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.
Firefighters continued their campaign to pull apart the structure and get at the flames hidden inside as additional crews arrived from across the region to assist with the fire battle on Monday.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026
YouTube, websites, podcasts, work—anything I tried worked smoothly, and the speed was, frankly, better than I get at home.
From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026
Earlier this week, the government detailed changes to the deal, with Australia to buy three second-hand submarines from the US, replacing a former agreement that Australia would get at least one new vessel.
From BBC • Jun. 2, 2026
One of the hardest things as a parent whose child is not sleeping is how furious you can get at 4 a.m., even though you know you shouldn’t be angry, because they’re just a baby.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
Beneath the sketches stood a row of locked cabinets—bookshelves, Reynie realized, but locked so no one could get at the books.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
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.
