1.
to feel better after an illness or shock
“She got over the flu.”
“I can't get over the news.”
“He never got over his breakup.”
Synonyms: to recover from, to come to terms with
Phrasal verb
What does get over mean?
Meaning: to feel better after something bad
B1
This page for:
Quick answer
Get over = to feel better after an illness, a sad event or a breakup, or to deal with a problem. She got over the flu = she is not ill any more. It is not separable.
Meanings of the phrasal verb
2.
to deal with a problem
common“We need to get over this problem.”
Synonyms: to overcome
3.
to make people understand an idea
figurative“I couldn't get my point over.”
Word order
Inseparable
The object goes after the particle, never between the verb and the particle.
Forms
- Present Simple:
- get over
- Past Simple:
- got over
- Past participle:
- got over (UK) / gotten over (US)
- -ing form:
- getting over
Common mistakes to avoid
Meanings 1 and 2: not separable
I got over the cold ✓ / I got the cold over ❌. For these meanings, the object never goes in the middle. With a pronoun too: I got over it ✓.
Get over it! can sound rude
Get over it! = stop being sad or angry about it and forget it! It is strong and can sound unkind. To help a sad friend, it is better to say It'll get better.
Practice quiz
Question 1 / 3The Big Challenge question bank
Related pages: get over
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
What's next?
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Frequently asked questions
What does get over mean?+
Get over = (1) to feel better after an illness or a sad event; (2) to deal with a problem; (3) to make people understand an idea. The most common meaning is the first one: feeling better in your body or in your heart.
Is get over separable?+
No, it is not separable for meanings 1 and 2: get over the cold ✓. Meaning 3 (to make people understand) is different: the object goes between get and over: get my idea over (or get my idea across).
What is the difference between get over and overcome?+
Both can mean to deal with a difficulty. Get over is common in everyday speech and is often about feelings. Overcome is more formal and more common in writing: to overcome difficulties.
What does “I can't get over it” mean?+
It means you are still very surprised, happy or sad about something. The feeling stays. I can't get over how tall you are now! = I am really surprised that you are so tall.
What is the past simple of get over?+
Got over. Get → got → got (UK) / gotten (US). She got over her divorce in the end.
Related phrasal verbs
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-over
© 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.