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to get around

to get around

49 2.1
Move from place to place within an area
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡɛt əˈraʊnd/
translation icon : desplazarse
  • I can get around a city like New York, but I sometimes need a point in the right direction.
  • get around with a cane

Radiuses or π to get around a circle, right?

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Examples

  • It takes him three minutes to get around the house.

  • I've been playing for over half a century, and I still get around pretty well.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • I mean, this thing, I can get around on it, man.

  • Wait till we get around the corner.

  • Now, one of the the best ways to get around New York is from a city bike.

  • As anyone familiar with L.A. knows, you must have a car to get around.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Matilda had refused to use the walker to get around when she first came to the home.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • But now, with my big belly, it's harder for me to get around, and I really don't feel like walking.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • They weren't designed as a transportation system to help people get around a densely settled area.

  • I can easily get around the city on my bicycle.

Synonyms

to go
vsto get around
1.0

To move from one place to another, physically or in meaning

is specifically about physical movement within an area or city
to travel
vsto get around
1.0

To go from one place to another, often for work or pleasure

focuses on moving within an area or city rather than long trips
to move around
vsto get around
46 1.8

To travel from place to place for work or duties

is general local movement not focused on work or duties
to walk around
vsto get around
46 1.1

To go on foot around the edge of something instead of through it

refers to moving within an area generally, not only around edges
to drive around
vsto get around
31 2.6

To take someone in a vehicle to show them interesting places

covers moving within an area but not carrying or showing others
to cruise around
vsto get around
12 4.1

To drive slowly around an area without a specific destination

means moving within an area but without the slow leisure tone
to get about
vsto get around
  • UK
9 2.8

To move around a house or area

has identical meaning but uses a different simple expression
to walk about
vsto get around
  • UK
8 3.1

To move around a place on your feet without a clear purpose

involves moving around an area but usually with purpose or transit
to run around town
vsto get around
3 2.4

To go quickly around a town to do errands

describes movement without the quick errands or task focus
to tool around
vsto get around
  • Informal
2 7.7

Move around with no set place to go for fun

refers to area movement not specifically casual driving for fun

Antonyms

463 2.5

To live in a place, often for a long time

to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

How Mobile

tour
819 1.0
to travel
1.0
to get around
49 2.1
to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Surface Forms

get around infinitive
getting around present participle
gets around third person singular
got around past
gotten around past participle

Morphology

get + around

The meaning 'to move or travel from place to place' is directly compositional from 'get' (arrive/move) + 'around' (about various places), following a common English verb + particle pattern. This motion sense maps onto clear spatial logic found in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Get around originally shows the simple idea of moving from place to place, like using a bike or bus to go across town. So to get around means to travel or 'to move about' within an area.