An explanation of the different meanings of the English phrasal verb 'get out' from a native speaker, with lots of examples in context
Hello and welcome to my website for English learners all about phrasal verbs where I explain their different meanings to help you understand, learn and use them.
Today we are looking at another phrasal verb with the extremely common verb 'to get', namely 'get out'. It is likely that you are already familiar with this phrasal verb as it is frequently used by native speakers and in this post we will look at the various different meanings that it has in English, as well as the numerous expressions in which it makes an appearance. So without further ado, let's get started....
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TAKE OUT: KEY INFORMATION For more explanation of the terms in the table, click hereÂ
Usage | Common |
Number of meanings | ​7 |
Past tense forms | Got out / Got out - gotten out |
Separable? | Sometimes |
THE BASICS
By way of an introduction to 'get out', let's first examine the words that it consists of and what they mean individually....
As a result of its many different meanings and high frequency of use, the verb 'to get' is one of the verbs that causes English learners the most headaches. You only need to listen to a conversation between native speakers for a couple of minutes to realise just how common it is. Luckily, we can forget about most of the meanings for this post as the relevant one for the phrasal verb 'get out' is 'to reach or arrive at a particular place'.
What time will we get to London?
Sarah got home late last night.
The prepositional particle 'out' also has many meanings in English and can be used to express a large amount of different ideas and concepts. In this post we will focus on just one, namely 'to move from inside something to outside of it'. which leads us nicely to the first meaning of 'get out'....
MEANING 1: To leave an enclosed or internal space
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Intermediate |
Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To leave, to vacate, to exit, to go out |
Separable? | No |
If you are ever in a situation where an English-speaking person approaches you and tells you to 'get out!', you can be sure that they want you to leave the room or building. This is because perhaps the most common meaning of the phrasal verb 'get out' is this first one, which is 'to leave an enclosed or internal space'.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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In this initial application, 'get out' is more of a literal meaning of the combination of 'get', referring to reaching or arriving at a place, and 'out', in the sense of no longer being inside something. In other words, it means to leave somewhere enclosed and end up outside of it.
When used in this way, 'get out' tends either to be used in affirmative sentences with a modal verb, such as 'have to' or 'need to', or with 'let's' when offering a suggestion.
I don't think that this building is very safe, let's get out of here.
You shouldn't be in this room. You need to get out now!
The teacher told me to get out of the classroom.
It was too hot in that pub; I had to get out get some fresh air.
Moreover, in negative sentences, it is often used to express when we are not able to leave somewhere or have difficulties leaving and is therefore often found in collocation with 'can't' or 'couldn't'.
Helen has accidentally locked herself in her bathroom and can't get out.
Arthur the cat got in the box and refused to get out of it again!
My grandfather finds it difficult to get out of the bath.
When I was younger, I was locked in my bedroom and I couldn't get out.
Just to make things a bit more complicated, the use of 'get out' is not just limited to places that we are physically inside, but can also be used for any nouns with which we use the preposition 'in' without physically being inside them, such as way, road, trouble or debt.
You need to follow these steps if you want to get out of debt.
I will get of your way and let you do your work.
How are you going to get out of this terrible situation?
Please get out of the road. It's not safe to play there.
THE IMPERATIVE GET OUT!!
Moreover, as you can see from the examples above, 'get out!' is very useful in its imperative form and is therefore used very commonly in certain situations. However, I do think that this imperative form is somewhat negative in nature and can often come across as rude, impolite or even threatening. Nonetheless, sometimes it is necessary to use it, in order to prevent a problem or dangerous situation from happening as no other expression works as well in these situations.
Get out of my way!
What are you doing in my house? Get out or I will call the police!
Get out right now! I don't want to see you here ever again!
Get out of my pub!
MEANING 2: To remove something
CEFR Language Level | B1 - Advanced |
​Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To remove, to pull out, to take out |
Separable? | Yes |
This second meaning of 'get out' is actually very similar to the first meaning and is just a change in perspective from ourselves to something else. In the previous meaning, we talked about how it means to leave or exit an interior space and for this one we are removing something else from an interior space, i.e. an object or thing which we want to move so that it is no longer inside something.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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Firstly, on a grammatical note, the main difference between this meaning and the previous one is that it is transitive and therefore needs a direct object, which needs to be placed between 'get' and 'out'.
We tend to use this application for two reasons, with the first one being to remove something or someone from an internal space as we do not what it or them to be in there. Again, this usage stretches to cover any nouns for which we use the preposition 'in' and does not only refer to enclosed places or spaces.
Can you get the spider out of the bath please?
I've dropped my wedding ring down the sink and I can't get it out!
The dog fell into the swimming pool and the lifeguard had to jump in and get it out.
A wasp landed in my glass of wine and I was not sure how to get it out.
Other, less obvious, things that you may want to get out from somewhere are ideas and songs from your head or stains and dirt from clothes and surfaces.
Ever since you told me that story, I haven't been able to get it out of my head.
This is song is too catchy. I can't get it out of my head!!
Despite several washes, I have been able to get these grass stains out of my favourite jeans.
Karen scrubbed the wall to get the dirt marks out.
Furthermore, we can also apply this usage to people and 'get someone out'. Here, the direct object is a person, in which case it is used to mean either of the following...
to help someone who is trapped or stuck in something to escape.
to enable someone to escape from somewhere such as prison or captivity.
Roger got Helen out of the bathroom by breaking down the locked door.
Sarah believes that her husband was wrongly jailed and has been trying to get him out for years.
Help, I'm locked in the bathroom. Can someone please come and get me out!
The second reason that we use this application is in order to take something out of storage in order to use or consume it.
The wine glasses are in that cupboard. Could you get them out for me?
Can you get the ice cream out of the freezer please, I really want some.
Andrew, would you mind getting the extra chairs out of the cupboard so that our guests can sit down.
The cats need to go to the vets later, so I've got the carrier out of the cupboard.
Is anyone hungry? I'll get some snacks out if you are.
Whenever I visit my parents, they always get the photos of when I was a child out to show to my partner.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE
It is also possible to use a reflexive pronoun ('myself, yourself, etc.) as the direct object when talking about physically removing ourselves from an interior space or, perhaps more commonly, from a situation that we are in.
I don't know how long it is going to take for me to get myself out of debt.
Lisa got herself out of a toxic relationship last year and is now much happier.
MEANING 3: To become publicly known
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To publish, to spread, to leak |
Separable? | Yes |
The next meaning of 'get out' that we will consider means 'to become known'. This is not in the sense of becoming famous, but rather when secret or previously private information becomes known to people.
Nouns commonly used with this application....
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I think logically this application makes sense as we are talking here about private or censored information, which has 'escaped' and is 'out' of its imaginary confinement, meaning that it is now free and available to everyone.
It is very common for this usage of 'get out' to be heard with the word 'word' instead of 'information'. Another way that you might come across this usage is in the construction 'it got out that...'. See the below examples.
Somehow the secret about Helen's private party has got out and now everybody wants to come.
We need to keep this from the press. If word gets out about this, it will destroy our reputation.
Despite our best efforts to keep it a secret, the news of our engagement eventually got out.
Once the truth got out, the company had no choice but to issue a public apology.
Ryan was furious when he realised that his personal information had got out.
Rumours about the celebrity breakup got out before the couple could make an official statement.
The politician tried to cover up the scandal, but the word got out to the press.
MEANING 4: To say something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To say, to speak, to spit out, to utter |
Separable? | Yes |
Our fourth meaning of 'get out' is 'to say something' and is actually often used when we are not able to speak.
When we use this application, we are referring specifically to language and the words that we use. 'To get words out' is just a lengthy way of saying 'to say'.
We tend to use this application when the words that we are trying to say are difficult for some reason, meaning that we struggle to say them or we are not able to say them at all. This could be because you are physically unable to say the words due to a medical condition or it could be through stress or worry that you may offend someone or cause an argument.
In spoken English, you are likely to hear this usage in the expressions 'get the words out' or the simpler version 'get it out'.
Ben was so shocked by the news that he could barely get any words out.
Emma took a deep breath and finally got the words out.
I was struggling to get the words out through my tears.
It was difficult, but he managed to get out the right words and his Mum hugged him.
I knew Steve had something to say, but he just couldn’t seem to get it out.
Becky stammered a few times before finally getting it out.
Mike tried to explain, but he couldn’t get it out properly.
I wanted to tell him the truth, but I just couldn’t get it out.
EXTRA INFORMATION TO SOUND MORE LIKE A NATIVE
If we are ever in a situation where we want someone to give us information that is secret or withheld and the person is unwilling to give it, we can say that 'we are unable to get it out of them'. We only tend to use this expression when the information is not given freely by the person to begin with and so we need to encourage or pressure them to share it with us.
The detectives questioned the suspect for six hours about who committed the crime but they were unable to get it out of him.
My brother refused to tell me what my parents had got me for my birthday but I got it out of him in the end.
MEANING 5: To go to places and enjoy yourself
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
Usage | Rare |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To go out |
Separable? | No |
This next usage of 'get out' means to leave your house in order to go to places and have enjoyable experiences.
It is quite similar to the phrasal verb 'go out', meaning to leave your house and / or socialise with people, however whilst we can use 'go out' to talk about specific times e.g. "I go out every Friday night", we cannot use 'get out' here. The reason being is that this application of 'get out' is normally used to talk in a general way, rather than about specific instances. In other words, we use it to refer to the idea of going out to different places, rather than a specific time when you go to the cinema or to the beach.
In terms of usage, this application of 'get out' tends to be used mostly in negative sentences and occasionally in questions. Moreover, from this, we get the common expression "I don't get out much", which is often used in a humorous way when someone does something embarrassing or awkward in a social situation and they want to be self deprecating.
Moreover, it is also quite common to add the additional words 'and about', giving us 'to get out and about', which gives the added implication that the person moves around from place to place.
Ever since I've had a baby, I've not got out much.
You need to stop playing computer games and get out and about a bit more!
After being stuck inside all week, I finally got out for a walk.
Beth doesn’t get out much because of her busy work schedule.
I need to get out of the house and clear my head.
We decided to get out and explore the city over the weekend.
It’s important to get out and about and meet new people.
Now that the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, everyone is eager to get out again.
If it's nice, I might get out for a walk later.
MEANING 6: To avoid a job, duty or task
CEFR Language Level | B2 - Upper Intermediate |
​Usage | Common |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To avoid, to shirk |
Separable? | No |
I've purposely left these last two meanings of 'get out' to the end as they both require the additional preposition 'of' to achieve their meaning.
Nouns & gerunds commonly used with this application....
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The first of these two means 'to avoid doing a job, duty or task that you are supposed to do'.
This could be work, a social engagement, an event that you have been invited to or an action that you have to carry out. The idea here is that another person wants (or expects) you to do something, but you don't want to, so therefore you need to find an excuse for not doing it.
On a grammatical note, this application of 'get out of' is either followed by a noun or by the a verb in its gerund ('ing) form.
I'm so sorry that I can't come to your party tomorrow. I have an important work meeting and I can't get out of it.
Is there any way you can get out of going to the the theatre tonight?
Peter always finds a way to get out of doing the housework.
Natalie pretended to be sick to get out of going to the meeting.
I can’t believe you managed to get out of that boring family dinner!
Bill tried to get out of paying the bill, but they caught him.
Trudie made an excuse to get out of helping with the project.
I wish I could get out of working this weekend but there's no way I'll be able to.
Richard used a fake emergency to get out of a date that wasn't going very well.
MEANING 7: To feel the benefit of something
CEFR Language Level | C1 - Advanced |
​Usage | Medium |
Where is it used? | Everywhere |
Potential synonyms | To get pleasure from, to take pleasure in, to delight in |
Separable? | Always |
This final usage of 'get out' that we will cover also requires the additional preposition 'of' and means to feel the benefit of doing something'.
In other words, to obtain something good or positive as a result of performing an action. Another way that we could say this is 'to get something out of something'. Most frequently, this refers to a good feeling, burst of energy or pleasure that we get after performing an action. Some people, including me, get this from doing exercise, while others may get a lot out of giving presentations at work or helping to look after sick people.
I don’t think Andrew got much out of the book because he wasn’t really paying attention while reading it.
I still do yoga every day because I get a lot out of it.
I quit my part time job as I stopped enjoying and apart from the extra money, I wasn't getting much out of it.
This pleasurable sensation is sometimes called a 'buzz' or a 'kick', which gives us the common expressions 'to get a kick out of something' and 'to get a buzz out of something, which both mean 'to get a good feeling as a consequence of doing something'.
My boss is so rude and horrible to all of us. I swear he gets a buzz out of it.
I get a kick out of teaching English and watching their skills improve.
My mum volunteers with a charity for elderly people and she really gets a kick out of helping them.
In addition to positive feelings, this application of 'get out' is also used to talk about benefits and positive things that we get after as a result of doing something. These can range from knowledge and skills to confidence and peace of mind and I sincerely hope that you English learners get a lot out of my posts!
Amy really got a lot out of that leadership seminar; it really boosted her confidence and skills.
You’ll get more out of the course if you actively participate in discussions.
I always get a sense of peace out of meditation—it helps me relax.
They got so much out of their trip to Japan, both culturally and personally.
IDIOM ALERT!
Before we wrap up this blog post, there are a few very common expressions with 'get out' that I want to cover.....
To get something out of the way - We use this expression when we have to do something unpleasant, boring or stressful in the future and we want it to be over, so that we can stop worrying about it. It could also be used in situations when we are looking forward to something and we want the time to pass quickly between now and then. Examples of this could be when you have a work meeting planned, which you are worried about and you want it to be over so that you can relax. Another would be that you are going on holiday next week, so you just want this week at work to pass quickly.
I just need to get today out of the way and then I can go on vacation!
Sandra can't wait to get her Dad's funeral out of the way, so she can begin to move on.
To get out of hand - If a situation gets out of hand, it means that it has become difficult to control or it has become uncontrollable.
The party was going well until a few people got too drunk and things started to get out of hand.
A get-out clause - This is something that is often written into official agreements and contracts with the purpose of allowing someone to get out of doing something if a certain situation occurs. This is often used in business English but has also found its way into colloquial everyday English too.
Is there a get-out clause in this contract?
We have now reached the end of this post and I just want to say thank you for clicking on my post and reading it. I hope that you've enjoyed it and have been able to learn something new about the phrasal verb 'get out'. If you enjoyed this post, please go ahead and check out some of my other posts.
Now it is YOUR turn. Can you think of a sentence yourself using 'get out'. Write it in the comments section below if you can, or alternatively any comments, suggestions or feedback that you may have....don't be shy!!!
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