, hoodwink, trick; see also Thesaurus:deceive
    He keeps calling pretending to be my boss—it gets me every time.
  3. (transitive, informal) To perplex, stump.
    Synonyms: confuse, perplex, stump
    That question's really got me.
  4. (transitive) To find as an answer.
    Synonym: obtain
    What did you get for question four?
  5. (transitive, informal) To bring to reckoning; to catch (usually as a criminal); to effect retribution.
    Synonyms: catch, nab, nobble
    The cops finally got me.
    I'm gonna get him for that.
  6. (transitive) To hear completely; catch.
    Synonyms: catch, hear
    Sorry, I didn't get that. Could you repeat it?
  7. (transitive) To getter.
    Synonym: getter
    I put the getter into the container to get the gases.
  8. (now rare) To beget (of a father).
  1. (archaic) To learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; sometimes with out.
    to get a lesson; to get out one's Greek lesson
  1. (imperative, informal) Used with a personal pronoun to indicate that someone is being pretentious or grandiose.
    Get her with her new hairdo.
  1. (intransitive, informal, chiefly imperative) To go, to leave; to scram.
    Synonyms: get out, go, leave, scram; see also Thesaurus:flee, Thesaurus:leave
  1. (euphemistic) To kill.
    Synonyms: assault, beat, beat up
    They’re coming to get you, Barbara.
  2. (intransitive, obsolete) To make acquisitions; to gain; to profit.
  1. (transitive) To measure.
    Did you get her temperature?
  2. (transitive) To cause someone to laugh.
    It gets me every time!
Construction Most common meanings Example
get + inanimate object to receive, to obtain, to take They got a cute cat today
have got + inanimate object to have, to possess She has got a nice garden
have got + person to have (as a relation) I've got a sister / a friend / a boss
have got + to to have to (as a must) I've got to phone a friend
get + person to understand or to catch You get me? / I'll get you
get + concept to understand He began to get the idea
get + adjective to become She's getting taller quickly
get + person + adjective to cause to become They got him full with a big dinner
get + person + object to give or to fetch We got them two cats / Get me my shoes
get + location adverb to arrive, to reach We got far away from there
get + to + location Soon she got to her destination
get + to + verb to be able to, to be permitted You get to eat ice cream
get + person + to + verb to cause to do We get them to dance every time
get + verb + -ing to begin doing, to start They got dancing right away
get + verb + -ed/-en (+ by) to be (passive voice) They got energized by the music

to obtain

to receive — see also receive

to become

to cause to become

to fetch

to don

to doff

to cause to do

to arrive at

to begin

colloquial: to understand

colloquial: to be

to become ill with

to catch out

to perplex

to be told; be the recipient of

get (plural gets)

  1. (dated) Offspring, especially illegitimate.
    • 1810, Thomas Hornby Morland, The genealogy of the English race horse, page 71:
      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.
    • 1976, Frank Herbert, Children of Dune:
      You must admit that the bastard get of Paul Atreides would be no more than juicy morsels for those two [tigers].
    • 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam, published 2011, page 755:
      ‘You were a high lord's get. Don't tell me Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell never killed a man.’
  2. Lineage.
  3. (sports, tennis) A difficult return or block of a shot.
  4. (informal) Something gotten, something gained or won; an acquisition.
    • 2008, Karen Yampolsky, Falling Out of Fashion, page 73:
      I had reconnected with the lust of my life while landing a big get for the magazine.
  5. (Internet slang) 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.

Variant of git.

get (plural gets)

  1. (UK, Ireland, regional) Synonym of git (“contemptible person”).
    • 1990 January 13, David Quantick, Steven Wells, “Is It Rock Art Or Is It Nart?”, in New Musical Express:
      Kylie: Oi, Bono! You lazy get! Have you finished my song yet?

From Hebrew גֵּט (gēṭ).

get (plural gets or gittim or gitten)

  1. (Judaism) A Jewish writ of divorce.
    • 2013, Dan Cohn-Sherbok, George D. Chryssides, Dawoud El-Alami, Love, Sex and Marriage, page 143:
      In Israel, rabbinic courts can imprison men until they acquiesce and grant gets to their wives.
  1. ^ http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jlawler/aue/gotten.html and http://www.miketodd.net/encyc/gotten.htm

From Proto-Athabaskan *gəd, and therefore cognate with Lower Tanana jet.

According to Leer (1980), the original meaning of the root was likely 'amorphous substance (e.g. smoke) moves.'

get

  1. to rot
  2. smoke moves
  3. to be afraid
Aspect Imperfective Perfective Future Optative
Durative get get get get
Customary giit giit giit giit
Momentaneous1 giit get geł giit
Neuter get get get get
Transitional guut guut geł guut
Momentaneous2 guut guut geł guut

get

  1. rotten

get

  1. second-person singular imperative of getmək

From English get.

get

  1. (originally Hong Kong Cantonese, often with 到 (dào)) to understand
    佢講嘅嘢太複雜，我get唔到佢咩意思。 [Cantonese, _trad._]
    佢讲嘅嘢太复杂，我get唔到佢咩意思。 [Cantonese, _simp._]
    keoi5 gong2 ge3 je5 taai3 fuk1 zaap6, ngo5 get1 m4 dou3 keoi5 me1 ji3 si1. [Jyutping]
    The stuff he's talking about is too complicated, I don't get what he means.

get

  1. inflection of geta:
    1. first-person singular present indicative
    2. singular imperative

From Hebrew גט.

get m

  1. divorce

From Middle Dutch iewet, iet. The diphthong /ie̯/ developed into /je/ word-initially, as it did in High German, and the onset was then enclitically hardened to ⟨g⟩ (/ʝ/). Cognate with Dutch iets, Central Franconian jet, northern Luxembourgish jett, gett, English aught.

get

  1. some, somewhat
  2. very
    Ich woar mer get blij. ― I was very happy.

get

  1. something, anything
  2. (indefinite pronoun) Placed before a plural noun, indicating general cases of people or things: some
    Doe has get höng. ― You own some dogs.

get

  1. Medial form of gete

From a northern form of Old French jayet, jaiet, gaiet, from Latin gagātēs, from Ancient Greek Γαγάτης (Gagátēs).

get (uncountable)

  1. jet, hardened coal
  2. A bead made of jet.
  3. A jet-black pigment.

get

  1. plural of got (“goat”)

ġet n (Vespasian Psalter Mercian)

  1. alternative form of ġeat

Strong _a_-stem:

ġēt

  1. alternative form of ġīet

From geta.

get n

  1. (rare) a guess

get

  1. first-person singular present indicative of geta
  2. second-person singular imperative of geta

From Old Norse geit, from Proto-Germanic *gaits.

gēt f

  1. goat

Declension of gēt (consonant stem)

| | singular | plural | | | | | ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | | | nominative | gēt | gētin, gētrengēterin, gēterengētern | gēter | gētrina, gētrinar, gētrena, gētrenar | | accusative | gēt | gētina, gētena | gēter | gētrina, gētrinar, gētrena, gētrenar | | dative | gēt | gētinni, gētinne | gētum, gētom | gētumin, gētomen | | genitive | gēta, gētar | gētinna, gētinnar | gēta | gētanna |

From French Gètes, Latin Getae, from Ancient Greek Γέται (Gétai).

get m (plural geți, feminine equivalent getă)

  1. Get, one of the Getae, Greek name for the Dacian people
    Synonym: dac

en get som betar [a goat grazing]

From Old Swedish gēt, from Old Norse geit, from Proto-Germanic *gaits, from Proto-Indo-European *gʰayd- (“goat”).

get c

  1. goat

From Middle English geten, from Old Norse geta, from Proto-Germanic *getaną.

get (third-person singular geeth, simple past godth)

  1. to get
    • 1867, “BIT OF DIALOGUE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, page 111:
      Caulès will na get to wullaw to-die.
      Horses will not get to wallow to-day.