Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
to get one's hands on

to get one's hands on

77 4.1
To obtain something that is hard to find or buy
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : conseguir
  • Now he was thinking as he walked of how he could get his hands on meat without spending four pounds.

Examples

  • The truth, no doubt, was out there, but how could anybody go about getting his hands on it?

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Get your hands on as much as you can.

    A Good Year (2006)

  • - Where are you gonna get your hands on that kind of money?

    Grapes on a Vine (2008)

  • You know, at this point, anything I can get my hands on.

    Analyze That (2002)

  • Driving back to the plant, he reflected on how he might get his hands on that safe.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • The way McTaggart read every newspaper he could get his hands on.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • BO CATLETT: Listen, Harry, how would you like to get your hands on five hundred grand?

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Lots of paprika and any spice you can get your hands on.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Man, I can't wait to get my hands on that archery set.

    The Naughty Nine (2023)

  • I finally managed to get my hands on that rare book I've been searching for.

Synonyms

to get
vsto get one's hands on
∞ 1.0

To receive something, for example by buying it or finding it

is narrower, stressing difficulty or rarity when acquiring something
to obtain
vsto get one's hands on
619 2.6

To get something by asking or working for it

stresses difficulty of finding the item rather than simple purchase
to come by
vsto get one's hands on
127 3.2

Get something, often by luck or after effort

is used for deliberate acquisition of items that are hard to find
to get hold
vsto get one's hands on
  • UK
66 3.2

To contact a person or obtain something you need

focuses on acquiring hard to find items rather than arranging contact
to procure
vsto get one's hands on
45 6.8

To get something you need, often by trying hard or getting special help

is mainly used for items that are hard to find
to get hold of
vsto get one's hands on
24 2.5

To take something in your hand

is about acquiring scarce items rather than simply holding them
to lay hands on
vsto get one's hands on
6 6.5

To get something, often after hard work

is used when the item is especially hard to obtain

Antonyms

to lose
∞ 1.0

Not be able to find something you once had

to miss out
176 3.6

Lose the chance to enjoy something good

How Easy

to obtain
619 2.6
to get one's hands on
77 4.1
to secure
324 3.9

Surface Forms

get one's hands on infinitive
getting one's hands on present participle
gets one's hands on third person singular
got one's hands on past
got one's hands on past participle

Morphology

get + one + hand + on

The phrase pairs 'get' (obtain) with the concrete image of putting one's 'hands on' something, so a learner who knows the parts can plausibly infer a meaning around obtaining or taking hold of an item. However, the sense is a conventionalized metaphor (often implying something difficult or desirable to obtain) rather than a strictly literal composition, and this pragmatic extension may not be fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

The phrase get one's hands on creates a clear picture: you finally put your hands 'on' something you want, really touching or holding it. That's why it means 'to get' or 'to obtain' something, especially when it is hard to find.