Phrasal Verbs
20 Phrasal Verbs with GET (One of English's Most Useful Verbs)
A deep dive into phrasal verbs built from 'get' — one of the most flexible verbs in English — with meanings, examples, and how to tell similar ones apart.
Level: B1–B2
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7 min read
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English Notes Editorial Team
"Get" is one of the most productive verbs in English for forming phrasal verbs — its meaning changes completely depending on the particle attached to it. Learning them as a family, built around one verb, makes the patterns easier to remember than scattered individual phrases.
Movement and arrival
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| get up | get out of bed | I get up at 6 a.m. every day. |
| get in | enter (a car, a place); arrive | What time does the flight get in? |
| get out of | leave (a vehicle); avoid an obligation | She got out of the car. / He got out of doing the dishes. |
| get away | escape, or take a short trip/break | We need to get away this weekend. |
| get back | return | I'll get back to you tomorrow. |
Progress and continuation
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| get on | make progress; have a good relationship | How are you getting on with the project? / I get on well with my sister. |
| get through | complete something difficult; be understood | We finally got through the paperwork. / I couldn't get through to him. |
| get on with | continue doing something, often after an interruption | Let's get on with the meeting. |
| get ahead | make progress, especially in career or life | She's working hard to get ahead at work. |
Difficulty and recovery
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| get over | recover from illness, loss, or a difficult experience | It took her months to get over the breakup. |
| get by | manage with limited resources | We get by on a tight budget. |
| get into | become interested in; enter a place or situation | He got into painting last year. / She got into a good university. |
| get down to | start focusing seriously on something | Let's get down to business. |
Relationships and social meaning
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| get along (with) | have a friendly relationship | They get along really well. |
| get together | meet socially | Let's get together sometime next week. |
| get across | successfully communicate an idea | She got her point across clearly. |
Change of state
| Phrasal verb | Meaning | Example |
|---|
| get up to | be involved in (often something mischievous) | What have you been getting up to? |
| get around to | eventually find time for something delayed | I finally got around to fixing the sink. |
| get rid of | remove or eliminate something unwanted | We need to get rid of these old boxes. |
Easily confused pairs
| Pair | Difference |
|---|
| get over vs. get through | "Get over" is usually emotional recovery; "get through" is usually completing a difficult task or period. |
| get on vs. get along | "Get on with" someone and "get along with" someone are near-identical — both mean having a good relationship. |
| get into vs. get in | "Get into" often means develop an interest or be accepted somewhere; "get in" is more literally about entering a place. |
Common mistake: Using "get" phrasal verbs interchangeably without checking the particle changes the meaning entirely — "get over" and "get through" are not interchangeable despite both suggesting difficulty.
Where to go next
See these and more phrasal verbs used in natural dialogue at Phrasal Verbs for Daily Conversation, or browse the full themed collection in Common Phrasal Verbs.