getting

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
get/ɡet/

▶verb (gets, getting; past got; past part. got, N. Amer. or archaic gotten)

• 1 come to have or hold; receive.

  ■ experience, suffer, or be afflicted with (something bad).

• 2 succeed in attaining, achieving, or experiencing; obtain.

• 3 move in order to pick up, deal with, or bring.

  ■ tend to meet with or find.

  ■ travel by or catch (a form of transport).

• 4 bring or come into a specified state or condition.

  ■ used with past participle to form the passive mood: the cat got drowned.

  ■ begin to be or do something, especially gradually or by chance: we got talking.

• 5 come, go, or reach: I got to the airport.

  ■ move or come into a specified position or state: she got into the car.

• 6 (have got) see have.

• 7 catch, apprehend, or thwart.

  ■ strike or wound with a blow or missile.

  ■ informal punish, injure, or kill, especially as retribution.

  ■ (get one's) informal be killed or suffer retribution.

• 8 informal understand (an argument or the person making it).

• 9 archaic acquire (knowledge) by study.

▶noun

• 1 dated an animal's offspring.

• 2 Brit. informal or dialect an unpleasant or stupid person.

– phrases
get one's own back informal have one's revenge.
get over oneself informal stop being conceited or pretentious.
getting on for chiefly Brit. almost (a specified time, age, or amount).
get someone with child archaic make a woman pregnant.

– phrasal verbs
get something across manage to communicate an idea clearly.
get ahead become successful in one's life or career.
get along

• 1 another way of saying get on (sense 2).

• 2 manage to live or survive.

get at

• 1 reach or gain access to.

  ■ bribe or unfairly influence.

• 2 informal imply.

• 3 Brit. informal criticize subtly and repeatedly.

get away

• 1 escape.

• 2 informal said to express disbelief or scepticism.

get away with escape blame or punishment for.
get back at take revenge on.
get by manage with difficulty to live or accomplish something.
get down N. Amer. informal dance energetically.
get down to begin to do or give serious attention to.
get off

• 1 informal escape a punishment; be acquitted.

• 2 go to sleep.

• 3 (usu. get off with) Brit. informal have a sexual encounter.

• 4 N. Amer. vulgar slang have an orgasm.

get off on informal be excited or aroused by.
get on

• 1 manage or make progress with a task.

  ■ chiefly Brit. be successful in one's life or career.

• 2 chiefly Brit. have a harmonious or friendly relationship.

• 3 (be getting on) informal be old or comparatively old.

get out of contrive to avoid or escape.
get over

• 1 recover from (an ailment or an unpleasant experience).

• 2 overcome (a difficulty).

get something over

• 1 manage to communicate an idea or theory.

• 2 promptly complete an unpleasant or tedious but necessary task.

get round (or N. Amer. around)

• 1 coax or persuade (someone) to do or allow something.

• 2 deal successfully with (a problem).

  ■ evade (a regulation or restriction) without contravening it.

get round to (or N. Amer. around to) deal with (a task) in due course.
get through

• 1 pass or endure (a difficult experience or period).

• 2 chiefly Brit. use up (a large amount or number of something).

• 3 make contact by telephone.

  ■ succeed in communicating with someone.

get to

• 1 informal annoy or upset by persistent action.

• 2 another way of saying get round to .

get together gather or assemble socially or to cooperate.
get up

• 1 rise from bed after sleeping.

• 2 (of wind or the sea) become strong or agitated.

get someone up dress someone in a specified smart, elaborate, or unusual way.
get something up prepare or organize a project or piece of work.
get up to Brit. informal be involved in (something illicit or surprising).

– derivatives
gettable adjective.

– origin ME: from ON geta ‘obtain, beget, guess’; rel. to OE gietan.