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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
/ ˈɡɒtə /
verb
- got to
Usage Note
Word History and Origins
Origin of gotta1
Example Sentences
“We gotta keep the coffee running, for sure,” said Anthony Ruta, a longtime assistant.
“There is no way around that. And when you’re raised as a journalist professionally, you don’t want enemies, but you ain’t paid to make friends. You’ve gotta call it like you see it.”
“If you’re gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit / So they cut it down to 3:05.”
“It was tough, but you gotta enjoy the process,” Scott said.
“We just gotta keep stacking days,” forward Dorian Finney-Smith said.
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More About Gotta
What does gotta mean?
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 gotta come 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.
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How is gotta used 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 #8YearsofOneDirection
— One Direction (@onedirection) July 23, 2018
sometimes you gotta close a door to open the window
— T (@tylerthecreator) May 24, 2019
Try using gotta!
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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