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

The 37-year-old Serb was eager to get back on track after three consecutive losses, his worst stretch since 2018. —Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 22 Mar. 2025

The latest: UConn is a No. 2 seed this year and will have to go through a strong No. 1 seed in USC to get back to the Final Four. —Everett Cook, Axios, 21 Mar. 2025

The feeling of returning to your hometown is not unlike getting back together with your band mates after a spell. —Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 21 Mar. 2025

While there are many definitions of resilience, most are marked by either the ability to withstand getting knocked down, or the ability to get back up after being knocked out . —Ellen Choi, Forbes, 20 Mar. 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