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gotta
[ got-uh ]
- got to; have got to:
I can’t stay—I gotta get up early tomorrow.
- got a; have got a:
Hey, man, gotta light?
gotta
/ ˈɡɒə /
verb
- got to
Usage Note
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of gotta1
Example Sentences
“When the baby stuff at home happens, you just gotta make it happen,” he said.
If you look at any Disney movie, the parents die within five seconds and that’s to get you on the hook of feeling like you gotta feel for this character.
“And if we stay ready, we never gotta get ready.”
There’s some “bacne” happening, so you really gotta scrub it out.
“We’re pretty secure with our players and where we’re at. Not everybody knows obviously in this world kind of how things are all going to play out, so certainly you gotta be ready to adjust, but I think we’ve got a pretty committed group that plan on being USC Trojans, and then, we’ll find the right couple of guys in the portal to add and help us get ready for the season.”
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More About Gotta
What doesdzٳٲmean?
Gotta is an informal shortening of the phrase got to, as in My ride is here, so I gotta go.
A past tense form of the verb get, got is used informally to mean “must” or “have got.” To is used to mark an infinitive verb, as in to run, to read, or to sing. Together, the informal got to means “have to“ or “need to.”
In informal language, speakers will shorten got to to gotta. You can use it to mean “must” or “have to,” as in I gotta get an A on the next test to pass the course.
Gotta is also an informal shortening for got a, meaning “have.” If you’re thirsty, you might ask your friends, Anybody gotta bottle of water?
Some other similar shortenings include wanna (“want to,” “want a”), gonna (“going to”), hafta (“have to”), lemme (“let me”), kinda (“kind of”), and dunno (“don’t know”).
Example: Well I gotta go soon, so why don’t I start packing up?
Where does dzٳٲcome from?
The first records of the term gotta come from around the 1880s. Originally, the shortening was spelled gotter but was said without the r sound in British English dialects. The spelling was eventually changed to represent the pronunciation.
Did you know ... ?
How isdzٳٲused in real life?
Gotta is commonly used in informal speaking and writing.
It's gotta be you, only you. It's gotta be you, only you
— One Direction (@onedirection)
sometimes you gotta close a door to open the window
— T (@tylerthecreator)
Try usinggotta!
Which of the following is NOT a synonym for gotta?
A. got to
B. need to
C. used to
D. have to
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