to get to
- phrasal verb
- /ɡɛt tu/
- Informal
- Why do you let her get to you?
Examples
-
It's no big deal, really, but I was letting it get to me anyway.
Fiction book (1996) -
The pressure of coaching got to him.
-
That night... - Does that ever get to you?
-
Pressure gets to all of us.
-
Like if you let it get to you and think about it all the time.
Fiction book (1993) -
More than anything, the tension was getting to her, draining her of what strength she had left.
Fiction book (1992) -
It doesn't get to me so much anymore.
-
Perhaps the heat and humidity of Atlanta finally got to them (i.e., fatigue and environment).
Academic text (2000) -
Sometimes the little things people say can really get to you and ruin your day.
-
She tried to ignore the comments, but they still managed to get to her.
Synonyms
To annoy or disturb someone
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
Make someone feel annoyed or impatient, often by repeated small actions
Make someone annoyed, often by small things
To annoy someone with small repeated actions
To annoy someone by small, repeated actions
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does
To annoy or upset someone in a way that feels sharp
To make someone angry
To annoy someone or make them feel defensive
To annoy someone again and again with small problems
To annoy someone or make them angry
Antonyms
How Annoyed
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
get + to
The meaning 'to annoy or upset' is connected to a metaphorical extension of 'get' (to reach or affect) — i.e. something 'reaches' a person emotionally — but this inferential step is not fully predictable, and 'to' contributes little lexical content. Although some languages use a similar reach→affect pattern, the specific emotional/annoyance sense is partially idiomatic and would likely require exposure for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Get to meaning 'annoy' comes from the picture of something small getting under your skin, like a stone in your shoe. When little things keep getting to you and reach your feelings, they start to bother you, so get to means to upset or annoy someone.