get away
Britishverb
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to make an escape; leave
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to make a start
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to steal and escape (with money, goods, etc)
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to do (something wrong, illegal, etc) without being discovered or punished or with only a minor punishment
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interjection
noun
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the act of escaping, esp by criminals
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a start or acceleration
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(modifier) used for escaping
a getaway car
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Break free, escape, as in The suspect ran down the street and got away , or I wanted to come but couldn't get away from the office . [c. 1300] A variant is get away from it all , meaning “to depart and leave one's surroundings or problems or work behind.” For example, Joe is taking a few days off—he needs to get away from it all .
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Start out or leave quickly, as in The greyhounds got away from the starting gate , or I thought I had the answer but it got away from me .
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Go, move off. For example, Get away from my desk! or Get away—I don't want you near that hot stove . [Late 1700s] Also see get away with .
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 and his close circle had decided to do whatever they wanted and see what they could get away with.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
“I felt like everything that I did was in an effort to get away from Scully,” Anderson admits.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
“She folded like an umbrella, and people get away with things. It’s a disgrace.”
From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2026
He said he “was disappointed with Jeanine Pirro…She folded like an umbrella. And people get away with things. It’s a disgrace.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Boy, nobody in Room 26 could get away with talking to Mrs. Brisbane like that.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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.
