Back to all verbs

Irregular verb

get

/ɡet/

Base
get
Past simple
got
Past participle
got / gotten

Usage

British English prefers got for the participle (has got); American English commonly uses gotten instead.

Meaning

  • to receive, obtain, or become something

Example

The weather has got much warmer.

She got a new job last month.

We got lost on the way to the station.

Teaching note

Get has several meanings and regional participles: got is standard in British English, while American English often uses gotten for becoming or obtaining.

Common mistake

Treating gotten as universally wrong—or using it for possession in every context—misses the regional and meaning distinction.

Correction: British usage prefers ‘She has got better’; American usage also allows ‘She has gotten better’, while ‘has got’ commonly expresses possession.

Compare British and American variants