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425 synonyms found

Pronunciation:

[ ɡɛt bˈak], [ ɡɛt bˈak], [ ɡ_ɛ_t b_ˈa_k]

People usually move forward in their lives to achieve their goals, but sometimes life takes a detour. When something arises that causes you to lose sight of your main objective, there is a temptation to give up or to get back to the basics. This is not always the best option, as it can prevent you from reaching your full potential. When faced with a difficult situation, the first step is to accept that things are not going according to plan and then figure out what you need to do to get back on track.

Some people try to get back to where they were before the situation occurred by reverting to their old habits and strategies.

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“Get back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20back. Accessed 13 Apr. 2023.

1    abet, advocate, assist, champion, countenance, encourage, endorse, espouse, favour, finance, promote, sanction, second, side with, sponsor, subsidize, support, sustain, underwrite  

2    back off, backtrack, go back, move back, regress, retire, retreat, reverse, turn tail, withdraw  
      n  

3    backside, end, far end, hind part, hindquarters, posterior, rear, reverse, stern, tail end  
      adj  

4    end, hind, hindmost, posterior, rear, tail  

5      (From an earlier time)   delayed, earlier, elapsed, former, overdue, past, previous  

6    behind one’s back      covertly, deceitfully, secretly, sneakily, surreptitiously  
  
Antonyms     
,       vb  

1    attack, combat, hinder, thwart, undermine, weaken  

2    advance, approach, move forward, progress  
      n   face, fore, front, head  
      adj  

1    defend oneself, give tit for tat, hit back, put up a fight, reply, resist, retaliate  

2    bottle up, contain, control, curb, hold back, hold in check, restrain  

1    recoup, recover, regain, repossess, retrieve  

2    arrive home, come back or home, return, revert, revisit  

3      (with)
      at   be avenged, get even with, get one’s own back, give tit for tat, hit back, retaliate, settle the score with, take vengeance on  

1    retrocede, return, revert  

2    change one’s mind, desert, forsake, renege, repudiate, retract  

1    check, control, curb, inhibit, rein, repress, restrain, stem the flow, suppress  

2    desist, forbear, keep back, refuse, withhold  

1    check, constrain, control, curb, delay, hold back, keep a tight rein on, limit, prohibit, restrain, restrict, retard, withhold  

2    censor, conceal, hide, keep dark, keep under one’s hat, reserve, suppress, withhold  

1    get even with     (informal)   get one’s own back, hit back, reciprocate, recompense, retaliate, settle a score  

2    refund, reimburse, repay, return, settle up, square  

1    disavow, disclaim, recant, renege, renounce, retract, unsay, withdraw  

2    get back, recapture, reclaim, reconquer, regain, repossess, retake  

3    accept back, exchange, give one a refund for  

1    You can say that something is, for example, as good as you can get to mean that it is as good as it is possible for that thing to be.  
♦
as good/small as you can get (it)             phrase   v-link PHR, PHR after v  
Consort has a population of 714 and is about as rural and isolated as you can get.     

2    If you say you can’t get away from something or there is no getting away from something, you are emphasizing that it is true, even though people might prefer it not to be true.  
INFORMAL  
♦
you can’t get/there’s no getting away from      phrase   PHR n     (emphasis)
   There is no getting away from the fact that he is on the left of the party.     

3    If you get away from it all, you have a holiday in a place that is very different from where you normally live and work.  
♦
get away from it all      phrase   V inflects  
…the ravishing island of Ischia, where rich Italians get away from it all.     

4    Get is used in rude expressions like get stuffed and get lost to express contempt, disagreement, or refusal to do something.  
RUDE  
♦
get lost/knotted/stuffed etc      convention  
  (feelings)
  

5    You can say, for example, `How lucky can you get?’ or `How stupid can you get?’ to show your surprise that anyone could be as lucky or stupid as the person that you are talking about.  
INFORMAL  
♦
how stupid/lucky can you get      phrase  
  (feelings)
   I mean, how crazy can you get?     

6    You can use you get instead of `there is’ or `there are’ to say that something exists, happens, or can be experienced.  
SPOKEN  
♦
you get      phrase   PHR n  
You get a lot of things like that now don’t you…, That’s where you get some differences of opinion.      get about  

1       phrasal verb   If you get about, you go to different places and visit different people.  
So you’re getting about a bit again? Not shutting yourself away?      V P  

2       phrasal verb   The way that someone gets about is the way that they walk or go from one place to another.  
She was finding it increasingly difficult to get about.      V P  

3       phrasal verb   If news gets about, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people.  
  (mainly BRIT)  
(=get around)  
The story had soon got about that he had been suspended.      V P   get across      phrasal verb   When an idea gets across or when you get it across, you succeed in making other people understand it.  
(=get over)  
Officers felt their point of view was not getting across to ministers…      V P to n  
I had created a way to get my message across while using as few words as possible.      V n P   get ahead      phrasal verb   If you want to get ahead, you want to be successful in your career.  
(=get on)  
He wanted safety, security, a home, and a chance to get ahead.      V P   get along  

1       phrasal verb   If you get along with someone, you have a friendly relationship with them. You can also say that two people get along.  
(=get on)  
It’s impossible to get along with him…      V P with n  
They seemed to be getting along fine.      pl-n V P  

2       phrasal verb   Get along means the same as get by.  
(=manage, survive)  
You can’t get along without water…      V P prep   get around  
in BRIT, also use get round     

1       phrasal verb   To get around a problem or difficulty means to overcome it.  
(=get over)  
None of these countries has found a way yet to get around the problem of the polarization of wealth.      V P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get around a rule or law, you find a way of doing something that the rule or law is intended to prevent, without actually breaking it.  
Although tobacco ads are prohibited, companies get around the ban by sponsoring music shows.      V P n  

3       phrasal verb   If news gets around, it becomes well known as a result of being told to lots of people.  
(=get about)  
They threw him out because word got around that he was taking drugs…      V P that  
I’ll see that it gets round that you’ve arrived.      it V P that  

4       phrasal verb   If you get around someone, you persuade them to allow you to do or have something by pleasing them or flattering them.  
Max could always get round her.      V P n  

5       phrasal verb   If you get around, you visit a lot of different places as part of your way of life.  
He claimed to be a journalist, and he got around.      V P   get around to      phrasal verb  
in BRIT, also use get round to      When you get around to doing something that you have delayed doing or have been too busy to do, you finally do it.  
I said I would write to you, but as usual I never got around to it…      V P P n/-ing   get at  

1       phrasal verb   To get at something means to succeed in reaching it.  
A goat was standing up against a tree on its hind legs, trying to get at the leaves.      V P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get at the truth about something, you succeed in discovering it.  
(=find out)  
We want to get at the truth. Who killed him? And why?      V P n  

3       phrasal verb   If you ask someone what they are getting at, you are asking them to explain what they mean, usually because you think that they are being unpleasant or are suggesting something that is untrue.  
usu cont  
`What are you getting at now?’ demanded Rick.      V P   get away  

1       phrasal verb   If you get away, you succeed in leaving a place or a person’s company.  
(=escape)  
She’d gladly have gone anywhere to get away from the cottage…      V P from n  
I wanted a divorce. I wanted to get away.      V P  

2       phrasal verb   If you get away, you go away for a period of time in order to have a holiday.  
He is too busy to get away.      V P  

3       phrasal verb   When someone or something gets away, or when you get them away, they escape.  
Dr Dunn was apparently trying to get away when he was shot…      V P  
I wanted to get her away to somewhere safe.      V n P   get away with      phrasal verb   If you get away with doing something wrong or risky, you do not suffer any punishment or other bad consequences because of it.  
The criminals know how to play the system and get away with it…      V P P n/-ing   get back         

1       phrasal verb   If someone or something gets backto a state they were in before, they are then in that state again.  
Then life started to get back to normal…      V P to n  
I couldn’t get back to sleep.      V P to n, Also V P into n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get back   to a subject that you were talking about before, you start talking about it again.      
(=return)  
It wasn’t until we had sat down to eat that we got back to the subject of Tom Halliday.      V P to/onto n  

3       phrasal verb   If you get something back after you have lost it or after it has been taken from you, you then have it again.  
You have 14 days in which you can cancel the contract and get your money back.      V n P  

4       phrasal verb   If you get back at someone or get them back, you do something unpleasant to them in order to have revenge for something unpleasant that they did to you.  
INFORMAL   The divorce process should not be used as a means to get back at your former partner…      V P at n  
I’m going to get you back so badly you’ll never to be able to show your face again.      V n P   get back to      phrasal verb   If you get back to an activity, you start doing it again after you have stopped doing it.  
I think I ought to get back to work.      V P P n   get by      phrasal verb   If you can get by with what you have, you can manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way.  
(=survive, manage)  
I’m a survivor. I’ll get by…      V P  
Melville managed to get by on a small amount of money.      V P on n   get down  

1       phrasal verb   If something gets you down, it makes you unhappy.  
At times when my work gets me down, I like to fantasize about being a farmer.      V n P  

2       phrasal verb   If you get down, you lower your body until you are sitting, kneeling, or lying on the ground.  
She got down on her hands and knees on the floor…      V P on n  
`Get down!’ she yelled. `Somebody’s shooting!’      V P  

3       phrasal verb   If you get something down, especially something that someone has just said, you write it down.  
The idea has been going around in my head for quite a while and now I am getting it down on paper.      V n P, Also V P n (not pron)  

4       phrasal verb   If you get food or medicine down, you swallow it, especially with difficulty.  
INFORMAL   I bit into a hefty slab of bread and cheese. When I had got it down I started talking.      V n P, Also V P n (not pron)   get down to      phrasal verb   If you get down to something, especially something that requires a lot of attention, you begin doing it.  
With the election out of the way, the government can get down to business.      V P P n   get in  

1       phrasal verb   If a political party or a politician gets in, they are elected.  
If the Conservatives got in they might decide to change it.      V P  

2       phrasal verb   If you get something in, you manage to do it at a time when you are very busy doing other things.  
I plan to get a few lessons in.      V n P  

3       phrasal verb   To get crops or the harvest in means to gather them from the land and take them to a particular place.  
We didn’t get the harvest in until Christmas, there was so much snow.      V n P  

4       phrasal verb   When a train, bus, or plane gets in, it arrives.  
We would have come straight here, except our flight got in too late.      V P   get into  

1       phrasal verb   If you get into a particular kind of work or activity, you manage to become involved in it.  
He was eager to get into politics.      V P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get into a school, college, or university, you are accepted there as a student.  
I was working hard to get into Cambridge.      V P n  

3       phrasal verb   If you ask what has got into someone, you mean that they are behaving very differently from the way they usually behave.  
INFORMAL   What has got into you today? Why are you behaving like this?      V P n   get off  

1       phrasal verb   If someone who has broken a law or rule gets off, they are not punished, or are given only a very small punishment.  
He is likely to get off with a small fine.      V P with n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get off, you leave a place because it is time to leave.  
At eight I said `I’m getting off now.’      V P  

3       phrasal verb   If you tell someone to get off a piece of land or a property, you are telling them to leave, because they have no right to be there and you do not want them there.  
I told you. Get off the farm.      V P n  

4       phrasal verb   You can tell someone to get off when they are touching something and you do not want them to.  
I kept telling him to get off…      V P  
`Get off me!’ I screamed.      V P n   get on  

1       phrasal verb   If you get onwith someone, you like them and have a friendly relationship with them.  
(=get along)  
The host fears the guests won’t get on…      pl-n V P  
What are your neighbours like? Do you get on with them?      V P with n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get onwith something, you continue doing it or start doing it.  
Jane got on with her work…      V P with n  
Let’s get on.      V P  

3       phrasal verb   If you say how someone is getting on, you are saying how much success they are having with what they are trying to do.  
Livy’s getting on very well in Russian. She learns very quickly…      V P adv  
When he came back to see me I asked how he had got on.      V P adv  

4       phrasal verb   If you try to get on, you try to be successful in your career.  
  (mainly BRIT)  
Politics is seen as a man’s world. It is very difficult for women to get on.      V P  

5       phrasal verb   If someone is getting on, they are getting old.  
INFORMAL   usu cont  
I’m nearly 31 and that’s getting on a bit for a footballer.      V P   get on to  

1       phrasal verb   If you get on to a topic when you are speaking, you start talking about it.  
We got on to the subject of relationships.      V P P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get on to someone, you contact them in order to ask them to do something or to give them some information.  
  (mainly BRIT)  
I got on to him and explained some of the things I had been thinking of.      V P P n   get out  

1       phrasal verb   If you get out, you leave a place because you want to escape from it, or because you are made to leave it.  
They probably wanted to get out of the country…      V P of n  
I told him to leave and get out.      V P  

2       phrasal verb   If you get out, you go to places and meet people, usually in order to have a more enjoyable life.  
(=go out)  
Get out and enjoy yourself, make new friends.      V P  

3       phrasal verb   If you get outof an organization or a commitment, you withdraw from it.  
I wanted to get out of the group, but they wouldn’t let me…      V P of n  
Getting out of the contract would be no problem.      V P of n, Also V P  

4       phrasal verb   If news or information gets out, it becomes known.  
If word got out now, a scandal could be disastrous…      V P  
Once the news gets out that Armenia is in a very critical situation, I think the world will respond.      V P that   get out of      phrasal verb   If you get out of doing something that you do not want to do, you succeed in avoiding doing it.  
It’s amazing what people will do to get out of paying taxes.      V P P -ing/n   get over  

1       phrasal verb   If you get over an unpleasant or unhappy experience or an illness, you recover from it.  
It took me a very long time to get over the shock of her death.      V P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get over a problem or difficulty, you overcome it.  
(=get around)  
How would they get over that problem, he wondered?      V P n  

3       phrasal verb   If you get your message overto people, they hear and understand it.  
(=get across)  
We have got to get the message over to the young that smoking isn’t cool.      V n P to n   get over with      phrasal verb   If you want to get something unpleasant over with, you want to do it or finish experiencing it quickly, since you cannot avoid it.  
The sooner we start, the sooner we’ll get it over with.      V n P P   get round  
  →
  get around   get round to  
  →
  get around to   get through  

1       phrasal verb   If you get through a task or an amount of work, especially when it is difficult, you complete it.  
I think you can get through the first two chapters.      V P n  

2       phrasal verb   If you get through a difficult or unpleasant period of time, you manage to live through it.  
(=survive)  
It is hard to see how people will get through the winter…      V P n  

3       phrasal verb   If you get through a large amount of something, you use it.  
  (mainly BRIT)  
You’ll get through at least ten nappies a day.      V P n  

4       phrasal verb   If you get throughto someone, you succeed in making them understand something that you are trying to tell them.  
An old friend might well be able to get through to her and help her…      V P to n  
The message was finally getting through to him.      V P to n, Also V P  

5       phrasal verb   If you get throughto someone, you succeed in contacting them on the telephone.  
Look, I can’t get through to this number…      V P to n  
I’ve been trying to ring up all day and I couldn’t get through.      V P  

6       phrasal verb   If you get through an examination or get through, you pass it.  
  (mainly BRIT)  
Did you have to get through an entrance examination?      V P n, Also V P  

7       phrasal verb   If a law or proposal gets through, it is officially approved by something such as a parliament or committee.  
(=go through)  
…if his referendum law failed to get through…      V P  
Such a radical proposal would never get through parliament.      V P n   get together  

1       phrasal verb   When people get together, they meet in order to discuss something or to spend time together.  
This is the only forum where East and West can get together.      V P  
  →
  get-together  

2       phrasal verb   If you get something together, you organize it.  
Paul and I were getting a band together, and we needed a new record deal.      V n P  

3       phrasal verb   If you get an amount of money together, you succeed in getting all the money that you need in order to pay for something.  
(=scrape together)  
Now you’ve finally got enough money together to put down a deposit on your dream home.      V n P   get up  

1       phrasal verb   When someone who is sitting or lying down gets up, they rise to a standing position.  
(=stand up)  
I got up and walked over to where he was.      V P  

2       phrasal verb   When you get up, you get out of bed.  
They have to get up early in the morning.      V P  

3   
  →
  get-up   get up to      phrasal verb   If you say that someone gets up to something, you mean that they do it and you do not approve of it.  
  (BRIT)  
mainly SPOKEN, disapproval   They get up to all sorts behind your back.      V P P n