Synonyms

get back at

Idioms

Take revenge on, as in Watch out for Peter; he's sure to get back at you. Similarly, get one's own back means simply “get revenge,” as in She finally saw a chance to get her own back. The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the second from the early 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.

"I tried to get back at certain points but my knee wasn't quite ready," he said.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 2026

That made the scientists wonder if Anchali was trying to get back at Mary by ruining her shower.

From NewsForKids.net • Nov. 21, 2024

His wife did it to get back at one of their neighbors, he says.

From Slate • May 17, 2024

The first of those days off is Sunday, a day the Dodgers might have wanted a chance to quickly get back at it and put their Game 1 failures behind them.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 8, 2023

I’ve been waiting for her to do something to get back at me, so it’s almost a relief when it finally happens.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023