get away with
Idioms-
Escape the consequences or blame for, as in Bill often cheats on exams but usually gets away with it . [Late 1800s]
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get away with murder . Escape the consequences of killing someone; also, do anything one wishes. For example, If the jury doesn't convict him, he'll have gotten away with murder , or He talks all day on the phone—the supervisor is letting him get away with murder . [First half of 1900s]
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.
"They thought they could get away with it," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
So is he just going to get away with it?
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“So maybe you can get away with it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026
But there are no penalties set by law, and unions have found they can get away with it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
By now my English was good enough to get away with such a cocky response.
From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson
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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.