get
• verb (getting; past got; past part. got, N. Amer. or archaic gotten) 1 come to have or hold; receive. 2 succeed in attaining, achieving, or experiencing; obtain. 3 experience, suffer, or be afflicted with. 4 move in order to pick up, deal with, or bring. 5 bring or come into a specified state or condition. 6 catch, apprehend, or thwart. 7 come or go eventually or with some difficulty. 8 move or come into a specified position or state. 9 tend to meet with or find. travel by or catch (a form of transport). begin to be or do something, especially gradually or by chance. strike or wound. informal punish, injure, or kill. used with past participle to form the passive mood. — PHRASES get across manage to communicate (an idea) clearly. get at 1 reach or gain access to. 2 informal imply. 3 Brit. informal criticize subtly and repeatedly. get away escape. get away with escape blame or punishment for. get back at take revenge on. get by manage with difficulty to live or accomplish something. get down N. Amer. informal dance energetically. get down to begin to do or give serious attention to. get off 1 informal escape a punishment. 2 go to sleep. 3 (get off with) Brit. informal have a sexual encounter with. get on 1 manage or make progress with a task. 2 chiefly Brit. have a friendly relationship. 3 (be getting on) informal be old or comparatively old. get out of contrive to avoid or escape. get over 1 recover from (an ailment or an unpleasant experience). 2 manage to communicate (an idea or theory). 3 promptly complete (an unpleasant but necessary task). 4 overcome (a difficulty). get one’s own back informal have one’s revenge. get round chiefly Brit. 1 coax or persuade (someone) to do or allow something. 2 deal successfully with (a problem). get round to chiefly Brit. deal with (a task) in due course. get through 1 pass or endure (a difficult experience or period). 2 chiefly Brit. use up (a large amount or number of something). 3 make contact by telephone. 4 succeed in communicating with someone. getting on for chiefly Brit. almost (a specified time, age, or amount). get to informal annoy or upset by persistent action. get together gather or assemble socially or to cooperate. get up 1 rise from bed after sleeping. 2 (of wind or the sea) become strong or agitated. get up to Brit. informal be involved in (something illicit or surprising). — ORIGIN Old Norse, ‘obtain, beget, guess’.
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