get hold of

Verb

get hold of (third-person singular simple present gets hold of, present participle getting hold of, simple past got hold of, past participle (UK) got hold of or (US) gotten hold of)

1. (transitive) To obtain.
   • However, a Carlisle newspaper got hold of the story, and at the half-yearly meeting of the Caledonian Railway Company, held on March 17, 1863, a shareholder, Mr. Meiklem, questioned the Chairman, Lt.-Col. Salkeld, regarding a "Chase of Engines," described in the newspaper article. The Chairman...1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, pages 54–55
   • Withnail: I want to stop and get hold of a child.1987, Withnail and I
2. (transitive) To pick up or grab.
   • I: Now get hold of that map.1987, Withnail and I
3. (transitive) To contact (a person).
   • Get hold of John and tell him the meeting's been canceled.
4. (transitive) To control or stabilize (oneself).
   • Get hold of yourself!