Get over means to recover from something bad, such as an illness, a loss or a break-up, or to deal with a fear or difficulty. It shows that the bad part is already behind you: I got over the flu, she got over her fear of flying.
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get over + illness/loss/break-up; get over + fear/problem; get over it
- It took me two weeks to get over the flu last winter.
- She went travelling for a month to get over the break-up.
- Speaking in class every day helped me get over my fear of making mistakes.
What changed
First versionI still haven't got over from my cold.
RevisionI still haven't got over my cold.
Because we say “recover from”, it is easy to add “from” after “get over” too. But “get over” is followed directly by what you recovered from: “got over my cold”. “From” is not needed here.
“Get through” means to survive a difficult period while it is still going on: We got through a hard winter. “Get over” is used when you have already recovered: It took her months to get over the loss.
Your turn
After years of avoiding the sea, Kate finally ___ her fear of water and learnt to swim.
Show the answer
got over — Kate stopped being afraid of water and learnt to swim, which is “got over”. “Got through” is about a hard period or test that you have to survive to the end, not about a fear.
Write about a difficulty you have got over. Say what it was and how long it took you.
It took me about six months to get over my fear of speaking English on the phone.
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