Meaning & use
gotta
Last updated
An informal contraction of 'got to,' used to mean 'have to' or 'must.'
See it in a sentence
I gotta finish this report before I can leave the office.
You gotta try the soup here—it's amazing.
A note on using this word
Strictly informal and used mainly in casual speech and writing; avoid it in formal or academic contexts, where 'have to' or 'must' is preferred.
Words with a similar meaning
have tomust
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
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