get a life

verb

To begin having a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence.

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Meanings

verbget a life (third-person singular simple present gets a life, present participle getting a life, simple past got a life, past participle (UK) got a life or (US) gotten a life)

present singular third person gets a life · participle present getting a life · past got a life · UK participle past got a life · US participle past gotten a life

  1. derogatoryidiomaticintransitivedismissalTo begin having a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence.

    "He's really broken. Hopefully he'll be able to find work somewhere and get a life."

    1995 September 14, Joseph Berger, “Disgraced, Ex-Lawman In Rockland Avoids Jail”, in New York Times, retrieved 23 Aug 2016
    1 more example

    "Harriet, please get a life," someone begged her on a message board, "and leave us poor Amazon customers alone."

    2006 December 25, Lev Grossman, “Power To The People: Harriet Klausner, The Constant Critic”, in Time, retrieved 23 Aug 2016

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 好好過日子吧 /好好过日子吧
  • 好好過日子吧 /好好过日子吧 (hǎohǎo guò rìzi ba)to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Finnish hankkia elämä
  • hankkia elämäto have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
French va t'acheter une vie!
  • va t'acheter une vie!to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Polish dotykać trawy, dotknąć trawy
  • dotykać trawyto have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
  • dotknąć trawyto have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Russian получай жизнь!, получи жизнь!
  • получай жизнь! (polučaj žiznʹ!)to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
  • получи жизнь! (poluči žiznʹ!)to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Spanish consíguete una vida
  • consíguete una vidato have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Turkish bir hayatın olsun!
  • bir hayatın olsun!to have a more interesting, eventful, or worthwhile existence
Cite this entry
APA

get a life. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20life

MLA

“get a life.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20life. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get a life,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20a%20life.

Source: get a life on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.