Get Down To English: Phrasal Verbs With Get

Tori Tornreviewed bySana Liashuk / more about Editorial Process14 min
Created: Apr 28, 2023Last updated: Dec 6, 2024
Phrasal Verbs With Get

How To Get Away With a Murder is one of the most popular criminal dramas on American TV. It is full of mystery and unexpected plot twists. However, today we are more focused on the title of this series than its story. To be more specific, we are interested in the phrasal verb "get" + adverb and preposition. Would you be able to understand this title if you had never watched this TV show and had zero understanding of what it was about? If yes, it means you already have some knowledge about phrasal verbs with get.

Nonetheless, as a true language enthusiast, you should expand your knowledge. There are so many phrasal verbs with get, so it will take some time to memorize them all. The best way to do that is by using them in sentences to understand the context better. We know how frustrating you might feel right now, but any phrasal verb with get can really save you in a daily conversation with a native English speaker. For some reason, they just love phrasal verbs, and get is no exception. So, let's go down this rabbit hole together and discover some more phrasal verbs with get before tea time. 

Phrasal Verbs With Get For Any Occasion

Get about (UK)

1. Be active

Example: During the pandemic, many people struggled because they couldn't get about as they were before. 

2. Become widely known

Example: Once this app gets about, we will be insanely rich.

3. Travel to different countries

Example: Amanda loves getting about whenever she is in Europe. 

Get across

1. Explain something

Example: We've discussed it like a hundred times. I don't know how to get the information across to you anymore. 

Get ahead

1. Become successful 

Example: I hope taking more initiative will help me to get ahead at this company.

Get ahead of

1. Outdo someone

Example: Garry thought getting a higher bonus would help him get ahead of Stacy. 

Get after

1. Chase someone or something

Example: Actors come to LA to get after their dreams of becoming the next Hollywood star. 

2. Criticize someone for not doing something

Example: Chris is never in a good mood – he always gets after dirty dishes or unmown lawn. 

Get along

Get along

1. Have a friendly relationship 

Example: When we got engaged, we could only hope that our parents would get along.

2. Survive

Example: When Mark first moved to the US, he had just enough money to get along in a new country. 

Get along with

1. Deal with a situation

Example: How are they getting along with having loud neighbors?

Get around

1. Move 

Example: I get around the city with my dog whenever I have free time.

2. Travel to many places

Example: Older people get around more often because they have more time and saved miles.

3. Avoid or deal with a problem

Example: Kathrin decides to get around Jeff cheating on her.

4. Persuade someone

Example: I don't see any difficulty getting around the company to give us an additional day off for Christmas.

5. Have sexual relationships with different people 

Example: She's been told Dan was a dog who always gets around.

6. To become known by people

Example: They could keep the gender of their firstborn a secret, so it got around the family pretty quickly. 

Get around to

1. Eventually, do something you've been postponing 

Example: I should definitely get around my walk-in closet this week.

Get at

1. Reach, find

Example: I hope the inquiry will get at the truth. 

2. Reveal or discover the truth

Example: The authorities tried to stop journalists from getting at the truth.

3. Mean

Example: I don't know what you are getting at by saying such things. 

4. Repeatedly criticize someone unfairly

Example: This teacher should be able to teach minors, he gets at kids all the time.

5. Bribe or unfairly influence someone

Example: This policeman can't be trusted because recently he was involved in a scandal with getting at.

Get away

1. Move away (from)

Example: She always dreamed of getting away from her little town. 

2. Escape (from)

Example: The three men got away in a stolen car. 

3. Succeed in leaving a place

Example: I should be able to get away from the office by seven. 

4. Used to express the feeling of being surprised by someone's words

Example: When Jack told me he was about to propose to Lucy, I could only say, "Get away!"

Get away from

1. Start talking about something different from what you should be talking about

Example: The teacher noticed that I was getting away from the main topic of my presentation.

Get away with

1. Escape punishment for something

Example: One of my favorite tv series is How To Get Away With A Murder. 

Get back

1. Return to a place

Example: When we get back after vacation, we expect to see the house in good condition. 

2. To receive or have something again

Example: It's been three months since she borrowed my book, and I still didn't get it back. 

3. Do something to hurt someone in response

Example: It was a bad idea to break my heart! I'll get back to you, wait for it!

Get back at

1. Take revenge on

Example: Never even try to humiliate me in public, or I get back at you.

Get back to

1. Return to something

Example: Karol will get back to work as soon as her maternity leave ends. 

2. Contact someone later on after you are busy

Example: I'm a bit busy at the moment – can I get back to you?

Get behind

1. Support

Example: Her mom has never gotten behind her in arguments with her brother.

Get behind with

1. Fail to produce something at the right time

Example: I've got terribly behind with my work.

3

Get by

1. Manage (financially)

Example: We could never get by on my salary alone. 

Get down

1. Make someone sad

Example: All this delay and waiting is getting her down.

2. Depress

Example: This weather is really getting me down.

3. Swallow, although difficult

Example: They didn't want to upset Carry and comment on her poor cooking skills, but they had to get the meal down. 

4. Lower your body and head quickly to avoid harm

Example: Two armed men broke into a bank, so the visitors had to get down to save themselves from bullets.

5. Write down

Example: The reporters were trying to get down everything he said.

Get down on

1. Criticize

Example: They got divorced because they constantly got down on each other.

Get down to

1. Start doing something seriously

Example: It's a working meeting, so let's get down to business immediately.

Get in

1. Arrive at home or work

Example: Mary tends to get in late to the office. 

2. Manage to enter

Example: They arrived at the stadium in good time but couldn't get in.

3. Be accepted to study somewhere

Example: Chelsey won't know whether he got in till the end of the spring.

4. Be elected for a political job

Example: We just hope that that man will never get in again. 

Get in with

1. Become involved with someone

Example: I didn't want to jinx it, but I got in with Jeremy. 

Get into

1. Move inside the object

Example: Get into the car right now!

2. Become involved in a bad situation

Example: My brother always gets into trouble.

3. Become angry

Example: How come you got into a temper again?

Get it

1. Be punished 

Example: When I was a kid, I misbehaved a lot and got it. 

Get it on

1. Have sex

Example: Tonight is the night – let's get it on!

2. Engage in a fight

Example: Only immature men can get it on because someone looked at them wrong.  

3. Hurry up

Example: Guys, you need to get it on because you have only 5 minutes to finish the test.

Get it together

1. Make a decision or take positive action in your life

Example: The policewoman who started drugs when working undercover finally gets it together. 

Get it over with

1. Finish something you don't want to do

Example: She couldn't be afraid to use the lift forever, so yesterday, she got it over with and had her first ride in 5 years.

Get it up

1. Get an erection

Example: After a certain age, it's difficult for men to get it up.

Get off

1. Used to tell a person to stop touching someone or something

Example: Get off – I'm not your girlfriend!

2. Have a holiday

Example: My work bestie and I need to get a few days off. 

3. Leave the working place after a working day

Example: Tomorrow is my birthday, so I will get off earlier than usual. 

4. Send something

Example: Seniors must get their college applications off by the week's end. 

5. Avoid being punished by a court

Example: You should be grateful that you got off with a $100 fine instead of jail time. 

6. Borrow something from someone

Example: Can I get this highlighter off, please?

7. Have an orgasm or help someone to have it (American)

Example: Girls don't see a point in dating someone who can't even get off. 

8. Help someone fall asleep (British)

Example: Mommy, I need you by my side because you get me off. 

9. Stop talking about one thing because you got interested in another

Example: I hoped we could focus on ourselves instead of getting off the subject. 

10. Leave a bus, plane, or train

Example: We need to get off the bus at two stops. 

Get off

11. Rudely and angrily tell someone to leave you alone after they annoyed you

Example: I don't want to talk to you anymore – get off!

Get off on

1. Be excited, especially in a sexual way

Example: Men usually get off on supermodels in magazines.

2. Have sex with someone

Example: The first time he got off with a girl was not what he expected.

Get on

1. Board a vehicle

Example: If you don't want to pay an extra fee for waiting, you should get on the train as soon as it arrives.

Get on

2. Be successful at something (British)

Example: She is ready to do whatever it takes to get on.

3. Make progress 

Example: Before living on my own, my cooking skills were so poor, but since I moved out from my parents, I keep getting on.

4. Become old

Example: You always want your parents to stay young, but they get on eventually.

5. Have a good relationship

Example: We really need to get on, dude.

6. Finally, do something you were about to do

Example: This task can't wait any longer, get on it!

Get on to

1. Contact someone to ask them to do something for you

Example: Have you already gotten on to your landlord about rats in your apartment? 

2. Start working on something

Example: I promise I'll get on that report first thing tomorrow. 

Get on for

1. Move toward becoming a certain age, time, etc. 

Example: I can't believe this little man is getting on for 2.

Get out

1. Leave 

Example: I want you to get out of my apartment!

2. Spend an enjoyable time

Example: We can't wait for the summer holidays to begin so we can get out as much as we want to. 

3. Remove something from inside

Example: His finger stuck in that coffee machine so badly – we couldn't get it out for hours. 

4. A secret becomes a public information

Example: We really tried to hide it from our parents, but the secret got out. 

5. Remove someone from their job

Example: People in the office can't stand Jeff anymore and ask the boss to get him out. 

6. Manage to express yourself

Example: He wanted to explain himself but couldn't get the word out. 

Get over

Get over

1. Overcome something 

Example: We all need to get over our fears.

2. Forget and move on 

Example: Why is getting over a long relationship much easier than a situationship?

3. Recover from something bad

Example: I need to get over this cold by Friday, I have an important meeting

4. Successfully communicate

Example: When preparing a communication strategy, it is vital to get over the company's mission.

Get over with

1. Complete an unpleasant task

Example: Figuring out taxes is a pain in the ass, but you have to get over it. 

Get rid of

1. Dispose of

Example: people need to get rid of idiots in their lives. 

Get stuck into (UK)

1. Start doing something with enthusiasm

Example: You can tell she loves her new job – she got stuck into tasks from day one.

Get taken in

1. Be fooled

Example: She is a grownup woman. Have you really thought she would get taken in your lie?

2. Be adopted or looked after unofficially

Example: The man couldn't take care of his kid, so a boy got taken in by a foster family.

Get through

1. Come to a successful end

Example: What a relief that she got through all her exams!

2. Use up all of

Example: He got through his month's salary in just one weekend. 

3. Go on living through difficult times

Example: How can older people get through the cold winters?

Get through to

1. Make someone understand what you are saying

Example: Parents try so hard to get through to their kids, but it's not always possible with teenagers.

2. Succeed in reaching someone by telephone

Example: I finally managed to get through to one of the managers. 

Get to

1. Annoy someone

Example: Why are they all getting to me?

2. Start doing something

Example: Don't get to kidding right now!

Get together

1. Meet 

Example: Let's get together next week and discuss it. 

Get up

1. Leave the bed after you wake up

Example: An obvious sign of Gen Z kids is that they don't get up quickly and spend extra 30 minutes laying in bed scrolling TikTok.

2. Dress in a particular way

Example: They decided to get up as Harry Potter characters for Halloween. 

3. Become strong (for wind or sea)

Example: The weather during our vacation was so bad – the sea was getting up, and we were banned from swimming. 

4. Prepare or organize a project 

Example: At university, our group friend got up with Mafia games. 

5. Make feeling stronger to do something

Example: This doctor was rude, so I got up my courage to ask for another one. 

Get up to

1. Do something that others would disapprove

Example: When I see that smile on his face, I know he gets up to no good. 

Get used

1. Adjust to something

Example: I really wanted to get used to this culture, but it's just not my cup of tea. 

Get with

1. Meet with someone

Example: I would like to get with a doctor to see what's happening with my ear. 

2. Engage in a sexual act

Example: They both got pretty drunk and didn't want to behave, so I won't be surprised if they got with each other.  
Phrasal Verbs With Get

How to Learn Get Phrasal Verbs with Promova

Trying to memorize all English phrasal verbs at once is an impossible task for average people who don't have a photographic memory. That is why you should break them into small sections and work on memorizing them in context. And your best buddy in this seemingly no-fun process is Promova! Promova is a one-stop language learning platform that helps make the most fun and enjoyable experience from improving your language skills. 

Want to learn English online? No problem! Get enrolled in English through an English course in the Promova app! We provide our learners with dozens of bite-sized lessons united by the level of their English proficiency. We understand what you need to know at a certain level, so we teach you with a step-by-step approach. Our lessons cover a wide variety of topics, starting from different ways to say I'm sorry to phrasal verbs. However, to make it more manageable to memorize all the phrasal verbs with get we mixed them with other phrasal verbs. Otherwise, you might get confused; we don't need it here. 

However, if you feel like working on every phrasal verb with get from the list in this article, you can always do it under the mentorship of our certified English teachers. They will create a personalized lesson for this topic so you can grasp every phrasal verb with get without struggle. Once you are done with that, you can join our free Conversation Club to practice new vocabulary with fellow English learners. We gather every week on Saturday to discuss a hot topic and find new friends. Learning languages is fun and easy when you do it with Promova!

Conclusion

It was a long journey, but you've made it. You have successfully finished familiarizing yourself with the list of 49 phrasal verbs with get. It gives you an instant advantage when speaking English anywhere. You can use those new words to diversify your speech and better understand others. In addition, having some phrasal verbs in your vocabulary will help you to get closer to the native-like level of English fluency. After reading this article, you will notice phrasal verbs with get everywhere, so just accept that you need them and don't get cold feet – use phrasal verbs. 

FAQ

What are phrasal verbs?

A phrasal verb is a group of words that includes a main verb and added preposition, an adverb, or both, which completely changes the meaning of the initial verb. It functions as a verb in a sentence, and its parts can't be perceived separately. 

Why are phrasal verbs so important in English?

Phrasal verbs are pretty popular in English – there are more than 5,000 of them. Every self-respecting English learner that aims to achieve fluency must know basic phrasal verbs. However, there is no such requirement that you need to know all of them to consider yourself fluent. On average, an advanced English learner knows about 1,000 phrasal verbs that help them effectively communicate with different English speakers and express themselves without mumbling about everyday matters. Learning enough phrasal verbs in English will benefit you a lot:

  1. You will be able to understand more casual English conversations. Even though it might not seem like that, using phrasal verbs is easier for native speakers than coming up with a completely different word every time.
  2. Tapping into phrasal verbs will help you pass as a native-like speaker.
  3. You'll experience real spoken English that people use every day. 

Is a phrasal verb with get a sign of informal speech?

While many certified teachers perceive phrasal verbs as an informal lexicon, modern language specialists say it is acceptable to use idioms even in academic writing. But how come? Generally speaking, phrasal verbs are a neutral part of speech. On the one hand, they are informal because people use them in casual conversations to ease their language. In addition, the multiple meanings of phrasal verbs can result in unclear thoughts when academic writing is all about being clear and concise.

On the other hand, some phrasal verbs can be used in formal writing because they have become a norm in business letters, technical papers, legal documents, news reports, etc. That is why we can affirm that any phrasal verb with get is informal. However, they are not banned from using more official statements to make the speech more vibrant and true to life. So, remember to use the language most appropriate to your audience. Context is a king. And if you doubt whether the phrasal verb "get "+ preposition or adverb is formal or informal, you can check its status in an online dictionary. 

How did phrasal verbs get the appearance in English?

The phrasal verbs appeared in English due to the influence of other languages. Initially, Old English didn't have phrasal verbs, instead, prefix verbs were a thing. However, the tendency almost vanished when English started borrowing French words, including Roman verbs. Phrasal verbs as we know them today (practically) originated in Early Modern English (16th century). You can notice them even in Shakespeare's works - 5744 phrasal verbs were found in his plays. Over time, phrasal verbs got more complex. That is why there are three-part phrasal-prepositional verbs now. The examples are "put up with" and “do away with.”

Comments

MASONMar 14th, 2024
I'm shocked by this variety of the word get!
PromovaAug 8th, 2023
Certainly, this article uncovers the diverse ways 'get' pairs with prepositions to form distinct phrasal verbs. For instance, 'get away' denotes escaping or taking a break, while 'get by' implies managing with limited resources. Similarly, 'get off' signifies disembarking or receiving a punishment, and 'get on' refers to boarding or having a good relationship. Exploring these combinations helps learners navigate real-world English conversations effectively.
JoeAug 8th, 2023
Could you provide examples of how 'get' combines with different prepositions to create unique meanings?