Meaning

Get used to it

What's the meaning of the phrase 'Get used to it'?

Accept that a particular state of affairs is inevitable.

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What football is all about - caption

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Get used to it’?

This began to be used as a single sentence, with the meaning - ‘that’s how things are; accept it’, from around the early 1990s in the USA. Here’s an early example, from a report of a Gay Pride march in Washington, USA, in April 1993, by Simon Tisdall in The Guardian:

“‘We’re queer, we’re here. Get used to it,’ said T-shirts worn by some of the marchers…”

Note: the ‘we’re here, we’re queer’ slogan began just a few years earlier. The earliest reference I can find for that is from 1990.

See also - ‘get over it’.

Historical trend

“Get used to it” in printed material over time

Source: Google Books Ngrams (1820–2020).

18201840186018801900192019401960198020002020
  • Get used to it