get a clue
get a clue verb: to become aware of the obvious reality of a situation, often used as a command to indicate frustration.
Verb
get a clue (third-person singular simple present gets a clue, present participle getting a clue, simple past got a clue, past participle (UK, Australia, NZ) got a clue or (US, Canada) gotten a clue)
- To become aware of the obvious reality of a situation, often used as a command to indicate frustration
- "How many times do I have to tell you that this relationship is over? Get a clue!", she said after her ex-boyfriend asked her again to get back together.
- How many more such incidents have to happen at Fox News — or elsewhere — before everyone gets a clue about basic workplace — and overall social — behavior?2017 May 19, Chuck Barney, “Another Fox News firing; Will someone please get a clue?”, in The Mercury News
- Synonyms:
- get with the program
Synonyms of get a clue
Forms of get a clue
| third-person singular present | gets a clue |
|---|---|
| present participle | getting a clue |
| past | got a clue |
| past participle Australia New Zealand UK | got a clue |
| past participle Canada US | gotten a clue |
Questions about get a clue
- What does get a clue mean?
- Get a clue means to become aware of the obvious reality of a situation, often used as a command to indicate frustration.
- What part of speech is get a clue?
- Get a clue is a verb.
- What is the past tense of get a clue?
- The past tense of get a clue is got a clue.
Words near get a clue in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: get a clue (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “get a clue.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/get_a_clue. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.