get real
1 of 6phrase
: to stop deceiving oneself or fooling around : face reality
1
a
: having objective independent existence
unable to believe that what he saw was real
b
: not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory : genuine
real gold
also
: being precisely what the name implies
a real professional
c(1)
: occurring or existing in actuality
saw a real live celebrity
a story of real life
(2)
: of or relating to practical or everyday concerns or activities
left school to live in the real world
(3)
: behaving or presented in a way that feels true, honest, or familiar and without pretension or affectation
Great nurse. Flawed human being, and an irreparable one. That's also what made her real, and relatable …—Verne Gay
On the afternoon of May 28, resident Rick Grant told The Enterprise as he waited with other grievers in the town hall's town-board room for his turn before a board, "We all want the same thing: Be real on the taxes, do a proper assessment, a fair assessment."—The Altamont Enterprise
For every follower of the PEANUTS comics knows about the Little Red-Haired Girl, the character who intrigues a shy Charlie Brown. Hem he does, and haw he will, and every reader fidgets, too, knowing that such moments are utterly human and all too real.—Alysia Gray-Painter
We're living through strange times in America, but that hasn't stopped Chrissy Teigen from being her wonderfully authentic self on social media—from showing up to husband John Legend's Instagram Live concert in a towel to sharing some real talk about childbirth.—Abby Gardner
Coach Tucker has always just kept it real with me from the start. … He's been one of the most honest coaches. He's not about the B.S., hype and all that.—Kameron Allen
"The thing that makes college basketball so fascinating to me is that almost everyone's a hair away from the dream … . And, let's keep it real, a lot of them are in school just for the experience needed to get to the next level."—LL Cool J
see also get real
(4)
: existing as a physical entity and having properties that deviate from an ideal, law, or standard
a real gas
compare ideal sense 2b
e
f
: measured by purchasing power
real income
real dollars
g(1)
: belonging to or having elements or components that belong to the set of real numbers
the real roots of an equation
a real matrix
(2)
: concerned with or containing real numbers
real analysis
(3)
: real-valued
real variable
2
: of or relating to fixed, permanent, or immovable things (such as lands or tenements)
real property
3
of a particle
: capable of being detected compare virtual sense 4
realness
noun
see also:
: a real thing
especially
: a mathematically real quantity
1
plural reais
ˈrāsh
ˈrās,
ˈrāzh,
ˈrāz
or reis also reals
: the basic monetary unit of Brazil see Money Table
2
plural reales
rā-ˈä-(ˌ)lās
or reals
: a former monetary unit and coin of Spain and its possessions
Cite this Entry
“Get real.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20real. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.
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