get at
Britishverb
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to gain access to
the dog could not get at the meat on the high shelf
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to mean or intend
what are you getting at when you look at me like that?
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to irritate or annoy persistently; criticize
she is always getting at him
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to influence or seek to influence, esp illegally by bribery, intimidation, etc
someone had got at the witness before the trial
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Touch, reach successfully, as in Mom hid the peanut butter so we couldn't get at it . [Late 1700s]
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Try to make understandable; hint at or suggest. For example, I think I see what you're getting at . [Late 1800s]
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Discover, learn, ascertain, as in We must get at the facts of the case . [Late 1700s]
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Bribe or influence by improper or illegal means, as in He got at the judge, and the charges were dismissed . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]
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Start on, begin work on, attend to, as in “Get at your canvassing early, and drive it with all your might” (Mark Twain, letter to his publishers, 1884). [ Colloquial ; late 1800s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During breeding season—roughly late April through most of August—they nest in underground burrows on offshore islands where mammalian predators such as mink, rats and foxes can’t get at them or their young.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
In England, pupils who don't get at least grade 4s in their maths and English GCSEs have to continue studying for them alongside their next course - their A-levels or their T-level, for example.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"We came up with a somewhat ingenious set of methods to get at something very difficult to analyze in the fossil record."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026
CEO Jason Liberty told analysts that the company is “effectively miniaturizing” some of its ocean ships to give river passengers what they get at sea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
“You know,” Ma begins, “it’s this same carelessness that gets you zeros on your assignments. Even if you turn them in late, you can still get at least half credit.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
