getting

Getting is the present participle and the gerund form of the verb to get. As a participle, it forms progressive tenses: I am getting tired. As a gerund, it can function as a noun: Getting a passport can take weeks, and getting by on a tight budget requires discipline. Because get has many senses—obtain, receive, become, fetch, understand, cause—getting covers a broad range of meanings.

Usage extends to acquiring or achieving something: getting a job, getting an education, or getting wealth. It also denotes changes of state: getting older, getting sick, getting excited. Numerous idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs are built with get and its participle, such as getting up, getting along, getting by, getting over, getting on with someone, and getting around obstacles. In these phrases, the meaning of getting is often a blend of obtaining, achieving, or moving toward a result.

Grammatical variations exist across dialects. In American English, the past participle of get is frequently gotten, while in British English the past participle is commonly got. The form getting remains standard for the present participle in all varieties, used in continuous tenses (They are getting married) and in many dependent clauses (After getting home, they rested).

Etymology traces getting to the Old English verb gietan, with the modern sense eclipse through a range of figurative and literal uses that have developed over centuries. Today, getting is a versatile component of English, linking action, process, and state across numerous contexts.