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Meaning & use

with it

adjective·Everydayinformalold-fashioned

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UK/ˈwɪð ɪt/
US/ˈwɪð ɪt/

Meanings

  1. adjectiveafter a verbinformal

    Alert and mentally sharp, able to understand what is going on and respond quickly.

    Grammar: Used after a verb, often in the negative: I'm not with it today.

    Patterns

    • not with it
    • be with it

    I'm sorry, I'm not really with it this morning; I slept badly.

    Grandma is ninety but still very with it.

    Are you with it, or do you need a coffee?

  2. adjectiveafter a verbinformalold-fashioned

    Modern and fashionable, aware of the latest trends in music, clothes and ideas.

    Grammar: Used after a verb: she's very with it.

    Patterns

    • be with it
    • get with it

    The teacher tried to look with it by wearing a trendy jacket.

    His parents were surprisingly with it about modern music.

    Get with it, nobody wears those anymore!

Common combinations

not with it
I'm not with it after the long flight.
get with it
Get with it, the meeting started ten minutes ago.
very with it
Their new neighbor is young and very with it.
feel with it
I don't feel with it before my first cup of tea.
keep with it
She tries to keep with it by reading the latest news.

Synonyms and how they differ

alert
Alert is neutral and suits any register, while with it is casual and often used about your own mental state.
trendy
Trendy describes a fashionable thing or person but can sound critical, whereas with it was once mostly admiring.
up to date
Up to date means having the latest information and suits both people and things, while with it is for people.
hip
Hip is also slang for cool, but it suggests a deeper cultural awareness than the milder with it.

Opposites

out of touchbehind the times

Word family

with preposition
accompanied by or having
it pronoun
a thing already mentioned
withit adjective
rare spelling of the adjective

Commonly confused: with it or with it (pronoun use)?

with it vs with it (pronoun use)

In 'Put the book away and don't play with it', it refers to a thing; this is not the idiom.

Practice

After the night shift, Daniel admitted, 'I'm not really ___ today, so please repeat that.'

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