get down — enjoy oneself (slang)
phrasal verbC2IELTS 8+informalrare
To dance energetically or enjoy oneself enthusiastically, especially at a party or social event; to let loose and have fun (informal, often used in reference to music or dancing).
Say it like a native
Textbook Everyone was dancing energetically and enjoying the party.
Native Everyone was getting down on the dance floor.
'Get down' (slang) is the dance-floor phrase; the literal description is flat and dated.
Pattern: get down (to something)
In use
- Everyone was really getting down on the dance floor when the DJ played that old-school track.slang
- While some people prefer quiet gatherings, others love to get down at lively parties, enjoying the music and atmosphere to the fullest.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Let's get down ourselves at the club.
✓ Let's get down at the club.
'Get down' (this sense) is intransitive — no reflexive.
Common collocations
get down (dance)— on the dance floor, tonight, and party, to the music
Don't confuse it
Unlike the B1 sense ('make someone sad') and the B2 sense ('write down'), this sense is a slang expression meaning to have fun, especially by dancing. It does not relate to sadness or recording information.
Related
- get down (make someone sad) — 'get down' also has the more basic meaning 'make someone sad'; this is the advanced sense.