to get the point
51
2.7
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
entender
- After explaining the rules several times, I was relieved when the students finally got the point.
And it's like, OK, I get the point of like getting it right.
- And it's like, OK, I get the point of like getting it right.
- What a lot of people tend to do is that they say a whole story and then they'll get the point at the end.
- And he wrote this book to speak about the glory of his people so that Gentiles would get the point.
- Maybe if you can get the point in less time.
- We watch, all right, We get the point on it.
Examples
-
I'm pretty sure you guys get the point, right?
-
Sometimes people learn the lesson or get the point long after they need it.
Fiction book (1992) -
And it's like, OK, I get the point of like getting it right.
-
I think they got the point.
-
Of course you get the point.
-
I could go on, but I think you get the point I am trying to make.
Blog text (3) -
I just couldn't seem to get the point of why I was going to school and how this was ever going to help me.
-
A little exaggeration there, but you get the point.
Academic text (2011) -
What a lot of people tend to do is that they say a whole story and then they'll get the point at the end.
-
I get the point.
Synonyms
∞
1.4
To understand what someone says or an idea
∞
1.0
To know the meaning of something
877
1.1
To understand something after someone explains it
37
3.2
To understand what someone is saying or what is happening
4
4.5
To understand the main idea without knowing every detail
3
4.9
To understand and accept that someone's remark makes sense even if you do not agree
Antonyms
How Well
146
4.1
- Informal
51
2.7
137
2.7
- Informal
4
4.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to understand the main idea' is directly and compositionally derived from 'get' (to comprehend) plus 'the point' (the meaning or aim), so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the expression. This is a common, cross-linguistic verb + noun pattern for understanding, and the definite article does not obscure the transparent connection.
Etymology
The phrase get the point comes from the image of someone pointing to the most important idea; if you get the point, you notice the small, main idea they are showing. That's why it means 'to understand the main idea'.