Word.ws English Dictionary

got even

got even is the simple past and past participle 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 got even

What is got even the simple past and past participle of?
Got even is the simple past and past participle of get even.

Words near got even in the dictionary

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

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: got 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.

Last updated:

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