Meanings
present singular third person gets one's act together · participle present getting one's act together · past got one's act together · UK participle past got one's act together · US participle past gotten one's act together
- idiomaticslangTo become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.
It didn't look like he'd ever get his act together, but eventually the project got going.
1 more example
Thanet got its act together after the August 3 accident, with no more major accidents over its remaining history.
2021 September 8, Dr Joseph Brennan, “Electric tramways at the heart of our seaside story”, in RAIL, number 939, page 59Synonyms: get one's priorities straight, get it together, get one's shit together, straighten up and fly right
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo become serious, organized, worthwhile, etc.
Origin
Figuratively, a comparison with the achieved result and the preparation involved in creating, producing, rehearsing, and polishing a theatrical act or similar performance.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 齊心協力 /齐心协力
- 齊心協力 /齐心协力 (qíxīnxiélì)become serious and organized
Danish tage sig sammen
- tage sig sammenbecome serious and organized
Finnish panna toimeksi
- panna toimeksibecome serious and organized
French se reprendre en main
- se reprendre en mainbecome serious and organized
German sich zusammenreißen, die Kurve kriegen
- sich zusammenreißenbecome serious and organized
- die Kurve kriegenbecome serious and organized
Italian darsi da fare
- darsi da farebecome serious and organized
Norwegian Bokmål få orden i sysakene, få ting på stell
- få orden i sysakenebecome serious and organized
- få ting på stellbecome serious and organized
Polish brać się w garść, wziąć się w garść
- brać się w garśćbecome serious and organized
- wziąć się w garśćbecome serious and organized
- ogarniać siębecome serious and organized
- ogarnąć siębecome serious and organized
Spanish sentar la cabeza, ponerse las pilas
- sentar la cabezabecome serious and organized
- ponerse las pilasbecome serious and organized
- espabilarsebecome serious and organized
- espabilarbecome serious and organized
Swedish ta sig i kragen
- ta sig i kragenbecome serious and organized
Cite this entry
get one's act together. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20act%20together
“get one's act together.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20act%20together. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get one's act together,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20act%20together.
Source: get one's act together on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.