DictionaryAI

gotta

verb
SayGOT-uh/ˈɡɑtə/UK/ˈɡɒtə/

2 meanings of gotta

Practice

  1. 1
    have toverbcolloquialabbreviationcontraction
    Contraction of got to.

    Sorry, I gotta run. My shift starts in ten minutes.

    You've gotta see the view from the rooftop before you leave.

    UsageBefore a bare verb: I gotta go; speech often drops have. In careful writing, use have to or have got to.

  2. 2
    have averbcolloquialabbreviationcontraction
    Contraction of got a.

    She's gotta brand-new bike that she rides everywhere.

    We gotta problem with the kitchen sink. It's leaking again.

    UsageBefore a noun it means got a: gotta minute? Before a verb it means got to: gotta go.

    Note

    Here the swallowed word is the article a, not the infinitive marker to, so one spelling hides two contractions. The Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling (2009) is the possessive kind.

Practice

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Origin

A contraction of "got to".

Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact