1 A2 neutral
To recover from an illness, medical condition, or physical setback.
"It took her nearly three weeks to get over the flu."
inseparable
get over
A2 neutral inseparable transitive
To recover from illness, loss, or difficulty, or to overcome a problem or obstacle.
In plain English
To feel better after being sick or sad, or to stop being affected by something bad that happened.
What does "get over" mean?
4 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 A2 idiomatic neutral
To recover emotionally from a painful experience such as a loss, rejection, or breakup.
"He dated her for five years — it's going to take him a long time to get over her."
inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic informal
To stop being surprised or shocked by something unexpected.
"I can't get over how much the city has changed since I last visited."
inseparable
4 B1 neutral
To overcome or find a solution to a problem, difficulty, or obstacle.
"The main challenge is funding — I'm not sure how we'll get over that."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To physically climb over an obstacle — the recovery sense is a natural extension of this image.
Actually means
To feel better after being sick or sad, or to stop being affected by something bad that happened.
Usage tip
Extremely common in everyday English. 'Get over it' can be sympathetic or dismissive depending on tone. Used for both physical recovery ('get over a cold') and emotional recovery ('get over a breakup'). Also used for surprise: 'I can't get over how much he's changed!'
Words that pair with "get over"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
illness breakup shock loss cold disappointment surprise death
How to conjugate "get over"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
get over
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gets over
he/she/it
Past simple
got over
yesterday
Past participle
got/gotten over
have + pp
-ing form
getting over
continuous
Hear "get over" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "get over" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "get over"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
bounce back from heal from move on from overcome recover from surmount
Keep exploring
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