get at

British  

verb

1. to gain access to

   the dog could not get at the meat on the high shelf

2. to mean or intend

   what are you getting at when you look at me like that?

3. to irritate or annoy persistently; criticize

   she is always getting at him

4. 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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get at Idioms  

1. Touch, reach successfully, as in Mom hid the peanut butter so we couldn't get at it . [Late 1700s]

2. Try to make understandable; hint at or suggest. For example, I think I see what you're getting at . [Late 1800s]

3. Discover, learn, ascertain, as in We must get at the facts of the case . [Late 1700s]

4. Bribe or influence by improper or illegal means, as in He got at the judge, and the charges were dismissed . [ Colloquial ; mid-1800s]

5. 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]

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Example Sentences

I guess what I’m getting at is: It didn’t feel exalted, but I felt purpose and that it was OK to have some responsibility — like a pastor with a congregation.

From Los Angeles Times

After that came a wonderful mash that Renn made of late lingonberries and hazelnuts, and finally some beechnuts, which they burst by the fire and peeled to get at the small, rich nuts inside.

From Literature

“Today’s executive orders get at the root of the housing affordability problem by eliminating obstacles to build more homes and providing better access to financing,” Bill Owens, the trade group’s chairman, said in a statement.

From Barron's

This gets at the main problem Mr. Ansari sees with Western analysis: “We fail to give the Iranians agency in what they do.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The dogs immediately swung down off the trail toward the lake, trying to get at the wolves and deer.

From Literature

Related Words

• ascertain
• get hold of