ALL meanings of get ahead
get a·head
G g - noun get ahead For nearly 400 years, forms of get have been used with a following past participle to form the passive voice: She got engaged when she was 19. He won't get accepted with those grades. This use of get rather than of forms of to be in the passive is found today chiefly in speech and informal writing. In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses “to receive” or “to acquire”: I have gotten (or got) all that I ever hoped for. Have or has got in the sense “must” has been in use since the early 19th century; often the have or has is contracted: You've got to carry your passport at all times. The use of have (or has) got in the sense of “to possess” goes back to the 15th century; it is also frequently contracted: She's got a master's degree in biology. These uses are occasionally criticized as redundant on the grounds that have alone expresses the meaning adequately, but they are well established and fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing. In some contexts in American English, substituting gotten for got produces a change in meaning: She's got (possesses) a new job. She's gotten (has aquired) a new job. He's got to (must) attend the wedding. He's gotten to (has been allowed or enabled to) attend. The children have got (are suffering from) the measles. The children have gotten (have caught) the measles. The use of got without have or has to mean “must” (I got to buy a new suit) is characteristic of the most relaxed, informal speech and does not occur in edited writing except in representations of speech. Gotta is a pronunciation spelling representing this use. 1
- intransitivephrasal verb get ahead be successful 1
- intransitivephrasal verb get ahead overtake 1
- abbreviation GET AHEAD gain advantage 1
- intransitivephrasal verb get ahead be more successful 1
- intransitivephrasal verb get ahead save money 1
- verb with object get ahead to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension. 1
- verb with object get ahead to cause to be in one's possession or succeed in having available for one's use or enjoyment; obtain; acquire: to get a good price after bargaining; to get oil by drilling; to get information. 1
- verb with object get ahead to go after, take hold of, and bring (something) for one's own or for another's purposes; fetch: Would you get the milk from the refrigerator for me? 1
- verb with object get ahead to cause or cause to become, to do, to move, etc., as specified; effect: to get one's hair cut; to get a person drunk; to get a fire to burn; to get a dog out of a room. 1
- verb with object get ahead to communicate or establish communication with over a distance; reach: You can always get me by telephone. 1
- verb with object get ahead to hear or hear clearly: I didn't get your last name. 1
- verb with object get ahead to acquire a mental grasp or command of; learn: to get a lesson. 1
- verb with object get ahead to capture; seize: Get him before he escapes! 1
- verb with object get ahead to receive as a punishment or sentence: to get a spanking; to get 20 years in jail. 1
- verb with object get ahead to prevail on; influence or persuade: We'll get him to go with us. 1
- verb with object get ahead to prepare; make ready: to get dinner. 1
- verb with object get ahead (especially of animals) to beget. 1
- verb with object get ahead Informal. to affect emotionally: Her pleas got me. 1
- verb with object get ahead to hit, strike, or wound: The bullet got him in the leg. 1
- verb with object get ahead Informal. to kill. 1
- verb with object get ahead Informal. to take vengeance on: I'll get you yet! 1
- verb with object get ahead to catch or be afflicted with; come down with or suffer from: He got malaria while living in the tropics. She gets butterflies before every performance. 1
- verb with object get ahead Informal. to puzzle; irritate; annoy: Their silly remarks get me. 1
- verb with object get ahead Informal. to understand; comprehend: I don't get the joke. This report may be crystal-clear to a scientist, but I don't get it. 1
- verb without object get ahead to come to a specified place; arrive; reach: to get home late. 1
- verb without object get ahead to succeed, become enabled, or be permitted: You get to meet a lot of interesting people. 1
- verb without object get ahead to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition: to get angry; to get sick. 1
- verb without object get ahead (used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive): to get married; to get elected; to get hit by a car. 1
- verb without object get ahead to succeed in coming, going, arriving at, visiting, etc. (usually followed by away, in, into, out, etc.): I don't get into town very often. 1
- verb without object get ahead to bear, endure, or survive (usually followed by through or over): Can he get through another bad winter? 1
- verb without object get ahead to earn money; gain. 1
- verb without object get ahead Informal. to leave promptly; scram: He told us to get. 1
- verb without object get ahead to start or enter upon the action of (followed by a present participle expressing action): to get moving; Get rolling. 1
- noun get ahead an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal: the get of a stallion. 1
- noun get ahead a return of a ball, as in tennis, that would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent. 1
- noun get ahead British Slang. something earned, as salary, profits, etc.: What's your week's get? a child born out of wedlock. 1
- idioms get ahead get back, to come back; return: When will you get back? to recover; regain: He got back his investment with interest. to be revenged: She waited for a chance to get back at her accuser. 1
- idioms get ahead get even. even1 (def 26). 1
- idioms get ahead get going, to begin; act: They wanted to get going on the construction of the house. to increase one's speed; make haste: If we don't get going, we'll never arrive in time. 1
- idioms get ahead get it, Informal. to be punished or reprimanded: You'll get it for breaking that vase! to understand or grasp something: This is just between us, get it? 1
- idioms get ahead get it off, Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm. 1
- idioms get ahead get it on, Informal. to work or perform with satisfying harmony or energy or develop a strong rapport, as in music: a rock group really getting it on with the audience. Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse. 1
- idioms get ahead get it up, Slang: Vulgar. to achieve an erection of the penis. 1
- idioms get ahead get off on, Slang. to become enthusiastic about or excited by: After years of indifference, she's getting off on baseball. 1
- idioms get ahead get round. get around. 1
- idioms get ahead get the lead out. lead2 (def 15). 1
- idioms get ahead get there, to reach one's goal; succeed: He wanted to be a millionaire but he died before he got there. 1
- idioms get ahead get together, to accumulate; gather: to get together a portfolio of 20 stocks. to congregate; meet: The alumnae chapter gets together twice a year. to come to an accord; agree: They simply couldn't get together on matters of policy. 1
- idioms get ahead get up, to sit up or stand; arise. to rise from bed. to ascend or mount. to prepare; arrange; organize: to get up an exhibit. to draw upon; marshal; rouse: to get up one's courage. to acquire a knowledge of. (to a horse) go! go ahead! go faster! to dress, as in a costume or disguise: She got herself up as an astronaut. to produce in a specified style, as a book: It was got up in brown leather with gold endpapers. 1