get over: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
HighInformal to Neutral
Quick answer
What does “get over” mean?
To recover from (an illness, shock, or emotional setback).
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
To recover from (an illness, shock, or emotional setback); to overcome (a difficulty or obstacle).
To successfully communicate an idea; to visit or move across a distance; to become accepted or understood; to finish or complete an unpleasant but necessary task.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major structural differences. The phrase 'get over here/there' is more characteristically American in casual imperatives. 'Get over with' (to finish something unpleasant) is equally common in both.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can carry a slightly brusque or unsympathetic tone when advising someone to move on emotionally (e.g., 'Just get over it').
Frequency
Extremely frequent in both dialects. Slightly more lexicalized as a fixed phrase (e.g., 'get-over-able') in informal American English.
Grammar
How to Use “get over” in a Sentence
[NP] get over [NP]get [NP] over [NP] (as in 'get your message over')get over [to NP] (as in 'get over to my place')get [NP] over withVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “get over” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- It took her weeks to get over the bout of flu.
- He never quite got over the disappointment of losing the match.
- Can you get over to the office by 3 pm?
- Let's get this meeting over with quickly.
American English
- It took her weeks to get over that bad cold.
- He just needs to get over it and move on.
- Get over here right now!
- I just want to get the presentation over with.
adverb
British English
- He drove get-over-the-bridge quickly. (not standard; 'over' itself is the adverb particle)
- The message came get-over clearly. (not standard)
American English
- She told him get-over-to-my-place fast. (not standard; phrasal verb as a unit)
- They ran get-over-the-hill. (not standard)
adjective
British English
- The loss was a hard thing to get over. (participial adjective in to-infinitive)
- A get-over-able obstacle. (informal, non-standard)
American English
- She's a got-over-it kind of person. (informal, compound modifier)
- The get-over-it phase didn't last long. (informal, compound modifier)
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in the sense of overcoming challenges or setbacks, e.g., 'We need to get over the initial funding hurdle.'
Academic
Less common; formal alternatives like 'overcome' or 'recover from' are preferred. May appear in psychology texts regarding emotional recovery.
Everyday
The most common register, used for illnesses, emotional issues, and visiting, e.g., 'I can't get over this flu,' or 'Get over here!'
Technical
Rare. Possibly in logistics ('get the supplies over the mountain') or communications theory ('get the concept over to the audience').
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “get over”
- *I got over the news. (Ambiguous without context; better: 'I got over the shock of the news.')
- Incorrect particle: *'get over with the meeting' (correct: 'get the meeting over with').
- Using it transitively for a person: *'I need to get over him coming late' (correct: 'I need to get over the fact that he comes late' or 'get over his lateness').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. While common for emotional recovery, it also applies to physical illnesses ('get over the flu'), overcoming obstacles ('get over a hurdle'), and physically moving ('get over the bridge').
'Get over' focuses on the end of a process (recovery, completion). 'Get through' emphasizes enduring the process itself ('get through the winter', 'get through a difficult meeting').
It is generally considered informal. In formal contexts, prefer 'overcome', 'recover from', 'surmount', or 'complete' depending on the meaning.
It can be perceived as dismissive or unsympathetic, implying the listener's emotions are trivial or prolonged. Softer alternatives are 'move on' or 'try to accept it.'
To recover from (an illness, shock, or emotional setback).
Get over: in British English it is pronounced /ˌɡet ˈəʊvə(r)/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌɡet ˈoʊvər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “get it over with”
- “get over the hump”
- “get over yourself”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a hill labelled 'Your Problem.' You 'GET' to the top and 'OVER' the other side. Once you're over it, it's behind you.
Conceptual Metaphor
EMOTIONAL/PHYSICAL DIFFICULTIES ARE OBSTACLES (that one moves past/over); COMPLETION OF A TASK IS MOVEMENT PAST A POINT.
Practice
Quiz
In which sentence is 'get over' used to mean 'to visit'?