Get vs. Have — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 16, 2024
"Get" typically implies acquiring or receiving something, focusing on the action of obtaining, whereas "have" suggests possession or ownership, emphasizing the state of holding something.
Difference Between Get and Have
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
"Get" is used to express the action of obtaining or receiving something, which can denote a change of state or condition. Whereas "have" is often used to indicate possession, ownership, or existence of something in a steady state.
In grammar, "get" can be used as a main verb or as part of a phrasal verb, implying movement or transition. On the other hand, "have" functions as a main verb that expresses possession or as an auxiliary verb in perfect tenses.
The use of "get" can also convey the idea of becoming or experiencing a change, such as in "get tired" or "get better". Whereas "have" can express relationships or characteristics, such as in "have a relationship" or "have blue eyes".
"Get" is often used in casual or conversational contexts to imply the act of receiving or becoming, as in "get a gift" or "get excited". Whereas "have" is used in a broader range of contexts and can suggest a more permanent state, as in "have a car" or "have knowledge".
The verb "get" can be more dynamic, suggesting an active role in the action, like "get a job". Whereas "have" implies a more passive condition, where the focus is on the state rather than the action, such as "have a degree".
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Comparison Chart
Primary Use
To acquire, obtain, or receive.
To possess, own, or hold.
Connotation
Action-oriented, implies a change of state.
State-oriented, implies stability or permanence.
Grammar Role
Main verb, phrasal verb component.
Main verb, auxiliary verb.
Example Contexts
Casual, informal, dynamic situations.
Formal and informal, broad usage.
Common Phrases
"get going", "get better", "get a drink".
"have dinner", "have blue eyes", "have a chance".
Compare with Definitions
Get
To become or start to be.
It’s getting late; we should head home.
Have
To possess or hold as part of one’s status.
He has a new bike.
Get
To move or arrive at a place.
He got to the office early today.
Have
To experience or undergo.
She had a great time at the concert.
Get
Come to have (something); receive
I got a letter from him the other day
What kind of reception did you get?
Have
To perform or carry out.
Have the reports ready by noon.
Get
Succeed in attaining, achieving, or experiencing; obtain
He got a teaching job in California
I need all the sleep I can get
Have
To exhibit or show a characteristic.
The painting has vibrant colors.
Get
Reach or cause to reach a specified state or condition
I need to get my hair cut
He'd got thinner
It's getting late
You'll get used to it
Have
To hold in a particular condition.
We have the room booked for the meeting.
Get
Come, go, or make progress eventually or with some difficulty
Nigel got home very late
He hadn't got very far with the book yet
Have
Possess, own, or hold
Have you got a job yet?
He had a new car and a boat
I don't have that much money on me
Get
See have
Have
Experience; undergo
I went to a few parties and had a good time
I was having difficulty in keeping awake
Get
Catch or apprehend (someone)
The police have got him
Have
Be obliged or find it necessary to do the specified thing
Sorry, we've got to dash
You don't have to accept this situation
Get
Understand (an argument or the person making it)
What do you mean? I don't get it
Have
Perform the action indicated by the noun specified (used especially in spoken English as an alternative to a more specific verb)
He had a look round
The colour green has a restful effect
Get
Acquire (knowledge) by study; learn
That knowledge which is gotten at school
Have
Show (a personal attribute or quality) by one's actions or attitude
He had little patience with technological gadgetry
You never even phoned, and now you've got the cheek to come back
Get
An animal's offspring.
Have
Place or keep (something) in a particular position
Mary had her back to me
I soon had the trout in a net
Get
A person whom the speaker dislikes or despises.
Have
Be the recipient of (something sent, given, or done)
She had a letter from Mark
Get
To come into possession or use of; receive
Got a cat for her birthday.
Have
Used with a past participle to form the perfect, pluperfect, and future perfect tenses, and the conditional mood
He had asked her
I have finished
She will have left by now
‘Have you seen him?’ ‘Yes, I have.’
I could have helped, had I known
Get
To meet with or incur
Got nothing but trouble for her efforts.
Have
People with plenty of money and possessions
An increasing gap between the haves and have-nots
Get
To go after and obtain
Got a book at the library.
Got breakfast in town.
Have
A swindle.
Get
To go after and bring
Get me a pillow.
Have
To be in possession of
Already had a car.
Get
To purchase; buy
Get groceries.
Have
To possess as a characteristic, quality, or function
Has a beard.
Had a great deal of energy.
Get
To acquire as a result of action or effort
He got his information from the internet. You can't get water out of a stone.
Have
To possess or contain as a constituent part
A car that has air bags.
Get
To earn
Got high marks in math.
Have
To occupy a particular relation to
Had many disciples.
Get
To accomplish or attain as a result of military action.
Have
To possess knowledge of or facility in
Has very little Spanish.
Get
To obtain by concession or request
Couldn't get the time off.
Got permission to go.
Have
To hold in the mind; entertain
Had doubts about their loyalty.
Get
To arrive at; reach
When did you get home?.
Have
To use or exhibit in action
Have compassion.
Get
To reach and board; catch
She got her plane two minutes before takeoff.
Have
To come into possession of; acquire
Not one copy of the book was to be had in the entire town.
Get
To succeed in communicating with, as by telephone
Can't get me at the office until nine.
Have
To receive; get
I had a letter from my cousin.
Get
To become affected with (an illness, for example) by infection or exposure; catch
Get the flu.
Got the mumps.
Have
To accept; take
I'll have the peas instead of the spinach.
Get
To be subjected to; undergo
Got a severe concussion.
Have
To suffer from
Have defective vision.
Get
To receive as retribution or punishment
Got six years in prison for tax fraud.
Have
To be subject to the experience of
Had a difficult time last winter.
Get
To sustain a specified injury to
Got my arm broken.
Have
To cause to do something, as by persuasion or compulsion
Had my assistant run the errand.
Get
To perceive or become aware of by one of the senses
Get a whiff of perfume.
Got a look at the schedule.
Have
To cause to be in a specified place or state
Had the guests in the dining room.
Had everyone fascinated.
Get
To gain or have understanding of
Do you get this question?.
Have
To permit; allow
I won't have that kind of behavior in my house.
Get
To learn (a poem, for example) by heart; memorize.
Have
To carry on, perform, or execute
Have an argument.
Get
To find or reach by calculating
Get a total.
Can't get the answer.
Have
To place at a disadvantage
Your opponent in the debate had you on every issue.
Get
To procreate; beget
“Is my life given me for nothing but to get children and work to bring them up?” (D.H. Lawrence).
Have
(Informal) To get the better of, especially by trickery or deception
They realized too late that they'd been had by a swindler.
Get
To cause to become or be in a specified state or condition
Got the children tired and cross.
Got the shirt clean.
Have
(Informal) To influence by dishonest means; bribe
An incorruptible official who could not be had.
Get
To make ready; prepare
Get lunch for the family.
Have
To procreate (offspring)
Wanted to have a child.
Get
To cause to come or go
Got the car through traffic.
Have
To give birth to; bear
She's going to have a baby.
Get
To cause to move or leave
Get me out of here!.
Have
To partake of
Have lunch.
Get
To cause to undertake or perform; prevail on
Got the guide to give us the complete tour.
Have
To be obliged to; must
We simply have to get there on time.
Get
To take, especially by force; seize
The detective got the suspect as he left the restaurant.
Have
To engage in sexual intercourse with.
Get
(Informal) To overcome or destroy
The ice storm got the rose bushes.
Have
Used with a past participle to form the present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect tenses indicating completed action
The troublemaker has gone for good. I regretted that I had lost my temper. They will have finished by the time we arrive.
Get
To evoke an emotional response or reaction in
Romantic music really gets me.
Have
One enjoying especially material wealth
"The gulf widens between the feast of the haves and the famine of the have-nots" (Salman Rushdie).
Get
To annoy or irritate
What got me was his utter lack of initiative.
Have
(transitive) To possess, own.
I have a house and a car.
Get
To present a difficult problem to; puzzle
“It's the suspect's indifference that gets me,” the detective said.
Have
(transitive) To hold, as something at someone's disposal.
Look what I have here—a frog I found on the street!
Get
To take revenge on, especially to kill in revenge for a wrong.
Have
(transitive) To include as a part, ingredient, or feature.
The stove has a handle. The shirt has sleeves.
The words cow and dog have three letters.
A government has three branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial.
The movie has lots of action.
Get
(Informal) To hit or strike
She got him on the chin. The bullet got him in the arm.
Have
(transitive) Used to state the existence or presence of someone in a specified relationship with the subject.
I have two sisters.
She doesn’t have any friends.
I have a really mean boss.
Get
(Baseball) To put out or strike out
Got the batter with a cut fastball.
Have
(transitive) To consume or use up (a particular substance or resource, especially food or drink).
I have breakfast at six o'clock.
You've already had five drinks!
She's had more than enough time already.
Get
To begin or start. Used with the present participle
I have to get working on this or I'll miss my deadline.
Have
(transitive) To undertake or perform (an action or activity).
Can I have a look at that?
He's having a tantrum about it.
I’m going to have a bath now.
Let’s have a game of tiddlywinks.
Get
To have current possession of. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present
We've got plenty of cash.
Have
(transitive) To be scheduled to attend, undertake or participate in.
What class do you have right now? I have English.
Fred won’t be able to come to the party; he has a meeting that day.
I have a lot of work to do.
Get
(Nonstandard) To have current possession of. Used in the past tense form with the meaning of the present
They got a nice house in town.
Have
To experience, go through, undergo.
We had a hard year last year, with the locust swarms and all that.
He had surgery on his hip yesterday.
I’m having the time of my life!
Get
To have as an obligation. Used in the present perfect form with the meaning of the present
I have got to leave early. You've got to do the dishes.
Have
To be afflicted with, suffer from.
He had a cold last week.
Get
(Nonstandard) To have as an obligation. Used in the past tense with the meaning of the present
They got to clean up this mess.
Have
(auxiliary verb, taking a past participle) Used in forming the perfect aspect.
I have already eaten today.
I had already eaten.
I will have left by the time you get here.
Get
To become or grow to be
Eventually got well.
Have
Used as an interrogative verb before a pronoun to form a tag question, echoing a previous use of 'have' as an auxiliary verb or, in certain cases, main verb. (For further discussion, see the appendix English tag questions.)
They haven’t eaten dinner yet, have they?
Your wife hasn’t been reading that nonsense, has she?
He has some money, hasn’t he?
Get
To be successful in coming or going
When will we get to Dallas?.
Have
See have to.
I have to go.
Get
To be able or permitted
Never got to see Europe.
Finally got to work at home.
Have
(transitive) To give birth to.
The couple always wanted to have children.
My wife is having the baby right now!
My mother had me when she was 25.
Get
To be successful in becoming
Get free of a drug problem.
Have
(usually passive) To obtain.
The substance you describe can't be had at any price.
Get
Used with the past participle of transitive verbs as a passive voice auxiliary
Got stung by a bee.
Have
(transitive) To engage in sexual intercourse with.
He’s always bragging about how many women he’s had.
Get
To become drawn in, entangled, or involved
Got into debt.
Get into a hassle.
Have
(transitive) To accept as a romantic partner.
Despite my protestations of love, she would not have me.
Get
(Informal) To depart immediately
Yelled at the dog to get.
Have
To cause to, by a command, request or invitation.
They had me feed their dog while they were out of town.
Her very boyfriend is the person the criminal has do most of her dirty deeds.
Get
To work for gain or profit; make money
Do you feel as though you're exhausting yourself getting and not making enough for spending?.
Have
To cause to be.
He had him arrested for trespassing.
The lecture’s ending had the entire audience in tears.
Jim has his eyes closed.
Get
Progeny; offspring
A thoroughbred's get.
Have
To be affected by an occurrence. (Used in supplying a topic that is not a verb argument.)
The hospital had several patients contract pneumonia last week.
I’ve had three people today tell me my hair looks nice.
Get
Chiefly British Slang git2.
Have
To depict as being.
Their stories differed; he said he’d been at work when the incident occurred, but her statement had him at home that entire evening.
Get
(Sports) A return, as in tennis, on a shot that seems impossible to reach.
Have
To defeat in a fight; take.
I could have him!
Get
A document presented by a husband to his wife whereby a divorce is effected between them according to Jewish religious law.
Have
To inflict punishment or retribution on.
You broke the window! Teacher’ll have you for that!
Get
A divorce effected by a get.
Have
To be able to speak (a language).
I have no German.
Get
(ditransitive) To obtain; to acquire.
I'm going to get a computer tomorrow from the discount store.
Lance is going to get Mary a ring.
Have
To feel or be (especially painfully) aware of.
Dan certainly has arms today, probably from scraping paint off four columns the day before.
Get
(transitive) To receive.
I got a computer from my parents for my birthday.
You need to get permission to leave early.
He got a severe reprimand for that.
Have
To trick, to deceive.
I bought a laptop online but it never arrived. I think I've been had!
You had me alright! I never would have thought that was just a joke.
Get
To have. See usage notes.
I've got a concert ticket for you.
Have
To allow; to tolerate.
The child screamed incessantly for his mother to buy him a toy, but she wasn't having any of it.
I asked my dad if I could go to the concert this Thursday, but he wouldn't have it since it's a school night.
Get
(transitive) To fetch, bring, take.
Can you get my bag from the living-room, please?
I need to get this to the office.
Have
To believe, buy, be taken in by.
I made up an excuse as to why I was out so late, but my wife wasn't having any of it.
Get
(copulative) To become, or cause oneself to become.
I'm getting hungry; how about you?
I'm going out to get drunk.
Have
(transitive) To host someone; to take in as a guest.
Thank you for having me!
Get
(transitive) To cause to become; to bring about.
That song gets me so depressed every time I hear it.
I'll get this finished by lunchtime.
I can't get these boots off (or on).
Have
(transitive) To get a reading, measurement, or result from an instrument or calculation.
What do you have for problem two?
I have two contacts on my scope.
Get
(transitive) To cause to do.
Somehow she got him to agree to it.
I can't get it to work.
Have
To consider a court proceeding that has been completed; to begin deliberations on a case.
We’ll schedule closing arguments for Thursday, and the jury will have the case by that afternoon.
Get
(transitive) To cause to come or go or move.
I got him to his room.
Have
To make an observation of (a bird species).
Get
To adopt, assume, arrive at, or progress towards (a certain position, location, state).
The actors are getting into position.
When are we going to get to London?
I'm getting into a muddle.
We got behind the wall.
Have
A wealthy or privileged person.
Get
(transitive) To cover (a certain distance) while travelling.
To get a mile
Have
(uncommon) One who has some (contextually specified) thing.
Get
(intransitive) To begin (doing something or to do something).
We ought to get moving or we'll be late.
After lunch we got chatting.
I'm getting to like him better now.
Have
A fraud or deception; something misleading.
They advertise it as a great deal, but I think it's a bit of a have.
Get
(transitive) To take or catch (a scheduled transportation service).
I normally get the 7:45 train.
I'll get the 9 a.m. [flight] to Boston.
Have
To hold in possession or control; to own; as, he has a farm.
Get
(transitive) To respond to (a telephone call, a doorbell, etc).
Can you get that call, please? I'm busy.
Have
To possess, as something which appertains to, is connected with, or affects, one.
The earth hath bubbles, as the water has.
He had a fever late.
Get
To be able, be permitted, or have the opportunity (to do something desirable or ironically implied to be desirable).
I'm so jealous that you got to see them perform live!
The finders get to keep 80 percent of the treasure.
Great. I get to clean the toilets today.
Have
To accept possession of; to take or accept.
Break thy mind to me in broken English; wilt thou have me?
Get
To be told; be the recipient of (a question, comparison, opinion, etc.).
"You look just like Helen Mirren." / "I get that a lot."
Have
To get possession of; to obtain; to get.
Get
(informal) To be. Used to form the passive of verbs.
He got bitten by a dog.
Have
To cause or procure to be; to effect; to exact; to desire; to require.
I had the church accurately described to me.
Wouldst thou have me turn traitor also?
Get
(transitive) To become ill with or catch (a disease).
I went on holiday and got malaria.
Have
To bear, as young; as, she has just had a child.
Get
To catch out, trick successfully.
He keeps calling pretending to be my boss—it gets me every time.
Have
To hold, regard, or esteem.
Of them shall I be had in honor.
Get
To perplex, stump.
That question's really got me.
Have
To cause or force to go; to take.
Get
(transitive) To find as an answer.
What did you get for question four?
Have
To take or hold (one's self); to proceed promptly; - used reflexively, often with ellipsis of the pronoun; as, to have after one; to have at one or at a thing, i. e., to aim at one or at a thing; to attack; to have with a companion.
Get
To bring to reckoning; to catch (as a criminal); to effect retribution.
The cops finally got me.
I'm gonna get him for that.
Have
To be under necessity or obligation; to be compelled; followed by an infinitive.
Science has, and will long have, to be a divider and a separatist.
The laws of philology have to be established by external comparison and induction.
Get
(transitive) To hear completely; catch.
Sorry, I didn't get that. Could you repeat it?
Have
To understand.
You have me, have you not?
Get
(transitive) To getter.
I put the getter into the container to get the gases.
Have
To put in an awkward position; to have the advantage of; as, that is where he had him.
Myself for such a face had boldly died.
Get
To beget (of a father).
Have
A person who possesses great material wealth
Get
(archaic) To learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; sometimes with out.
To get a lesson;
To get out one's Greek lesson
Have
Have or possess, either in a concrete or an abstract sense;
She has $1,000 in the bank
He has got two beautiful daughters
She holds a Master's degree from Harvard
Get
Used with a personal pronoun to indicate that someone is being pretentious or grandiose.
Get her with her new hairdo.
Have
Have as a feature;
This restaurant features the most famous chefs in France
Get
To go, to leave; to scram.
Have
Of mental or physical states or experiences;
Get an idea
Experience vertigo
Get nauseous
Undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
Receive injuries
Have a feeling
Get
(euphemism) To kill.
They’re coming to get you, Barbara.
Have
Have ownership or possession of;
He owns three houses in Florida
How many cars does she have?
Get
To make acquisitions; to gain; to profit.
Have
Cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition;
He got his squad on the ball
This let me in for a big surprise
He got a girl into trouble
Get
(transitive) To measure.
Did you get her temperature?
Have
Serve oneself to, or consume regularly;
Have another bowl of chicken soup!
I don't take sugar in my coffee
Get
(dated) Offspring.
Have
Have a personal or business relationship with someone;
Have a postdoc
Have an assistant
Have a lover
Get
Lineage.
Have
Organize or be responsible for;
Hold a reception
Have, throw, or make a party
Give a course
Get
A difficult return or block of a shot.
Have
Have left;
I have two years left
I don't have any money left
They have two more years before they retire
Get
(informal) Something gained; an acquisition.
Have
Be confronted with;
What do we have here?
Now we have a fine mess
Get
A git.
Have
Undergo;
The stocks had a fast run-up
Get
(Judaism) A Jewish writ of divorce.
Have
Suffer from; be ill with;
She has arthritis
Get
Jet, the mineral.
Have
Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;
The ads induced me to buy a VCR
My children finally got me to buy a computer
My wife made me buy a new sofa
Get
Fashion; manner; custom.
Have
Receive willingly something given or offered;
The only girl who would have him was the miller's daughter
I won't have this dog in my house!
Please accept my present
Get
Artifice; contrivance.
Have
Get something; come into possession of;
Receive payment
Receive a gift
Receive letters from the front
Get
Offspring; progeny; as, the get of a stallion.
Have
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Get
A divorce granted by a Rabbi in accordance with Jewish law; also, the document attesting to the divorce.
Have
Achieve a point or goal;
Nicklaus had a 70
The Brazilian team got 4 goals
She made 29 points that day
Get
To procure; to obtain; to gain possession of; to acquire; to earn; to obtain as a price or reward; to come by; to win, by almost any means; as, to get favor by kindness; to get wealth by industry and economy; to get land by purchase, etc.
Have
Give birth (to a newborn);
My wife had twins yesterday!
Get
Hence, with have and had, to come into or be in possession of; to have.
Thou hast got the face of man.
Have
Have sex with; archaic use;
He had taken this woman when she was most vulnerable
Get
To beget; to procreate; to generate.
I had rather to adopt a child than get it.
Get
To obtain mental possession of; to learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; as to get a lesson; also with out; as, to get out one's Greek lesson.
It being harder with him to get one sermon by heart, than to pen twenty.
Get
To prevail on; to induce; to persuade.
Get him to say his prayers.
Get
To procure to be, or to cause to be in any state or condition; - with a following participle.
Those things I bid you do; get them dispatched.
Get
To betake; to remove; - in a reflexive use.
Get thee out from this land.
He . . . got himself . . . to the strong town of Mega.
Get
To make acquisition; to gain; to profit; to receive accessions; to be increased.
We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get.
Get
To arrive at, or bring one's self into, a state, condition, or position; to come to be; to become; - with a following adjective or past participle belonging to the subject of the verb; as, to get sober; to get awake; to get beaten; to get elected.
To get rid of fools and scoundrels.
His chariot wheels get hot by driving fast.
Get
Come into the possession of something concrete or abstract;
She got a lot of paintings from her uncle
They acquired a new pet
Get your results the next day
Get permission to take a few days off from work
Get
Enter or assume a certain state or condition;
He became annoyed when he heard the bad news
It must be getting more serious
Her face went red with anger
She went into ecstasy
Get going!
Get
Cause to move; cause to be in a certain position or condition;
He got his squad on the ball
This let me in for a big surprise
He got a girl into trouble
Get
Receive a specified treatment (abstract);
These aspects of civilization do not find expression or receive an interpretation
His movie received a good review
I got nothing but trouble for my good intentions
Get
Reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress;
She arrived home at 7 o'clock
She didn't get to Chicago until after midnight
Get
Go or come after and bring or take back;
Get me those books over there, please
Could you bring the wine?
The dog fetched the hat
Get
Of mental or physical states or experiences;
Get an idea
Experience vertigo
Get nauseous
Undergo a strange sensation
The chemical undergoes a sudden change
The fluid undergoes shear
Receive injuries
Have a feeling
Get
Take vengeance on or get even;
We'll get them!
That'll fix him good!
This time I got him
Get
Achieve a point or goal;
Nicklaus had a 70
The Brazilian team got 4 goals
She made 29 points that day
Get
Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner;
The ads induced me to buy a VCR
My children finally got me to buy a computer
My wife made me buy a new sofa
Get
Succeed in catching or seizing, especially after a chase;
We finally got the suspect
Did you catch the thief?
Get
Come to have or undergo a change of (physical features and attributes);
He grew a beard
The patient developed abdominal pains
I got funny spots all over my body
Well-developed breasts
Get
Be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness;
He got AIDS
She came down with pneumonia
She took a chill
Get
Communicate with a place or person; establish communication with, as if by telephone;
Bill called this number and he got Mary
The operator couldn't get Kobe because of the earthquake
Get
Give certain properties to something;
Get someone mad
She made us look silly
He made a fool of himself at the meeting
Don't make this into a big deal
This invention will make you a millionaire
Make yourself clear
Get
Move into a desired direction of discourse;
What are you driving at?
Get
Grasp with the mind or develop an undersatnding of;
Did you catch that allusion?
We caught something of his theory in the lecture
Don't catch your meaning
Did you get it?
She didn't get the joke
I just don't get him
Get
Attract and fix;
His look caught her
She caught his eye
Catch the attention of the waiter
Get
Reach with a blow or hit in a particular spot;
The rock caught her in the back of the head
The blow got him in the back
The punch caught him in the stomach
Get
Reach by calculation;
What do you get when you add up these numbers?
Get
Acquire as a result of some effort or action;
You cannot get water out of a stone
Where did she get these news?
Get
Purchase;
What did you get at the toy store?
Get
Perceive by hearing;
I didn't catch your name
She didn't get his name when they met the first time
Get
Suffer from the receipt of;
She will catch hell for this behavior!
Get
Receive as a retribution or punishment;
He got 5 years in prison
Get
Leave immediately; used usually in the imperative form;
Scram!
Get
Reach and board;
She got the bus just as it was leaving
Get
Irritate;
Her childish behavior really get to me
His lying really gets me
Get
Evoke an emotional response;
Brahms's `Requiem' gets me every time
Get
Apprehend and reproduce accurately;
She really caught the spirit of the place in her drawings
She got the mood just right in her photographs
Get
In baseball: earn or achieve a base by being walked by the pitcher;
He drew a base on balls
Get
Overcome or destroy;
The ice storm got my hibiscus
The cat got the goldfish
Get
Be a mystery or bewildering to;
This beats me!
Got me--I don't know the answer!
A vexing problem
This question really stuck me
Get
Take the first step or steps in carrying out an action;
We began working at dawn
Who will start?
Get working as soon as the sun rises!
The first tourists began to arrive in Cambodia
He began early in the day
Let's get down to work now
Get
Undergo (as of injuries and illnesses);
She suffered a fracture in the accident
He had an insulin shock after eating three candy bars
She got a bruise on her leg
He got his arm broken in the scuffle
Get
Make children;
Abraham begot Isaac
Men often father children but don't recognize them
Get
To receive or come to have possession.
She will get her diploma tomorrow.
Get
To cause to be in a particular state or condition.
Get the door locked before leaving.
Get
To understand something.
Did you get the joke?
Common Curiosities
Is 'get' considered informal?
'Get' is generally more informal and is used frequently in casual speech and writing.
How is 'have' used in a sentence?
'Have' is used to express possession, experiences, or actions, such as "I have a cat" or "We have dinner at eight."
Are there idiomatic expressions involving 'have'?
Yes, phrases like "have a heart," "have a mind to," and "have words" are idiomatic expressions with 'have'.
Can 'get' and 'have' be used interchangeably?
In some contexts, they might overlap, but they often convey different meanings and are not typically interchangeable.
What is a common usage of 'get' in conversational English?
'Get' is commonly used to imply obtaining or experiencing changes, like "get ready" or "get excited."
How does the meaning of 'have' extend beyond possession?
'Have' also describes experiences, obligations, or actions, such as "have a look" or "have a party."
What does it mean to 'get' something?
It means to receive, acquire, or become affected by something.
Can 'get' imply a change of state?
Yes, 'get' often implies a change, such as in "get married" or "get broken."
What is an example of 'have' as an auxiliary verb?
In the sentence "I have seen that movie," 'have' is used as an auxiliary verb in the present perfect tense.
How is 'get' used in phrasal verbs?
'Get' is used in various phrasal verbs like "get over," "get through," and "get along," each adding a different meaning to 'get'.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
