Phrasal verbs with get: 24 common meanings with examples

Why get has so many phrasal verbs

A phrasal verb is a verb plus a small word (a particle such as up, on, over or back) that together have a meaning that is often different from the two words alone. Get is one of the most flexible English verbs, so it forms more phrasal verbs than most. Get up has nothing to do with getting something: it means to leave your bed or to stand.

The best way to learn them is not to memorise a long alphabetical list. Learn them in groups of meaning, with a sentence you can say. For a wider list, see our guide to 48 common phrasal verbs with meaning and examples.

Getting around: movement and travel

Get on or get in? Use get on for large vehicles that you can walk around inside (bus, train, plane, boat), and get in for small ones (car, taxi). The opposites are get off and get out of.

Getting along: people and feelings

Camille Hanson's list of phrasal verbs with get gives the same core meanings: get up is to rise from a lying or seated position, get over is to recover from an illness, setback or emotional distress, get along is to have a harmonious relationship, and get by is to manage with limited resources or abilities (Learn English with Camille).

Getting things done: work and study

Get back to you is one of the most common work phrases in English. It is polite and professional: "I will get back to you by Friday." Use it in emails and calls. We also explain similar phrases in our guide to how to keep a conversation going.

Getting your message across: talking and communication

Get your point across is a useful phrase for speaking practice: it describes the real goal of speaking, which is to be understood, not to be perfect.

Separable or inseparable?

Some phrasal verbs let you put an object between the verb and the particle (separable), and others do not (inseparable).

Separable. The object can go in the middle or after the particle: "get your message across" and "get across your message" both work. With a pronoun, the pronoun must go in the middle: "get it across", not "get across it". The same is true for get back with the meaning of receiving something again: "get my money back" or "get back my money".

Inseparable. The object always goes after the whole verb: "I got over the flu" and "I got over it". You cannot say "I got it over" with this meaning, because "get it over with" is a different expression. The same is true for get through, get along with and get on with.

If you are not sure, say the verb as one block and put the object after it, and check a dictionary entry when you use the verb in writing.

Get up or wake up? Common mix-ups

• Get up vs wake up. Wake up means to stop sleeping. Get up means to leave your bed. "I woke up at six, but I got up at seven."
• Get on a bus, get in a car. Large vehicles take on and off; small ones take in and out of.
• Get back vs get back to. "When did you get back from London?" (return) is different from "I will get back to you" (reply later).
• Got vs gotten. In American English the past participle is gotten ("I have gotten better at speaking"), and in British English it is got ("I have got better"). Both are correct in their own variety.
• **Get along with someone, not to someone.** "I get along with my boss."
• Informal register. Vladeya notes that get back is an informal way to say return (Vladeya). In formal writing use return, recover, arrive or board instead.

Say them naturally

Phrasal verbs are usually pronounced as one unit, and the stress usually falls on the particle: get UP, get OVER, get BACK. Final consonants link to the next vowel, so "get up" sounds like "ge-tup" and "get off" like "ge-toff". Practise with our guide to linking sounds. Saying each phrase in a full sentence three times, and then using it in real conversation, helps it stay in your memory far more than a list does.

If you want to use these in a real conversation, practise with a partner or an AI English tutor. Our English speaking practice page has a free daily plan.

Quick quiz

Complete each sentence with the correct phrasal verb. Answers are below.

1. I usually ____ at six o'clock and go for a run.
2. We ____ the bus at the airport and walked to the terminal.
3. It took him months to ____ the loss of his job.
4. Can you ____ to me by tomorrow with the answer?
5. My new manager is lovely; I really ____ with her.
6. I could not ____ my idea ____ to the audience.
7. They earn very little, so they just ____.
8. I will ____ my emails after lunch.

Answers: 1. get up. 2. got off. 3. get over. 4. get back. 5. get along (or get on). 6. get, across. 7. get by. 8. get around to (or get on with).