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Glite Dictionary
to get the hang of

to get the hang of

59 3.9
To learn how to do something after some practice
  • phrasal verb
  • /ɡɛt ðə hæŋ ʌv/
  • Informal
translation icon : cogerle el truco a
  • After practicing for several hours, I finally got the hang of riding a bicycle.

You feel like maybe, possibly, you kind of got the hang of it now.

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Examples

  • Starting to get the hang of this thing.

    On a Wing and a Prayer (2023)

  • "It's not so difficult once you get the hang of it."

    Fiction book (1998)

  • All right, we'll have lots more practice with this today and we'll get the hang of doing these problems.

  • You feel like maybe, possibly, you kind of got the hang of it now.

    Film Courage

  • So it's like once they got the hang of it, we started every summer for six weeks.

    The 85 South Comedy Show

  • Took me weeks before I got the hang of it.

    The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (2005)

  • Maybe not in the beginning, but later on, when I got the hang of things.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Like anything else, once one gets the hang of it, the time needed for planning decreases.

    Academic text (2001)

  • After some attempts, I could finally start to get the hang of it and produce nice prints.

  • Becoming human isn't so very difficult, once you get the hang of it.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

to learn
vsto get the hang of
∞ 1.0

Get knowledge and skills in a subject by study or practice

focuses on practical ability after practice rather than broad learning
to get the hang
vsto get the hang of
  • Informal
58 3.6

Learn to do something well after some practice

has identical meaning but uses a longer phrasal form
to get better at
vsto get the hang of
34 1.8

To become more skilled in an activity by practicing

means reaching usable competence after some practice rather than gradual change
to learn the ropes
vsto get the hang of
  • Informal
9 3.4

To begin to understand how to do a job by gaining basic skills

focuses on general ability after practice rather than only basic skills
to get to grips with
vsto get the hang of
  • UK
3 5.4

To begin to understand and deal with a difficult subject or problem

is broader covering simple skill learning not limited to hard problems
to get in the groove
vsto get the hang of
  • Informal
1 6.3

To work smoothly and easily after a short time

refers to initial learning rather than later smooth performance

Antonyms

unteachable
2 5.9

Not willing or able to learn new things

bewildered
1 5.3

Feeling confused and not knowing what is happening or what to do

How Skilled

to perfect
118 3.9
to master
191 4.1
to get the hang of
  • Informal
59 3.9
to learn
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

get the hang of infinitive
getting the hang of present participle
gets the hang of third person singular
got the hang of past
got the hang of past participle

Morphology

get + the + hang + of

Given the provided constituent meanings—especially 'hang' as 'an acquired knack'—the phrase composes directly as 'get' (obtain/comprehend) + 'the hang (knack) of' = obtain the knack for doing something. This is a common, cross-linguistic metaphor (e.g. 'cogerle el truco'/'prendre le coup de main') and would be immediately derivable by a B1 learner who knows the constituent senses.

Etymology

Get the hang of may come from a simple image: imagine trying to hold a rope or bar and at first you keep slipping, but when you can hang on easily you have learned the skill. So the phrase means 'to learn how to do something after some practice'.