Get through meaning
Get through means to pass an exam or reach the next stage of a competition. It can also mean to come to the end of a hard time or a difficult experience.
get through something
get through · got · getting
Did you get through your driving test?
Get through 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.
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1
Pass an exam or reach the next stage of a competition
get through something
- Did you get through your driving test?
- Only two teams got through to the final.
- She got through the first round of interviews.
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2
Come to the end of a hard time or a difficult experience
get through somebody or something
- I don’t know how I got through that week.
- Your messages got me through a really bad time.
- It’s hard, but we’ll get through this together.
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3
Manage to speak to someone on the phone
get through
- I called the bank, but I couldn’t get through.
- Did you get through to the doctor?
- The line was busy all day, so I never got through.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use get through 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 through separable?
Get through is not separable: get through the exam, get through it. To name someone who helps, put them in the middle: Coffee got me through the night.
Get through to someone has two uses: reach them on the phone, or make them understand. I tried to explain, but I couldn’t get through to him.
Verb tenses for get through
| Present | I get through · she gets through |
|---|---|
| Past | got through |
| Present perfect | have got through (US: have gotten through) |
| -ing form | getting through |
Common mistakes with get through
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I got through from the exam.
Right: I got through the exam.
No from after get through.
Wrong: I called five times but couldn’t get through him.
Right: I called five times but couldn’t get through to him.
Add to before the person on the phone.
Wrong: She is getting through a divorce, so be kind.
Right: She is going through a divorce, so be kind.
Go through means be in a hard time now. Get through means reach the end of it.
Synonyms and opposites of get through
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- go throughlive through something hard; you are still in it
- get bymanage with just enough money or skill
- passthe usual word for succeeding in an exam
Opposite
- failnot pass an exam or a stage
- give upstop trying because something is too hard
Get through quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1Only eight runners ___ to the final.
Get through to a stage means reach it.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use to before the person you call.
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3Ana says, “My friends got me through my divorce.” What did they do?
Get someone through something means help them survive it.
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 backA2return home or to a place where you were before
- 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 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 through FAQ
Questions people ask about get through.
What does we’ll get through this mean?
It is a kind thing to say in a hard time. It means this is difficult, but it will end and we will be OK.
Should I say get through or pass an exam?
Both work. Pass is more common and fits any exam. Get through is a bit informal and often used for stages: get through to the final.
What does get through a lot of something mean?
In British English it means use or eat a lot of it: We get through a lot of milk with three kids.
Use get through 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.