get back

verb

got back; got back or gotten back; getting back; gets back

intransitive verb

1

: to come or go again to a person, place, or condition : return, revert

getting back to the main topic of the lecture

2

: to gain revenge : retaliate

—usually used with at

transitive verb

: to regain possession of : recover

Synonyms

• re-collect
• reacquire
• recapture
• reclaim
• recoup
• recover
• regain
• repossess
• retake
• retrieve

Examples of get back in a Sentence

the distraught owner cried that she would do anything to get back her lost dog

Recent Examples on the Web

Mangione left Hawaii to get back surgery last year and then returned to Honolulu to rent an apartment. —Molly Bohannon, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024

Though legions of fans might revisit 1990’s Home Alone (and 1992’s Home Alone 2: Lost in New York) every year, the fictional McCallister kids haven’t gotten back together in thirty years — until now. —Victoria Edel, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024

After a brief fight, the victim got back in his car and drove away. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 9 Dec. 2024

Taylor Swift made a last-minute dash from her concert in Tokyo to get back to the U.S. in time to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce in the Super Bowl. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

get back

verb

1

: to return to a person, place, or condition

getting back to our first topic

2

: to get revenge

get back at him for the insult

3

: to regain possession of