Phrasal Verbs with "Get": Meanings & Examples
Phrasal Verbs with "Get": Meaning, Examples & Usage Guide
Few verbs work as hard in English as get. On its own, it can mean to obtain, to receive, or to become — but pair it with a particle such as over, away, or through, and you're suddenly looking at a whole family of phrasal verbs with get that native speakers rely on constantly, from casual chats to job interviews. Because these meanings often have little to do with obtaining or receiving anything at all, phrasal verbs with get are some of the trickiest — and most useful — combinations to learn.
This guide covers the most common phrasal verbs with "get", grouped by how formal or conversational they are, with clear meanings and natural example sentences you can start using right away.
What Is a Phrasal Verb?
A phrasal verb is a combination of a verb and one or more particles — usually a preposition or an adverb — that together create a meaning quite different from the original verb. If you're new to this area of English, our guide to 50 Common English Phrasal Verbs for Daily Conversation is a good place to start before working through this list. The Cambridge Dictionary lists dozens of meanings for get alone, which gives you an idea of just how flexible this verb becomes once particles are added.
Complete List of Phrasal Verbs with "Get"
Below are twenty-one of the most common phrasal verbs with get, grouped by how you're likely to use them: in everyday conversation, in formal or professional settings, and in more idiomatic or advanced English.
Everyday & Conversational "Get" Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Get up | To rise from bed or a seated position | I get up at seven o'clock every morning. |
| Get on | To make progress or manage in a situation, or to board a vehicle | How are you getting on with the new job? |
| Get off | To leave a vehicle, or to avoid punishment | We got off the bus at the wrong stop. |
| Get in | To enter a car or taxi, or to arrive at a place | Get in — I'll drive you to the station. |
| Get out | To leave a vehicle, building, or place | She got out of the taxi outside the theatre. |
| Get back | To return to a place | What time did you get back last night? |
| Get away | To escape, leave, or go on a short holiday | We're getting away for the weekend. |
| Get together | To meet socially with one or more people | We should get together for coffee next week. |
Formal & Professional "Get" Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Get across | To communicate an idea or message clearly | The presenter struggled to get her point across. |
| Get through | To complete something successfully, or to reach someone by phone | I finally got through to customer service after an hour. |
| Get down to | To begin focusing seriously on a task | Let's get down to business. |
| Get onto | To contact someone, or to move on to a new subject | I'll get onto the supplier first thing tomorrow. |
| Get ahead | To make progress or succeed, especially in a career | She's working overtime to get ahead at work. |
| Get out of | To avoid doing something, often a responsibility | He always finds a way to get out of doing the dishes. |
Idiomatic & Advanced "Get" Phrasal Verbs
| Phrasal Verb | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Get over | To recover from something difficult, such as an illness, shock, or loss | It took him months to get over the breakup. |
| Get by | To manage with limited resources | They're getting by on a very tight budget. |
| Get along (with) | To have a friendly relationship with someone | She gets along well with her colleagues. |
| Get away with | To do something wrong without being caught or punished | He always seems to get away with being late. |
| Get around | To travel or move from place to place, or to find a way past a rule or difficult question | The new bypass makes it much easier to get around the city centre. |
| Get round to | To eventually find time to do something | I never got round to reading that book. |
| Get up to | To do something, often mischievous or unexpected | The children have been very quiet — I wonder what they're getting up to. |
How to Use "Get" Phrasal Verbs Correctly
Unlike phrasal verbs such as put off, which can be split by their object (put the meeting off), most phrasal verbs with get are either intransitive, with no object at all (get up, get back), or take their object directly after the whole phrase without splitting (get over something, get along with someone, get away with something). Once you know this pattern, you never need to decide where a pronoun goes in the middle — it simply follows the full phrase, as in get over it or get away with it.
Common Mistakes with "Get" Phrasal Verbs
One classic mistake is mixing up get on and get in when talking about transport: we get on a bus, train, plane, or bike, but we get in a car or taxi. Another common mix-up is get over versus get through — get over means to recover from something difficult, while get through means to successfully complete or endure a difficult period, task, or exam. Learners also confuse get around with get round to: get around means to travel or move about (or to sidestep a rule or problem), while get round to means to eventually find time for something you've been putting off. If mixing up phrasal verbs like this sounds familiar, our post on 5 Common Phrasal Verbs You're Using Wrong covers several more confusions just like these.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "get" mean as a phrasal verb in English?
On its own, get usually means to obtain, receive, or become. Combined with a particle, it forms phrasal verbs with very different meanings — for example, get over means to recover from something, while get away with means to avoid consequences for wrongdoing.
What's the difference between "get on" and "get in" for transport?
We use get on for public transport you can walk around in or on top of — buses, trains, planes, and bikes — but get in for cars and taxis, which you step down into.
What is the difference between "get over" and "get through"?
Get over usually means to recover emotionally or physically from something difficult, such as an illness or a loss. Get through means to successfully complete or endure a difficult period, task, or exam.
Can "get away with" be separated, as in "get it away with"?
No. Get away with is inseparable, so the object always follows the whole phrase: get away with it, not get it away with.
What's the difference between "get around" and "get round to"?
Get around means to travel or move from place to place, or to find a way past a rule or difficult question. Get round to means to eventually find time to do a task you've been delaying, so the two are easy to mix up but mean very different things.
What are the most common phrasal verbs with "get"?
Some of the most common phrasal verbs with get include get up, get on, get over, get away with, get along with, and get through, all of which appear constantly in everyday and professional English.
How can I remember phrasal verbs with "get" more easily?
Grouping them by theme, such as everyday actions, formal usage, and idiomatic expressions, makes them easier to recall than memorising a random list. Practising each one in a full sentence, rather than in isolation, also helps the meaning stick.
Quick Summary
- Get up, get on, get off, get in, get out, get back, get away, get together — everyday phrasal verbs for daily routines, transport, and socialising
- Get across, get through, get down to, get onto, get ahead, get out of — useful for formal or professional English
- Get over, get by, get along (with), get away with, get around, get round to, get up to — idiomatic phrasal verbs for recovery, coping, relationships, procrastination, and mischief
- Most are intransitive or take their object after the whole phrase — there's no separable version to worry about
Final Thoughts
Phrasal verbs with get turn up everywhere, from telling someone what time you got back last night to explaining how you're getting on at work. Rather than trying to learn all twenty-one at once, pick a handful you'll actually use this week — get over, get away with, and get round to are a great place to start — and practise them in sentences about your own life.
Explore more Phrasal Verb guides on EnglishWithDev, or head over to Dictionary Dev for single-word breakdowns of English vocabulary, meanings, and origins.
