get back — recover possession
phrasal verbB2IELTS 6+neutralcommon
To have something returned to you after losing it or lending it.
Say it like a native
Textbook I am hoping to recover the money I lent to him.
Native I'm hoping to get my money back.
'Get back' is the natural verb for having something returned; 'recover the money I lent' is formal.
Pattern: get [something] back
In use
- I finally got my book back from Sarah after two months.daily life
- I lent my friend some notes for the exam, but it took a while to get them back.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ Did you get back it?
✓ Did you get it back?
With a pronoun, the object goes in the middle: 'get it back'.
Common collocations
get + thing + back— my money back, my keys back, the deposit, it back
Don't confuse it
Different from 'take back', which means to physically retrieve something yourself.
Related
- get back (return) — Another meaning of 'get back' is 'return'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.