# get on for

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/get-on-for
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to be close to a certain time, age, or number.

For teachers: to approach a specific time, age, or amount; typically used in the progressive aspect to indicate an approximation.

## Examples

- It's getting on for midnight, so we should leave.
- He must be getting on for eighty now, but he still goes for a run every morning.
- The total cost of the renovations is getting on for fifty thousand pounds, which is significantly over the original budget.

## Pitfalls

- Not "It gets on for ten o'clock." but "It's getting on for ten o'clock." — this phrase is almost exclusively used in the present continuous to show a process of approaching a time or number.

## Usage notes

- almost always used in the continuous form 'getting on for'.
- Teaching tip: this is a British English idiom; help students by comparing it to 'approaching' or 'nearly', and note that it is followed by a noun phrase representing a limit.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.