You’re staring at a sentence. Maybe you’re writing an email or trying to help a kid with their homework, and you pause. You start wondering, is get an adverb? It feels like it could be, right? It’s such a short, punchy word that we use to move things along. But English is a bit of a trickster.
Honestly, the short answer is no. "Get" is a verb. It’s actually one of the hardest-working verbs in the entire English language.
Most of us think of verbs as "action words" like run or jump. "Get" fits that, but it’s more like a Swiss Army knife. It changes its meaning based on whatever word is standing next to it. That’s usually where the confusion starts. People see "get" behaving in ways that feel "adverbial"—describing a state of being or a transition—and their brain short-circuits.
Why People Ask "Is Get an Adverb" in the First Place
Language is messy. If you look at a sentence like "I need to get moving," the word "get" is acting as a catalyst. It’s helping the other word. In linguistics, we call "get" a dynamic verb. It represents a change in state. Because it’s often followed by adjectives or adverbs, people mistake the whole cluster for an adverbial phrase.
Consider the sentence: "Get well soon."
In this context, "well" is the adverb (or adjective, depending on how pedantic you want to be about health states). "Get" is the verb that signals the transition into that state. You aren't "well" yet; you are in the process of "getting" there. It’s a bridge.
Grammarians like Bryan Garner, author of Garner's Modern English Usage, point out that "get" is often criticized by stylists for being "overworked." Because it can mean obtain, become, understand, arrive, or fetch, it’s easy to see why its grammatical identity feels blurry to the average person. But even with all those hats, it never actually crosses the line into adverb territory. It remains firmly a verb.
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The "Get" vs. Adverb Confusion: Phrasal Verbs
The real culprit behind the is get an adverb mystery is the phrasal verb. This is when you take a verb and slap a preposition or an adverb onto the end of it to create a totally new meaning. English is obsessed with these.
Think about these examples:
- Get away
- Get back
- Get over
- Get together
In "get away," the word "away" is the adverb. It tells you where or how the getting is happening. Because we use these pairs so often, we start to see the whole unit as one functional block. If you’re not a grammar nerd, it’s incredibly easy to misidentify which part of that block is doing what work.
If you were to say "He got away quickly," you have a verb (got), an adverb (away), and another adverb (quickly). It's a crowded house. But "get" is still the engine of that sentence. It's the action.
When "Get" Acts Like a Linking Verb
Sometimes "get" acts like a "copular" or linking verb. This is a fancy way of saying it acts like the word "to be."
When you say "I am hungry," am is a linking verb.
When you say "I get hungry," get is doing the exact same job, just with a little more flavor. It implies that you weren't hungry before, but you are now.
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Since linking verbs are often followed by adjectives (like "hungry"), and adverbs also modify verbs, the wires get crossed. You might think "get" is modifying the state, but it’s actually just the connector. Adverbs describe how you do something. You don't "get" in a hungry way; you become hungry.
The Evolution of "Get" in Modern English
Language changes. What was "correct" in 1920 might be considered stiff and weird today. In 2026, we’re seeing even more informal uses of "get" in digital communication.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "get" has hundreds of nuanced definitions. It's one of the most polysemous words we have—meaning it has many meanings. This flexibility is its greatest strength, but it’s also why search engines see thousands of people every month asking is get an adverb.
There’s also the "get-passive" construction. Instead of saying "The window was broken," many people say "The window got broken." In this case, "got" is replacing "was." Since "was" is a helping verb, "got" takes on that role. It’s still not an adverb, but it’s definitely acting as a grammatical chameleon.
How to Spot a Real Adverb
If you want to be sure you aren't mislabeling "get," look for the "how, when, where" test.
Adverbs almost always answer one of those three questions:
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- How? (Slowly, loudly, gettily—wait, "gettily" isn't a word.)
- When? (Yesterday, soon, now.)
- Where? (Here, there, everywhere.)
Does "get" answer any of these?
"I'll get the car."
"How?" Doesn't fit.
"When?" Doesn't fit.
"Where?" Doesn't fit.
"Get" is the what. It's the action of obtaining the car.
Why This Matters for Your Writing
You might think this is all just academic nonsense. Who cares if it’s a verb or an adverb as long as people understand you?
Well, if you're trying to improve your writing style, understanding that "get" is a verb allows you to find better alternatives. Since "get" is so broad, it can be "lazy." Instead of "getting" a prize, you could win it. Instead of "getting" a cold, you could contract it. Instead of "getting" a joke, you could apprehend it.
Knowing that "get" isn't an adverb helps you realize that you might need a real adverb to spice up your sentence. "I got the mail" is boring. "I quickly got the mail" uses a real adverb to tell a better story.
Actionable Steps for Clearer Grammar
Don't let the word "get" bully your sentences. It's a useful word, but it's a verb that likes to pretend it's other things.
- Check the following word. If "get" is followed by a noun (get the milk), it’s a transitive verb. If it’s followed by an adjective (get tired), it’s a linking verb.
- Look for the -ly. While not all adverbs end in -ly (like "fast" or "well"), many do. "Get" never will.
- Swap it out. If you can replace the word with "become," "fetch," or "understand," you’re definitely dealing with a verb.
- Simplify phrasal verbs. If you’re confused by "get up" or "get by," try to find a single-word verb that means the same thing, like "arise" or "survive." This helps you see the grammatical structure more clearly.
Stop worrying about whether you’re breaking some ancient rule. Just remember that "get" moves the story forward; it doesn't describe the movement. It's the engine, not the paint job. Use it when you need a simple, direct action, but don't be afraid to reach for a more specific verb when you want your writing to actually pop.