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

Ed Helms got back to him and said, 'Yeah, your buddy can stay at my place. —Simon Thompson, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025

Jason and Michael just got back from doing R.E.M. shows on tour. —Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025

Katz's remarks came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated calls for Hamas to disarm and said the application of military pressure was the best way to get back the remaining 59 hostages. —James MacKenzie, USA Today, 2 Apr. 2025

Assuming the roster gets back to full health, the givens ahead of Pelle in the rotation would be Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and, perhaps, Davion Mitchell. —Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1605, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for get back

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback

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