Phrasal verb
get back
Definition
phrasal verb. to return to a place after you have been away.
phrasal verb. to return to a previous location. This sense is intransitive.
Examples
“What time did you get back last night?”
“She usually gets back from work around six o'clock.”
“After a long and arduous journey through the mountains, the explorers were relieved to finally get back to the safety of their base camp.”
Examples
simple
“What time did you get back last night?”
contextual
“She usually gets back from work around six o'clock.”
complex
“After a long and arduous journey through the mountains, the explorers were relieved to finally get back to the safety of their base camp.”
Usage
Often used with 'from' to specify the origin or 'to' to specify the destination.
Teaching tip
Clarify that this intransitive sense means 'return', and contrast it with the transitive 'get something back' (retrieve) and 'get back to someone' (reply later).
Pitfall
I got back my home at midnight.
I got back home at midnight.
In the sense of 'return', 'get back' is intransitive and does not take a direct object; the destination is introduced with 'to' or used as an adverb (like 'home').
Phrasal verb
Particles
back
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + back