Definition

Verb (phrasal verb): 1. To recover from an illness, shock, or emotional distress: To return to a normal state of health or emotional well-being after experiencing something difficult. 2. To overcome a difficulty or problem: To successfully deal with and move past an obstacle, challenge, or negative feeling. 3. To accept or come to terms with something surprising or unpleasant: To no longer be surprised or upset by something. 4. To communicate successfully; to make understandable: To cause an idea or message to be received and understood by someone. 5. To cross or pass over something: To move from one side of a physical obstacle to the other.

Usage and Examples

• Recover from illness/distress:
  • It took her a long time to get over the flu.
  • He never really got over the loss of his dog.
• Overcome a difficulty/problem:
  • She managed to get over her fear of public speaking.
  • The company is struggling to get over this financial crisis.
• Accept something surprising/unpleasant:
  • I can't get over how much you've grown!
  • He was angry at first, but he got over it quickly.
• Communicate successfully:
  • It's a complex idea, but we need to get it over to the team.
  • The speaker failed to get his main point over.
• Cross or pass over:
  • How will we get over the river?
  • The horses got over the fence easily.

Advanced Usage

• "Get over yourself!": An informal, often rude, imperative telling someone to stop being so self-absorbed, arrogant, or upset.
  • You're not the only one with problems. Just get over yourself!
• "Get it over with": To finish an unpleasant but necessary task so you no longer have to worry about it.
  • I don't like going to the dentist, so I just want to get it over with.

Variants and Related Words

• Overcome (verb): To succeed in dealing with a problem or difficulty. (A close synonym for meaning 2).
• Recover (verb): To return to a normal state of health, mind, or strength. (A close synonym for meaning 1).
• Surmount (verb): To overcome a difficulty or obstacle. (A more formal synonym).

Synonyms

• Recover from, bounce back from (for illness/distress).
• Overcome, conquer, master (for difficulties).
• Accept, come to terms with (for unpleasant facts).
• Convey, communicate, get across (for ideas).

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Get across: To successfully communicate an idea or message. (Very similar to meaning 4 of 'get over').
  • He couldn't get the urgency of the situation across to them.
• Get through: To survive a difficult experience or period; to finish something.
  • We will get through this tough time together.

Related Idioms

• Get over the hump: To pass the most difficult part of a process or task.
  • Once we get over the hump of the initial setup, the project will be easier.
• A hill to get over: A problem or difficulty that must be faced and dealt with.
  • The funding issue is the biggest hill we have to get over.

Verb

1. get on top of; deal with successfully
   • He overcame his shyness
2. improve in health
   • He got well fast
3. to bring (a necessary but unpleasant task) to an end
   • Let's get this job over with
   • It's a question of getting over an unpleasant task
4. travel across or pass over
   • The caravan covered almost 100 miles each day