get on

verb

got on; got on or gotten on; getting on; gets on

intransitive verb

1

: get along

was getting on in years

got on well with the boss

get on with the game

2

: to gain knowledge or understanding

got on to the racket

Synonyms

• cope
• do
• fare
• get along
• get by
• make out
• manage
• shift

Examples of get on in a Sentence

despite his new job's low pay, he was still getting on

find out how the marketing department is getting on with the new ad campaign

Recent Examples on the Web

That effort started poorly as the Bucks scored a mere three points in the game’s first six minutes, looking very much like a team that had only been able to use the hotel fitness center and unable to get on a basketball court for three days. —Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025

Surveillance cameras inside the business captured a man, identified as Kelvin Bivens, 37, entering through the front door, pointing a handgun at four employees working inside, and instructing them to get on the ground. —Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2025

The president-elect spoke over the phone with two of the holdouts and convinced them to get on the team and vote for Johnson before the vote closed. —Audrey Fahlberg, National Review, 23 Jan. 2025

Listen to this article People hoping to run for the vacant District 1 seat on the County Board of Supervisors have a narrow window to get on the ballot during a one-week nomination period that began Tuesday. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1602, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

get on

verb

1

: get along sense 3

they got on well

2

: to start dealing with

I'll get on it right away

3

: to criticize (someone) repeatedly

4

: to grow old