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Glite Dictionary
to get it through someone's head

to get it through someone's head

1 5.5
To make someone understand or accept something after many tries
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : hacer entender
  • Finally, after several explanations, I managed to get it through her head that she needs to study more for the exam.

Examples

Synonyms

to talk into
vsto get it through someone's head
236 3.0

Make someone agree to do something by giving reasons

relies on repeated effort to make someone accept rather than just explain
to get through
vsto get it through someone's head
74 3.1

To make an idea or feeling understood by someone

often requires repeated effort to achieve that understanding or acceptance
to get across
vsto get it through someone's head
67 3.0

Make an idea or message clear so other people understand it

aims for acceptance through persistent effort rather than brief explanation
to coax
vsto get it through someone's head
54 4.1

To gently persuade someone by being kind and patient

uses steady repeated attempts to secure understanding rather than soft prompting
to twist someone's arm
vsto get it through someone's head
  • Informal
1 4.4

Get someone to agree or do something by pressuring them

usually needs patient repetition and explanation rather than pressure
to bend someone's will
vsto get it through someone's head
7.1

Persuade someone to do what you want

seeks understanding or acceptance rather than mere obedient compliance

Antonyms

to confuse
266 1.9

Make someone unable to think clearly or make something hard to understand

to misunderstand
53 1.8

To think something is true when it is not

How Persuasive

to force down
  • Informal
2 7.0
to open someone's eyes
  • Informal
3 3.7
to get it through someone's head
  • Informal
1 5.5
to explain
∞ 1.0
mention
220 2.5

Surface Forms

get it through someone's head infinitive
getting it through someone's head present participle
gets it through someone's head third person singular
got it through someone's head past
got it through someone's head past participle

Morphology

get + it + through + someone's + head

The phrase maps a physical motion onto a mental state: 'get' (cause/understand) + 'through' (completely) + 'head' (mind) yields the idea of making something enter someone's mind. This metaphorical mapping is fairly accessible and parallels like 'get through to someone' exist in many languages, but it still relies on figurative transfer rather than strict compositionality, so learners can often guess the meaning but not fully predict it without exposure.

Etymology

Get it through someone's head gives a clear image: you try to get an idea (it) through someone's head until it sticks. So, the phrase means 'to make someone understand' after trying many times.