Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

get wind of

Idioms  

  1. Learn of; hear a rumor about. For example, “If my old aunt gets wind of it, she'll cut me off with a shilling” (William Makepeace Thackeray, in Paris Sketch Book, 1840). This expression alludes to an animal perceiving a scent carried by the wind. [First half of 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.

It was the one point the SBU worried most that the FSB might get wind of the operation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

Get organized: The minute you get wind of a possible layoff, start readying your finances, medical needs and personal belongings.

From Washington Post • Nov. 8, 2022

Investors use them to shadow chief executives to get wind of corporate mergers.

From New York Times • Feb. 3, 2022

But a dishonest former IRS agent and a thuggish Bahamian customs official get wind of it and hope to trick Doc into revealing the location of the rest of the treasure.

From Washington Times • Feb. 12, 2020

At the same time he sniffed, trying to get wind of the peanut butter at the end of the maze.

From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary

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.