Get back meaning
Get back means to return home or to a place where you were before. It can also mean to have something returned to you after you lost it or gave it.
get back
get back · got · getting
What time did you get back from the gym?
Get back meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
-
1
Return home or to a place where you were before
get back
- What time did you get back from the gym?
- We got back from Lisbon late on Sunday.
- Text me when you get back home.
-
2
Have something returned to you after you lost it or gave it
get something back
- Did you ever get that book back from Sam?
- I paid twice by mistake, but I got it back.
- You won’t get back your deposit if the flat is dirty.
-
3
Reply to someone later, often with an answer
get back something
- Thanks for your email. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.
- Sorry, can I get back to you on that?
- The landlord still hasn’t got back to me.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use get back in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is get back separable?
When get back means have something returned, it is separable: get your money back or get back your money. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: get it back.
When get back means reply, add to and the person: I’ll get back to you. Don’t say I’ll get back you.
Verb tenses for get back
| Present | I get back · she gets back |
|---|---|
| Past | got back |
| Present perfect | have got back (US: have gotten back) |
| -ing form | getting back |
Common mistakes with get back
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I lent him my bike and never got back it.
Right: I lent him my bike and never got it back.
A pronoun goes between get and back.
Wrong: When I got back to home, I made dinner.
Right: When I got back home, I made dinner.
Say get back home, with no to before home.
Wrong: I’ve got back from Rome yesterday.
Right: I got back from Rome yesterday.
With yesterday, use the past simple, not the present perfect.
Synonyms and opposites of get back
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- come backreturn to the place where the speaker is now
- go backreturn to a place you were before, seen from where you are now
- returnthe more formal word for both get back and give back
Opposite
- go awayleave home for a trip or a holiday
- loseno longer have something
Get back quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
-
1We ___ from our holiday last night, so I’m really tired.
Get back means return home.
-
2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes between get and back.
-
3Your boss asks a question and you don’t know the answer yet. What do you say?
Get back to someone means answer them later.
More phrasal verbs with get
All phrasal verbs with get, by level, with an exercise
19 phrasal verbs start with get. Test yourself on all of them in a few minutes.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- get onA2go onto a bus, train, plane, boat or bike
- get offA2leave a bus, train, plane, boat or bike
- get inA2enter a car, a taxi, a building or a small space
- get outA2leave a car, a room or a building
- get intoA2go inside a car, a building or a small space
- get overB1feel better after an illness
- get alongB1like each other and be friendly
- get aroundB1travel or move from place to place
- get togetherB1meet other people, usually to spend time together
- get byB2manage to live or do something with just enough money, skill or help
- get throughB2pass an exam or reach the next stage of a competition
- get awayB2escape from a person or a place
- get away withB2do something wrong and not be punished for it
- get aheadB2be successful in your job or in life
- get on withB2start or continue doing something, especially work, after a pause
- get out ofB2avoid doing something you should do, often with an excuse
- get down toB2start doing something seriously and with full attention
Get back FAQ
Questions people ask about get back.
What does get back at someone mean?
It means do something bad to someone because they did something bad to you. He laughed at me, so I got back at him by hiding his phone.
What does get back together mean?
It means start a relationship again after breaking up. Did you hear? Lena and Tom got back together!
Is I’ll get back to you polite?
Yes. It is a normal, polite way to say you will answer later, at work or with friends. In a very formal email you can write I will reply shortly.
Use get back in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.