"get with the program" meaning in English

See get with the program in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: en-au-get with the program.ogg Forms: gets with the program [present, singular, third-person], getting with the program [participle, present], got with the program [past], gotten with the program [participle, past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|get<,,got,gotten> with the program|head=get with the program}} get with the program (third-person singular simple present gets with the program, present participle getting with the program, simple past got with the program, past participle gotten with the program)
  1. (US, idiomatic, informal) To become organized, current, or aware. Tags: US, idiomatic, informal Synonyms: get, be on the same page, get with the programme [UK] Synonyms (become aware): get a clue Synonyms (become organized): be on top of things Synonyms (stay current): get with it, get with the times, move with the times, keep up with the times Related terms: get one's act together
    Sense id: en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-9LxEeOtk Categories (other): American English, English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 34 29 37 Disambiguation of 'become aware': 97 2 2 Disambiguation of 'become organized': 97 2 2 Disambiguation of 'stay current': 84 0 16
  2. (US, idiomatic, informal) To work productively toward the objective of a shared enterprise, especially after the objective or the environment has changed. Tags: US, idiomatic, informal
    Sense id: en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-cfRWxQDy Categories (other): American English, English predicates Disambiguation of English predicates: 34 29 37
  3. (US, idiomatic, informal) To comply with the norms of a social group, especially a shared enterprise; to comply with the accepted or prevailing way of doing things. Tags: US, idiomatic, informal
    Sense id: en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-gebEHFWC Categories (other): American English, English entries with incorrect language header, English light verb constructions, English predicates, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 26 19 55 Disambiguation of English light verb constructions: 28 13 59 Disambiguation of English predicates: 34 29 37 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 25 18 56 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 25 18 57

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets with the program",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting with the program",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got with the program",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten with the program",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,gotten> with the program",
        "head": "get with the program"
      },
      "expansion": "get with the program (third-person singular simple present gets with the program, present participle getting with the program, simple past got with the program, past participle gotten with the program)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 29 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When the student was behind on his vocabulary, the teacher said, \"get with the program!\"",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To become organized, current, or aware."
      ],
      "id": "en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-9LxEeOtk",
      "links": [
        [
          "organized",
          "organized"
        ],
        [
          "current",
          "current"
        ],
        [
          "aware",
          "aware"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To become organized, current, or aware."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "_dis1": "72 13 15",
          "word": "get one's act together"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "_dis1": "97 2 2",
          "sense": "become aware",
          "word": "get a clue"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 0 16",
          "sense": "stay current",
          "word": "get with it"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 0 16",
          "sense": "stay current",
          "word": "get with the times"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 0 16",
          "sense": "stay current",
          "word": "move with the times"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "84 0 16",
          "sense": "stay current",
          "word": "keep up with the times"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "97 2 2",
          "sense": "become organized",
          "word": "be on top of things"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "64 17 19",
          "word": "get"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "64 17 19",
          "word": "be on the same page"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "64 17 19",
          "tags": [
            "UK"
          ],
          "word": "get with the programme"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 29 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Though natural gas prices dropped, the folks doing solar didn't get with the program.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 November 7, Aja Romano, “The unlikely breakout star of Stranger Things 2 is unlikelier babysitter Steve Harrington”, in Vox:",
          "text": "In the first season of Stranger Things, no character was more extra than Steve Harrington — Nancy Wheeler’s frequently possessive, largely confused, often douchey boyfriend. Though he eventually got with the program and helped fight some monsters, he wasn’t exactly what you’d call the pick of the litter.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To work productively toward the objective of a shared enterprise, especially after the objective or the environment has changed."
      ],
      "id": "en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-cfRWxQDy",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To work productively toward the objective of a shared enterprise, especially after the objective or the environment has changed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "26 19 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "28 13 59",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "34 29 37",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 18 56",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "25 18 57",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Dude, get with the program! We don't do casual Fridays any more.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To comply with the norms of a social group, especially a shared enterprise; to comply with the accepted or prevailing way of doing things."
      ],
      "id": "en-get_with_the_program-en-verb-gebEHFWC",
      "links": [
        [
          "accepted",
          "accepted"
        ],
        [
          "prevail",
          "prevail"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To comply with the norms of a social group, especially a shared enterprise; to comply with the accepted or prevailing way of doing things."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-get with the program.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/60/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "get with the program"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English light verb constructions",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English predicates",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "gets with the program",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "getting with the program",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "got with the program",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gotten with the program",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "get<,,got,gotten> with the program",
        "head": "get with the program"
      },
      "expansion": "get with the program (third-person singular simple present gets with the program, present participle getting with the program, simple past got with the program, past participle gotten with the program)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "get one's act together"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "When the student was behind on his vocabulary, the teacher said, \"get with the program!\"",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To become organized, current, or aware."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "organized",
          "organized"
        ],
        [
          "current",
          "current"
        ],
        [
          "aware",
          "aware"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To become organized, current, or aware."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Though natural gas prices dropped, the folks doing solar didn't get with the program.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2017 November 7, Aja Romano, “The unlikely breakout star of Stranger Things 2 is unlikelier babysitter Steve Harrington”, in Vox:",
          "text": "In the first season of Stranger Things, no character was more extra than Steve Harrington — Nancy Wheeler’s frequently possessive, largely confused, often douchey boyfriend. Though he eventually got with the program and helped fight some monsters, he wasn’t exactly what you’d call the pick of the litter.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To work productively toward the objective of a shared enterprise, especially after the objective or the environment has changed."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To work productively toward the objective of a shared enterprise, especially after the objective or the environment has changed."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English idioms",
        "English informal terms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Dude, get with the program! We don't do casual Fridays any more.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To comply with the norms of a social group, especially a shared enterprise; to comply with the accepted or prevailing way of doing things."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "accepted",
          "accepted"
        ],
        [
          "prevail",
          "prevail"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(US, idiomatic, informal) To comply with the norms of a social group, especially a shared enterprise; to comply with the accepted or prevailing way of doing things."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic",
        "informal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-get with the program.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/60/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/En-au-get_with_the_program.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "sense": "become aware",
      "word": "get a clue"
    },
    {
      "sense": "stay current",
      "word": "get with it"
    },
    {
      "sense": "stay current",
      "word": "get with the times"
    },
    {
      "sense": "stay current",
      "word": "move with the times"
    },
    {
      "sense": "stay current",
      "word": "keep up with the times"
    },
    {
      "sense": "become organized",
      "word": "be on top of things"
    },
    {
      "word": "get"
    },
    {
      "word": "be on the same page"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "get with the programme"
    }
  ],
  "word": "get with the program"
}

Download raw JSONL data for get with the program meaning in English (4.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-01-08 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-01-01 using wiktextract (9a96ef4 and 4ed51a5). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.