gotta

past had to

1. colloquialno past participleno present participleSynonym of have got to, have to

   I gotta learn this for my exam.

   4 more examples

   If there's beer, dude, you don't even gotta ask.

   “All right, let’s go. They must have sake, eh? Oh, Izuna, will you come along?” “If they have fish or meat, you don’t gotta ask, please.”

   2016, Yuu Kamiya, translated by Daniel Komen, No Game No Life, volume 4

   Nothing untrue or over the top — it's gotta be sincere. I do it for men, too. My brand of feminism is rooted in equality."

   2024 August 22, Marisa Martinez, quoting lady_fresh, “Women Are Sharing Their Preferred Acts Of Microfeminism”, in BuzzFeed, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2024

   Clavicular, characteristically, attributed his good luck with the criminal justice system to his looks. “You just gotta mog,” he posted on X, above a screenshot of a news headline.

   2026 February 13, Joseph Bernstein, “Handsome at Any Cost”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 14 Feb 2026

   Synonyms: have got to, have to

1. abbreviationcolloquialcontractionContraction of got + a.

   I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night

   2009, The Black Eyed Peas, I Gotta Feeling