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.
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
"He continues to get away with it," Tilly said.
From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026
I even said at one point, I said, “Can we get away with the jacket, you know, the anchor jacket?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026
"If in 2024 I could get away with criticising Putin and the war, now I can't anymore," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Some guys can get away with stink—tall guys, sporty guys, guys who have something else they can be known for, like that guy who learned to unicycle.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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.
