Word.ws English Dictionary

gets even

gets even is the third-person singular simple present indicative of get even.

Meaning of get even

Verb

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

  1. (idiomatic, informal) To inflict trouble or harm on another in return, typically the same as that inflicted on oneself.
    • But I warn you, Anita, we're through. I'm through with all of you! I'll get even. Just wait! You'll be sorry! You fools! You...YOU IDIOTS!1961, 101 Dalmatians

Questions about gets even

What is gets even the third-person singular simple present indicative of?
Gets even is the third-person singular simple present indicative of get even.

Words near gets even in the dictionary

  1. gets down to cases
  2. gets down to nuts and bolts
  3. gets down to the nitty-gritty
  4. gets dressed
  5. gets drunk
  6. gets even
  7. gets eyes on
  8. gets freaky
  9. gets fresh
  10. gets from a Cracker Jack box
  11. gets glad in the same britches one got mad in

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: gets even (page history and authors); get even (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.

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Cite this entry: “gets even.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gets_even. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.