Meanings
present singular third person gets back · participle present getting back · past got back · UK participle past got back · US participle past gotten back
- intransitiveReturn to where one came from.
When I get back from holiday, I expect the house to be tidy.
2 more examples
He had one hand on the bounce bottle—and he'd never let go of that since he got back to the table—but he had a handkerchief in the other and was swabbing his deadlights with it.
1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VI, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLCThe night air may have sobered him a bit by the time they got back to Beattock.
1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 53 - intransitiveReply (to someone); follow up (with someone).
I'll get back to you on that by Wednesday.
2 more examples
Please get back to me about his complaint. ["to" here connotes "reply".]
Please get back with me about his complaint. ["with" here connotes "meet with", physically or virtually.]
- transitiveTo retrieve (something); to have (something) returned.
I lent her my guitar over the Christmas holidays, and will get it back when the term starts.
- oftentransitiveTo do something to hurt or harm (someone) who has hurt or harmed one; to take revenge.
I'll get you back for this!
2 more examples
I'll get him back for this!
I'll get back at all of them for this!
- CanadaUScolloquialtransitiveTo repay; to return the favor.
People are afraid to let you know how much money they have because they don't want to turn into the “Bank of Michelle.” I can understand that. Don't want to get jacked into a “Hey, can I borrow five hundred bucks till next week dude? I'm a little short. I'll get you back though.”
2005, James O'Neill, The Gas Can, →ISBN, page 571 more example
“Hey, Jade, think I can borrow like twenty bucks? The guy who pays me to clean fish is out of town. Gotta buy some dog food.” I looked at Todd—it had been all of a week since our Roughhouse fight, but I guess the money hadn't lasted. I took a twenty out of my wallet. “Thanks, man. I'll get you back after our next fight.” ”Sure," I said, but I knew the money was as good as gone.
2024, Jaed Coffin, Roughhouse Friday: A Memoir, →ISBN
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Finnish palata, saada takaisin
- palatato return to where one came from
- saada takaisinto retrieve, to have an item returned
- kostaato do something to hurt or harm someone
French retourner, récupérer
- retournerto return to where one came from
- récupérerto retrieve, to have an item returned
German zurückkommen, zurückbekommen
- zurückkommento return to where one came from
- zurückbekommento retrieve, to have an item returned
- heimzahlento do something to hurt or harm someone
Hungarian visszajön
- visszajönto return to where one came from
Māori hoki
- hokito return to where one came from
Persian پَس گِرِفتَن
- پَس گِرِفتَن (pas gereftan)to retrieve, to have an item returned
Polish wracać, wrócić
- wracaćto return to where one came from
- wrócićto return to where one came from
- odzyskiwaćto retrieve, to have an item returned
- odzyskaćto retrieve, to have an item returned
Spanish regresar, recuperar
- regresarto return to where one came from
- recuperarto retrieve, to have an item returned
- vengarseto do something to hurt or harm someone
Swedish komma tillbaka, återvända
- komma tillbakato return to where one came from
- återvändato return to where one came from
- få tillbakato retrieve, to have an item returned
- återfåto retrieve, to have an item returned
- hämnasto do something to hurt or harm someone
- ge igento do something to hurt or harm someone
Ukrainian поверта́тися, поверну́тися
- поверта́тися (povertátysja)to return to where one came from
- поверну́тися (povernútysja)to return to where one came from
- поверта́ти (povertáty)to retrieve, to have an item returned
- поверну́ти (povernúty)to retrieve, to have an item returned
- забира́ти (zabyráty)to retrieve, to have an item returned
- забра́ти (zabráty)to retrieve, to have an item returned
Cite this entry
get back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20back
“get back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20back. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get back,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20back.
Source: get back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.