1.
to enter a car or taxi
“Get in the car!”
“She got in the taxi quickly.”
Synonyms: to enter
Phrasal verb
What does get in mean?
Meaning: to enter a car or taxi; to arrive home
B1
This page for:
Quick answer
Get in = to enter a car or a taxi, or to arrive home (often late). Get in the car = sit down inside the car. What time did you get in? = what time did you arrive home?
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to arrive home, often late
common“I got in at midnight.”
“What time did you get in?”
Synonyms: to come home, to arrive
3.
to be accepted by a school or club
common“She got into Cambridge!”
Synonyms: to be admitted, to be accepted
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- get in
- Past Simple:
- got in
- Past participle:
- got in (UK) / gotten in (US)
- -ing form:
- getting in
Common mistakes to avoid
Get in (a car) or get on (a bus)?
A car or a taxi → get in. A bus, a train or a bike → get on. Think of the movement: you go inside a small car (in), but you step onto a bus or sit on a bike (on). Never get on the car ❌.
Get in or get into?
When you name the place (a car, a school), you can say get into: get into the car, get into Cambridge. Into shows the movement more clearly.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: get in
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
Get in: you understand the rule. Now practise it.
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Frequently asked questions
What does get in mean?+
Get in = (1) to enter a car or a taxi; (2) to arrive home; (3) to be accepted by a school, a university or a club. The meaning depends on the sentence.
What is the difference between get in and get on?+
Get in = a car or a taxi (a small vehicle where you sit down inside). Get on = a bus, a train, a plane or a bike (transport where you can stand, or that you sit on). English simply uses these words: learn them by heart.
Is get in separable?+
No, it is not separable. Get in the car ✓ / Get the car in ❌.
How do you say that someone was accepted by a university?+
Use get into + the school: She got into Yale = Yale accepted her. You can also say to be accepted or to be admitted (more formal). I got in! is what people say when they celebrate.
What is the past simple of get in?+
Got in. Get → got → got (UK) / gotten (US). I got in late = I arrived home late.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/phrasal-verbs/get-in
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.