What does got mean?
Got is a highly versatile form of get, functioning as its simple past tense and past participle. It commonly means obtained, acquired, received, or reached, as in “She got the answer.” In the construction have got, it expresses possession or availability: “They have got a new car.” The word can also mean understand, as in “I’ve got it,” or indicate that someone has been reprimanded, as in “Now you’ve got it.” British English generally prefers got as the past participle of get, while American English commonly uses gotten, although got is also widespread in American usage. Got is ordinary and neutral in most contexts, but informal phrases such as got to meaning must can sound especially conversational. Its compactness makes it especially useful in speech, where it can convey several related ideas without a longer verb phrase.
As the past tense and past participle of get, got means obtained, acquired, received, reached, or understood. In have got, it functions as the past participle of have and means possess or have.
"They got permission to use the building after the meeting."
Informally and especially in phrases with have, got functions adjectivally to indicate that someone has or possesses something.
"She’s got more experience than anyone else on the team."
One tiny past tense can mean that you obtained something, possess it, understand it, or even deserve a stern telling-off.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does got come from?
The English verb get developed from Old Norse geta and a broader Germanic and Indo-European ancestry. Its older English forms included a past tense related to gāt and a past participle gotten, while got became the usual past participle in British English. The alternative gotten remains common in American English, and other forms such as getter and gettable belong to the same word family.
How got is actually used
Got is neutral in register as the past tense and past participle of get. In formal writing, have got is often replaced by have or possess. The expression got to meaning must is especially common in informal American English.
Easily confused with got
British English normally uses got as the past participle of get, while American English commonly uses gotten, though got is also widely understood in American English.