get on

Formsgets on, getting on, got on

1. 1
   boardphrasal verbtransitive or intransitive

   To climb aboard or onto something, most often a vehicle.

   He got on his bike and pedaled off down the hill.

   The ferry was already full, so nobody else was allowed to get on.

   Similarboard, mount

   Note

   This sense takes an object or stands alone: you get on the bus, or, once everyone knows which bus, you simply get on. Its natural partner is get off, and the two often turn up in the same breath. Vehicles are the usual target, but anything you climb up onto will do: a chair to reach a light bulb, a bike before pedaling away.

2. 2
   be friendsphrasal verbUKintransitive

   To have a good, friendly relationship with someone or with each other.

   She's never really got on with her mother-in-law.

   The two of them get on brilliantly, despite having nothing in common.

   Oppositeclash

   Note

   A British way of saying people like each other, where American English usually prefers get along. The other person follows with (she gets on with her neighbors), or both share the subject (we get on), and adverbs such as well, badly or brilliantly tend to come straight after: they get on well.

3. 3
   phrasal verbintransitive

   To manage or cope with a situation over a period of time, or to fare or progress in it.

   How do new employees usually get on in their first few months?

   Without a translator, the team got on as best it could for the first week.

   Similarfare, manage, cope

4. 4
   continue workphrasal verbintransitive

   To make progress or move forward, often with a particular task.

   Once the permits came through, the builders could finally get on with the new garage.

   After the interruption, the speaker smiled and said, "Right, let's get on."

   Similarproceed, continue

5. 5
   grow oldphrasal verbintransitive

   To grow old or reach an advanced age.

   Most of the club's members are getting on in years, so meetings start early in the evening.

   He's getting on now, and the stairs are harder for him than they used to be.

   Similarage

6. 6
   grow latephrasal verbintransitive

   Of time, to pass so that a deadline draws near or the day grows late.

   The afternoon was getting on, and we still hadn't found a place to camp.

   It's getting on now; if we don't leave soon, we'll hit rush hour.

7. 7
   approachphrasal verbintransitive

   To come close to a particular value, level, or point in time.

   She has worked at the library for getting on for twenty years.

   The crowd was getting on for ten thousand by the time the band came on stage.

   Similarapproach, near

   Note

   It lives in the continuous form followed by for: getting on for a thousand pounds, getting on for midnight, getting on for 65. The figure always lies a little ahead, so the phrase means "nearly" rather than "over," and it serves for money, ages, crowds and clock times alike. Unlike the late-in-the-day meaning, it needs a figure or a point to aim at.

8. 8
   copephrasal verbUKintransitive

   To cope with something or deal with it successfully.

   I tried contact lenses for a month but just couldn't get on with them.

   Some runners never get on with barefoot shoes and go back to cushioned ones.

   Similarcope, manage

   Note

   British English is where this use mostly lives, and it is about whether something suits you: someone who can't get on with prunes, contact lenses or a new pair of running shoes finds that they do not agree with them. It takes with, and it is often heard in the negative. Unlike the friendly meaning, its object is usually a thing rather than a person.

9. 9
   start a taskphrasal verbtransitive

   To begin an action or start work on a task.

   The client wants the changes by Friday, so let's get on it.

   Someone needs to get on those leaks before the ceiling comes down.

   Similartackle, handle

10. 10
    look atphrasal verbslangtransitive

    To look at or take notice of someone or something.

    Get on the length of that line outside the bakery; it goes around the block!

    Get on him, showing off for the cameras again.

    Similarcheck

    Note

    Almost always an imperative, an exclamation that points at something remarkable: get on that guy! Depending on tone it can carry astonishment or mockery, as when someone is showing off again. It belongs to casual talk among friends and sounds out of place in writing or with strangers.

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