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Synonyms

get a rise out of

Idioms  

  1. Elicit an angry or irritated reaction, as in His teasing always got a rise out of her. This expression alludes to the angler's dropping a fly in a likely spot in the hope that a fish will rise to this bait.

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.

He even managed to get a rise out of mild-mannered Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone, who recently kicked him out of the chamber for heckling.

From BBC • Sep. 19, 2025

“TJ Simers was acerbic, witty, cranky and knew how to get a rise out of people,” Southern California sportswriter Janis Carr tweeted Monday.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

“You can see that phrase and easily recognize that someone’s trying to get a rise out of you by using it,” Pitcavage said.

From Washington Post • Feb. 28, 2023

She also knows Tao well and finds his dramatic ways amusing, especially when she can get a rise out of him with a dry, pointed remark about his love of "Donnie Darko."

From Salon • Dec. 26, 2022

I’ve seen Snout pee on T. Ray’s boot and it not get a rise out of him.

From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

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.