to get away
751
4.1
- phrasal verb
- /ɡɛt əˈweɪ/
- She thought she could get away with cheating on the test, but the teacher caught her.
- get away with murder
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Watch on YouTubeNo one's going to see, and I can get away with taking the shortcut.
- No one's going to see, and I can get away with taking the shortcut.
- I mean, you got away with so many crimes for so long.
- There have been attacks on Jewish people and they get they get away.
- So they couldn't get away saying oops, we didn't know.
Examples
-
I mean, you got away with so many crimes for so long.
-
We let him get away with it.
-
Looks like you got away with that one.
-
And the real bad guys get away free.
-
Sometimes you get away with it.
-
He'll not get away this time!
-
I did not want him to get away with it, but he looked delighted.
Academic text (2007) -
We broke every major rule the temple has; how could we get away with it?
Fiction book (1991) -
These private armies can and do get away with many things our ordinary military cannot.
-
Look, baby, you can't get away with it.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To get away from a place where you are kept or are in danger
907
1.6
To leave secretly and quickly to get away from danger or control
651
3.5
To escape punishment for doing something wrong
246
3.4
Escape blame or punishment for doing something wrong
240
2.7
To get away from a person, place, or situation that causes trouble
118
3.8
Avoid doing a task or taking blame you should accept
118
6.0
To avoid punishment for a crime or charge
81
5.8
To escape someone or fail to be understood
79
3.4
Have permission to leave a place where you were kept, usually after being arrested or accused
69
5.4
To leave quickly with something stolen or taken without permission
62
4.4
To get away from someone or something by being clever and tricky
37
4.5
To leave a court or prison without being punished
27
3.6
To escape suddenly from control, capture, or a group
25
4.4
Leave a place quickly to avoid being caught after causing or seeing trouble
23
6.4
To run away quickly after stealing or committing a crime
21
3.6
To leave a place quietly without being noticed
17
3.9
Avoid being caught or punished for breaking rules
17
3.9
To force yourself free from a place or person
11
8.5
To leave quickly and secretly with money or things to avoid being caught
To escape from the police by running or hiding
Antonyms
- Informal
18
4.5
Accept and deal with unpleasant results or criticism for something you did
How Punished
751
4.1
118
6.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
get + away
The meaning 'avoid being caught or punished' is a conventionalized, metaphorical extension of the literal 'get' + 'away' sense of escaping. A B1 learner who knows 'get' and 'away' can likely infer a general idea of 'escape' but may not predict the specific collocation 'get away with' and its legal/punishment nuance without prior exposure, so the relation is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Get away comes from the image of someone slipping past others and getting away without being stopped; imagine a person who breaks a rule and walks off before anyone notices. So it means 'to avoid being caught or punished'.