to receive or obtain something
Did you get my email yesterday?
Children usually get a lot of presents at Christmas.
✦ From Old English ‘gietan’ meaning ‘to obtain, to seize’.
to become or come into a new state or condition
It’s getting cold outside.
Don’t get angry; we can fix the problem.
✦ Sense shift from ‘obtain’ to ‘acquire a state’ recorded since the 14th century.
to arrive at a place
What time did you get home last night?
We need to get to the station by noon.
✦ Arrival sense developed from the idea of ‘obtaining a destination’.
to understand or comprehend something
I didn’t get the joke at first.
Do you get what the teacher means?
✦ Comprehension meaning appears in 1890s American English.
(informal) to buy or obtain by paying for something
Can you get some milk on your way home?
I got a new phone last week.
✦ Buying sense evolved from ‘obtain’ in early 20th-century colloquial speech.
to persuade or cause someone to do something (usually with an object + infinitive)
I can never get my brother to clean his room.
They finally got the project team to agree on a plan.
✦ ‘Cause to’ sense attested since the 16th century.
(rare) the offspring or young of an animal, especially a horse
The stallion’s get have won several races.
Breeders track the get of champion bulls carefully.
✦ From Old Norse ‘geta’ meaning ‘beget’ or ‘offspring’.
The amount of money that is available or allowed to be spent on a particular activity or project.
The film’s advertising budget was over ten million dollars.
She bought curtains that fit within her small budget.
A result, number, or goal you are trying to reach.
Our sales target for this month is 10,000 units.
Maria set a new running target of finishing the 5K in under 25 minutes.
A person or thing that someone chooses to attack, criticize, or joke about.
The bully made Oliver the main target of his jokes.
Hackers often pick small businesses as easy targets.
