Get is the busiest verb in English, and its phrasal verbs are the busiest of all. The same three letters change meaning completely with a particle: get up, get over, get by, get away with. There is no pattern that predicts every meaning, but the verbs group into clear families.
The groups are movement, relationships, work and problems. Learn them in families and the list shrinks to a few lines for each one.
This page collects the get phrasal verbs that appear most often in everyday English, shows whether each one is separable, and gives you a 20-question drill with a meaning explanation under every answer.
The rule
Movement: up, on, off, in, into, out of
- Get up: leave your bed or stand up. "I get up at seven."
- Get on and get off: board and leave a bus, train, plane or bike. "Get on the train; we are late."
- Get in and get into: enter a car or a building. "She got into the taxi."
- Get out of: leave a vehicle or a place. "Get out of the car."
- Get back: return. "We got back at midnight."
Relationships: along, together, over
- Get along with or get on with someone: have a good relationship. "I get along with my sister."
- Get together: meet socially. "Let us get together on Friday."
- Get over something: recover from an illness or a bad experience. "He is still getting over the flu."
- Get on with it: continue a task. "Stop talking and get on with it."
Work and progress: through, down to, behind, ahead, by
- Get through: finish a task or reach someone by phone. "I got through the report by lunch."
- Get down to: start work seriously. "Let us get down to business."
- Get behind: fall behind schedule. "I got behind with my emails."
- Get ahead: make progress in a career. "She works hard to get ahead."
- Get by: survive with what you have, often with little money. "We get by on one salary."
Problems and people: away with, rid of, out of, at, across
- Get away with something: escape punishment. "He got away with cheating."
- Get rid of something: remove or throw it away. "We got rid of the old sofa."
- Get out of something: avoid a duty. "She tried to get out of the meeting."
- Get at something: hint at or mean something. "What are you getting at?"
- Get across: communicate an idea successfully. "She got her message across clearly."
- Get away: escape, or take a short holiday. "We need to get away for a few days."
Separable and inseparable patterns
- Most get phrasal verbs are inseparable: the object goes after the whole verb. "I got over the illness."
- A few are separable: the object can sit between get and the particle. "She got her message across" or "She got across her message."
- With pronouns, separable verbs must split: "get it across", never "get across it".
- Three-part verbs such as get on with, get away with and get out of never split. "I get on with her" is the only order.
Examples
- I usually get up at seven o'clock.Get up means leave your bed.
- She gets along well with her new colleagues.Get along with means have a good relationship.
- He is still getting over the flu.Get over means recover from something.
- How do you get by on such a low salary?Get by means manage with little money.
- We should get together more often.Get together means meet socially.
- Let us get down to business.Get down to means start work seriously.
- He always gets away with doing no work.Get away with means escape punishment.
- We finally got rid of the old furniture.Get rid of means remove or throw away.
- She got her message across clearly.Get across is separable: the pronoun sits in the middle when the object is a pronoun.
- The train gets in at 6:40.Get in means arrive, for trains and buses.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: I get on at seven o'clock every morning. Right: I get up at seven o'clock every morning.
- Get up means leave your bed. Get on is for boarding a bus, train or bike.
- Wrong: She gets on well her new colleagues. Right: She gets along well with her new colleagues.
- The three-part verb needs with before the person: get along with someone.
- Wrong: He got away to cheat in the exam. Right: He got away with cheating in the exam.
- The phrase is get away with something, meaning escape punishment for it.
- Wrong: I need to get across it to my team. Right: I need to get it across to my team.
- Get across is separable. A pronoun object goes between get and across.
- Wrong: We got over the old sofa. Right: We got rid of the old sofa.
- Get over means recover from something. Removing an object is get rid of.
Practice drill
Answer all 20 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
I usually ___ at seven o'clock.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. get up Get up means leave your bed, which is what happens at seven in the morning.
She ___ well with her new colleagues.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. gets along Get along with someone means have a good relationship.
He is still ___ the flu.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. getting over Get over means recover from an illness: getting over the flu.
How do you ___ on such a low salary?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. get by Get by means survive or manage, often with little money.
We should ___ more often.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. get together Get together means meet socially.
I have to ___ this report before lunch.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. get through Get through means finish a task: get through the report.
She ___ the bus at the wrong stop.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. got off Get off means leave a bus or train: she got off at the wrong stop.
He always ___ doing no work.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. gets away with Get away with something means escape punishment for it.
I cannot ___ this cold.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. get rid of Get rid of means remove something, here the cold.
Let us ___ business.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. get down to Get down to means start work seriously: get down to business.
The train ___ at platform two.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. gets in Get in means arrive for a train or bus: the train gets in at platform two.
She wants to ___ her message clearly.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. get across Get across means communicate an idea successfully.
He tried to ___ paying the fine.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. get out of Get out of something means avoid a duty or payment.
I ___ with my emails after the holiday.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. got behind Get behind means fall behind schedule: I got behind with my emails.
She works hard to ___ in her career.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. get ahead Get ahead means make progress, especially at work.
We are planning to ___ for a few days next month.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. get away Get away means take a short holiday or escape: get away for a few days.
What are you trying to ___?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. get at Get at something means hint at or mean something: What are you getting at?
The children ___ the car quickly.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. got into Get into means enter a car or a building: got into the car.
He ___ his bike and rode away.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. got on Get on means board a bike, bus or train: he got on his bike.
We ___ home at midnight.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. got back Get back means return: we got back home at midnight.
Drill complete
You answered every question.
Next topic: Conditional sentences (type 1, 2 and 3)Take the level test
Questions learners ask
How many meanings does "get" have with particles?
Dictionaries list more than thirty phrasal verbs with get, but everyday English uses around fifteen regularly. The group on this page covers them. Learn each one inside a sentence rather than as a translation, because the meaning depends on the particle and the context.
What is the difference between "get on" and "get on with"?
Get on means board a bus, train, plane or bike: "Get on the train." Get on with someone means have a good relationship: "I get on with my neighbours." Get on with it means continue a task: "Get on with your homework." The particle after on changes the meaning.
Is "get" too informal for writing?
Phrasal verbs with get are common in speech and in friendly writing. In formal reports, a single-word verb is often better: obtain, receive, become, arrive, recover, manage. The meaning stays the same and the register becomes more formal.
More grammar topics
Conditional sentences (type 1, 2 and 3)
If plus the right verb pattern: real, unreal and impossible situations, with the comma rule.
First conditional
If plus the present simple, will plus the base verb: a real possibility in the future.
Second conditional
If plus the past simple, would plus the base verb: the present that is not real.
Take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.