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get¹

(gĕt)

v. got(gŏt), got·ten(gŏtn) or got , get·ting, gets

v. tr.

a. To come into possession or use of; receive: got a cat for her birthday.

b. To meet with or incur: got nothing but trouble for her efforts.

a. To go after and obtain: got a book at the library; got breakfast in town.

b. To go after and bring: Get me a pillow.

c. To purchase; buy: get groceries.

a. To acquire as a result of action or effort: He got his information from the internet. You can't get water out of a stone.

b. To earn: got high marks in math.

c. To accomplish or attain as a result of military action.

4. To obtain by concession or request: couldn't get the time off; got permission to go.

a. To arrive at; reach: When did you get home?

b. To reach and board; catch: She got her plane two minutes before takeoff.

6. To succeed in communicating with, as by telephone: can't get me at the office until nine.

7. To become affected with (an illness, for example) by infection or exposure; catch: get the flu; got the mumps.

a. To be subjected to; undergo: got a severe concussion.

b. To receive as retribution or punishment: got six years in prison for tax fraud.

c. To sustain a specified injury to: got my arm broken.

a. To perceive or become aware of by one of the senses: get a whiff of perfume; got a look at the schedule.

b. To gain or have understanding of: Do you get this question?

c. To learn (a poem, for example) by heart; memorize.

d. To find or reach by calculating: get a total; can't get the answer.

10. To procreate; beget: “Is my life given me for nothing but to get children and work to bring them up?” (D.H. Lawrence).

11.

a. To cause to become or be in a specified state or condition: got the children tired and cross; got the shirt clean.

b. To make ready; prepare: get lunch for the family.

c. To cause to come or go: got the car through traffic.

d. To cause to move or leave: Get me out of here!

12. To cause to undertake or perform; prevail on: got the guide to give us the complete tour.

13.

a. To take, especially by force; seize: The detective got the suspect as he left the restaurant.

b. Informal To overcome or destroy: The ice storm got the rose bushes.

c. To evoke an emotional response or reaction in: Romantic music really gets me.

d. To annoy or irritate: What got me was his utter lack of initiative.

e. To present a difficult problem to; puzzle: “It's the suspect's indifference that gets me,” the detective said.

f. To take revenge on, especially to kill in revenge for a wrong.

g. Informal To hit or strike: She got him on the chin. The bullet got him in the arm.

14. Baseball To put out or strike out: got the batter with a cut fastball.

15. To begin or start. Used with the present participle: I have to get working on this or I'll miss my deadline.

16.

a. To have current possession of. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present: We've got plenty of cash.

b. Nonstandard To have current possession of. Used in the past tense form with the meaning of the present: They got a nice house in town.

c. To have as an obligation. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present: I have got to leave early. You've got to do the dishes.

d. Nonstandard To have as an obligation. Used in the past tense with the meaning of the present: They got to clean up this mess.

v. intr.

a. To become or grow to be: eventually got well.

b. To be successful in coming or going: When will we get to Dallas?

2. To be able or permitted: never got to see Europe; finally got to work at home.

a. To be successful in becoming: get free of a drug problem.

b. Used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive voice auxiliary: got stung by a bee.

c. To become drawn in, entangled, or involved: got into debt; get into a hassle.

4. Informal To depart immediately: yelled at the dog to get.

5. To work for gain or profit; make money: Do you feel as though you're exhausting yourself getting and not making enough for spending?

1. Progeny; offspring: a thoroughbred's get.

2. Chiefly British Slang git².

3. Sports A return, as in tennis, on a shot that seems impossible to reach.

Phrasal Verbs:

get across

1. To make understandable or clear: tried to get my point across.

2. To be convincing or understandable: How can I get across to the students?

get after

To urge or scold: You should get after them to mow the lawn.

get ahead

To improve one's situation; be successful.

get along

1. To be or continue to be on harmonious terms: gets along with the in-laws.

2. To manage or fare with reasonable success: can't get along on those wages.

3. To make progress: Are you getting along with the project?

4. To grow old: getting along in years.

5. To go away; leave: The store owner told the children to get along.

get around

1. To circumvent or evade: managed to get around the rules.

2. To deal with; overcome: got around the problem.

3. To convince or win over by flattering or cajoling.

4. To travel from place to place: It is hard to get around without a car.

5. To become known; circulate: Word got around.

6. To have numerous sexual partners; be promiscuous.

get at

1. To touch or reach successfully: The cat hid where we couldn't get at it.

2. To try to make understandable; hint at or suggest: I don't know what you're getting at.

3. To discover or understand: tried to get at the cause of the problem.

4. Informal To bribe or influence by improper or illegal means: He got at the judge, and the charges were dismissed.

get away

1. To break free; escape.

2. To leave or go away: wanted to come along, but couldn't get away.

get back

To return to a person, place, or condition: Let's get back to the subject at hand.

get by

1. To succeed at a level of minimal acceptability or with the minimal amount of effort: just got by in college.

2. To succeed in managing; survive: We'll get by if we economize.

3. To be unnoticed or ignored by: The mistake got by the editor, but the proofreader caught it.

get down

1. To descend.

2. To give one's attention. Often used with to: Let's get down to work.

3. To exhaust, discourage, or depress: The heat was getting me down.

4. To swallow: got the pill down on the first try.

5. To describe in writing: If I could just get down how I feel!

6. Informal To lose one's inhibitions; enjoy oneself wholeheartedly.

get in

1. To enter: got in the garage.

2. To arrive: We got in late last night.

3. To become or cause to become involved: She got in with the wrong crowd. Repeated loans from the finance company got me deeper in debt.

4. To become accepted, as in a club.

5. To succeed in making or doing: got in six deliveries before noon.

get into

1. To become involved in: got into trouble by stealing cars.

2. Informal To be interested in: got into gourmet cooking.

3. To affect, especially negatively: What's gotten into you lately?

get off

1. To start, as on a trip; leave.

2. To fire (a round of ammunition, for example): got off two shots before the deer disappeared.

3. To write and send, as a letter.

4. To escape, as from punishment or danger: got off scot-free.

5. To obtain a release or lesser penalty for: The attorney got her client off with a slap on the wrist.

6. To get permission to leave one's workplace: got off early and went fishing.

7. Informal To act or speak with effrontery: Where does he get off telling me to hurry up?

8. Slang

a. To have an orgasm.

b. To feel great pleasure or gratification: gets off on gossiping about coworkers.

c. To experience euphoria, for example, as a result of taking a drug.

get on

1. To be or continue on harmonious terms: gets on well with the neighbors.

2. To manage or fare: How are you getting on?

3. To make progress; continue: get on with a performance.

4. To grow old: The CEO is getting on and will retire soon.

5. To acquire understanding or knowledge: got on to the con game.

get out

1. To leave or escape: Our canary got out.

2. To become known: Somehow the secret got out.

3. To publish, as a newspaper.

get over

1. To get across: got over the ditch.

2. To recover from: finally got over the divorce.

get through

1. To finish or assist in finishing: The rat got through the maze. His mother got him through the college application process.

2. To succeed in making contact: telephoned but couldn't get through.

3. To make oneself understood: What do I need to do to get through to you?

get to

1. To begin. Used with the present participle: got to reminiscing.

2. To start to deal with: didn't get to the housework until Sunday.

3. To influence or affect, especially adversely: The noise really gets to me.

get together

1. To bring together; gather: getting the author's correspondence together.

2. To come together: We got together for lunch.

3. To arrive at an agreement: The feuding parties finally got together.

get up

1. To arise from bed or rise to one's feet: She got up and opened the door.

2. To climb: How long will it take to get up the mountain?

3. To act as the creator or organizer of: got up a petition against rezoning.

4. To dress or adorn: She got herself up in a bizarre outfit.

5. To find within oneself; summon: got up the nerve to quit.

Idioms:

get around to

To find the time or occasion for; deal with: We finally got around to unpacking our knickknacks.

get away with

To escape the consequences of (a blameworthy act, for example): got away with cheating.

get back at

To take revenge on.

get cracking

To begin to work; get started.

get even

To obtain revenge.

get even with

To repay with an equivalent act, as for revenge.

get going

To make a beginning; get started.

get hold (or ahold)of

1. To bring into one's grasp, possession, or control.

2. To communicate with, especially by telephone.

get it Informal

To be punished or scolded: You broke the vase. Now you're really going to get it!

get it on Slang

1. To become filled with energy or excitement.

2. To engage in sexual intercourse.

get it up

Vulgar Slang To have an erection.

get nowhere

To make no progress.

get (one's) Informal

To receive one's due punishment: After sassing his parents, he really got his.

get on the stick

To begin to work.

get on with

To continue or resume doing (something); make progress regarding: We must get on with the project.

get out of

To gain release from the obligation of: She tried to get out of taking her brother to the mall. He couldn't get out of his date on Saturday.

get (someone's) goat

To make angry or vexed.

get somewhere Informal

To make progress.

get there Informal

To make progress or achieve success: I'm not finished, but I'm getting there.

get wind of

To learn of: got wind of the scheme.

[Middle English geten, from Old Norse geta; see ghend- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

geta·ble, getta·ble adj.

Usage Note: The use of get in the passive, as in We got sunburned at the beach, is generally avoided in formal writing. In less formal contexts, however, the construction can provide a useful difference in tone or emphasis, as between the sentences The demonstrators were arrested and The demonstrators got arrested. The first example implies that the responsibility for the arrests rests primarily with the police, while the example using get implies that the demonstrators deliberately provoked the arrests. · In colloquial use and in numerous nonstandard varieties of American English, the past tense form got has the meaning of the present. This arose probably by dropping the helping verb have from the past perfects have got, has got. We've got to go, we've got a lot of problems became We got to go, we got a lot of problems. The reanalysis of got as a present-tense form has led to the creation of a third-person singular gots in some varieties of English.

hold¹

(hōld)

v. held (hĕld), hold·ing, holds

v.tr.

a. To have and keep in one's grasp: held the reins tightly.

b. To aim or direct; point: held a hose on the fire.

c. To keep from falling or moving; support: a nail too small to hold the mirror; hold the horse steady; papers that were held together with staples.

d. To sustain the pressure of: The old bridge can't hold much weight.

a. To keep from departing or getting away: Hold the bus! Hold the dog until I find the leash.

b. To keep in custody: held the suspect for questioning.

c. To retain (one's attention or interest): Televised sports can't hold my interest.

d. To avoid letting out or expelling: The swimmer held her breath while underwater.

a. To be filled by; contain: This drawer holds socks.

b. To be capable of holding: a pitcher that holds a quart. See Synonyms at contain.

c. To have as a chief characteristic or quality: The film holds many surprises.

d. To have in store: Let's see what the future holds.

a. To have and maintain in one's possession: holds a great deal of property.

b. To have as a responsible position or a privilege: held the governorship for six years.

c. To have in recognition of achievement or superiority: holds the record for the one-mile race; holds the respect of her peers.

a. To maintain control over: Thieves held the stolen painting for ransom.

b. To maintain occupation of by force or coercion: Protesters held the embassy for a week.

c. To withstand the efforts or advance of (an opposing team, for example).

d. To maintain in a given condition, situation, or action: The storyteller held the crowd spellbound.

a. To impose control or restraint on; curb: She held her temper.

b. To stop the movement or progress of: Hold the presses!

c. To reserve or keep back from use: Please hold two tickets for us. Hold the relish on that hamburger.

d. To defer the immediate handling of: The receptionist held all calls during the meeting.

a. To own or have title to.

b. To be in possession of, whether legally entitled or not: holds an interest in the company.

c. To bind by a contract.

d. To adjudge or decree: The court held that the defendant was at fault.

e. To make accountable; obligate: He held me to my promise.

a. To keep in the mind or convey as a judgment, conviction, or point of view: holds that this economic program is the only answer to high prices.

b. To assert or affirm, especially formally: This doctrine holds that people are inherently good.

c. To regard in a certain way: I hold you in high esteem.

a. To cause to take place; carry on: held the race in Texas; hold a yard sale.

b. To assemble for and conduct the activity of; convene: held a meeting of the board.

10.

a. To carry or support (the body or a bodily part) in a certain position: Can the baby hold herself up yet? Hold up your leg.

b. To cover (the ears or the nose, for example) especially for protection: held my nose against the stench.

v.intr.

a. To maintain a grasp or grip on something.

b. To stay securely fastened: The chain held.

a. To maintain a desired or accustomed position or condition: hopes the weather will hold.

b. To withstand stress, pressure, or opposition: The defense held. We held firm on the negotiations.

3. To continue in the same direction: The ship held to an easterly course.

4. To be valid, applicable, or true: The observation still holds in cases like this.

5. To halt an intended action. Often used in the imperative.

6. To stop the countdown during a missile or spacecraft launch.

7. Slang To have in one's possession illicit or illegally obtained material or goods, especially narcotics: The suspect was holding.

a. The act or a means of grasping.

b. A manner of grasping an opponent, as in wrestling or aikido: a neck hold; an arm hold.

2. Something that may be grasped or gripped, as for support.

3. A control or adjustor on a television that keeps the screen image in proper position: adjusted the horizontal hold.

4. A telephone service that allows one to temporarily interrupt a call without severing the connection.

a. A bond or force that attaches or restrains, or by which something is affected or dominated: a writer with a strong hold on her readership.

b. Complete control: has a firm hold on the complex issues.

c. Full understanding: has a good hold on physics.

6. Music

a. The sustaining of a note longer than its indicated time value.

b. The symbol designating this pause; a fermata.

a. A direction or indication that something is to be reserved or deferred.

b. A temporary halt, as in a countdown.

a. A prison cell.

b. The state of being in confinement; custody.

9. Archaic A fortified place; a stronghold.

Phrasal Verbs:

hold back

1. To retain in one's possession or control: held back valuable information; held back my tears.

2. To impede the progress of.

3. To restrain oneself: Tell us what happened. Don't hold back.

hold down

1. To limit: Please hold the noise down.

2. To fulfill the duties of (a job): holds down two jobs.

hold forth

To talk at great length.

hold off

1. To keep at a distance; resist: held the creditors off.

2. To stop or delay doing something: Let's hold off until we have more data.

hold on

1. To maintain one's grip; cling.

2. To endure or continue to do something despite difficulty: They held on until fresh supplies arrived.

3. To wait for something wanted or requested.

hold out

1. To present or offer: She held out the possibility that she might run for office.

2. To continue to be in supply or service; last: How long can our food hold out?

3. To continue to resist: The defending garrison held out for a month.

4. To refuse to reach an agreement or insist on certain demands: The union held out for a better raise.

hold over

1. To postpone or delay.

2. To keep in a position or state from an earlier period of time.

3. To continue a term of office past the usual length of time.

4. To prolong the engagement of: The film was held over for weeks.

hold to

To remain loyal or faithful to: She held to her resolutions.

hold up

1. To obstruct or delay.

2. To rob while armed, often at gunpoint.

3. To offer or present as an example: held the essay up as a model for the students.

4. To continue to function without losing force or effectiveness; cope: managed to hold up under the stress.

hold with

To agree with; support: I don't hold with your theories.

Idioms:

get hold of

1. To come into possession of; find: Where can I get hold of a copy?

2. To communicate with, as by telephone: tried to get hold of you but the line was busy.

3. To gain control of. Often used reflexively: You must get hold of yourself!

hold a candle to

To compare favorably with: This film doesn't hold a candle to his previous ones.

hold/keep (one's) end up

To fulfill one's part of an agreement; do one's share.

hold (one's) own

To do reasonably well despite difficulty or criticism.

hold out on (someone)

To withhold something from: Don't hold out on me; start telling the truth.

hold (someone's) feet to the fire

To pressure (someone) to consent to or undertake something.

hold sway

To have a controlling influence; dominate.

hold the bag Informal

1. To be left with empty hands.

2. To be forced to assume total responsibility when it ought to have been shared.

hold the fort Informal

1. To assume responsibility, especially in another's absence.

2. To maintain a secure position.

hold the line

To maintain the existing position or state of affairs: had to hold the line on salary increases.

hold the phone Slang

To stop doing what one is engaged in doing. Often used in the imperative: Hold the phone! Let's end this argument.

hold water

To stand up to critical examination: Your explanation doesn't hold water.

no holds barred

Without limits, regulations, or restraints.

on hold

1. Into a state of temporary interruption without severing a telephone connection: put me on hold for 10 minutes.

2. Informal Into a state of delay or indeterminate suspension: had to put the romance on hold.

[Middle English holden, from Old English healdan.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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