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Glite Dictionary
to rid of

to rid of

∞ 3.0
To free someone from something harmful or unwanted
  • phrasal verb
  • /rɪd ʌv/
translation icon : deshacerse de
  • Now we have to get rid of all this stuff.
  • get rid of
  • rid oneself of feelings
  • rid of traditional bottlenecks

So it means you can get rid of some of the jailing logic.

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Examples

  • It's time to get rid of the rest of the turmoil in the world.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • Another way to get rid of that fat at the end.

  • And then, you know, get rid of them or give them away.

    JennaMarbles

  • Well, I could get rid of Max for you.

    Ezra (2024)

  • You trying to get rid of me already?

    Werewolf Cabal (2022)

  • Thought you got rid of me, huh?

    The Samaritan (2012)

  • I have the right to rid myself of people who suck me dry.

  • Get rid of all this dirt.

    I'm Not Gay : A Musical (2023)

  • So I am going on a quest to rid my life of junk mail in all forms.

  • She decided to rid of unnecessary expenses in her budget.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto rid of
∞ 1.5

To move something or someone away from a place

is specifically about freeing from troublesome or harmful situations rather than general transfer
to get rid of
vsto rid of
∞ 1.6

To remove or throw away something you do not want

focuses on freeing from troublesome or harmful situations rather than general disposal
to let go
vsto rid of
∞ 1.4

To stop holding something or someone so they are free

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than mere release from grip
to take out
vsto rid of
948 1.9

To remove something from a place or container

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than mere extraction
to take away
vsto rid of
795 2.3

To remove something from a place or reduce something important, for example a right

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome influences rather than simple removal
to eliminate
vsto rid of
  • NSFW
502 3.4

Remove or kill something completely so it is gone

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than complete elimination
to let go of
vsto rid of
356 1.9

To stop holding something so it is not in your hand

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than physical release
to dispose
vsto rid of
149 3.4

Get rid of something by throwing it away, selling it, or giving it to someone

focuses on freeing people or things from harmful or troublesome situations rather than disposal
to take it away
vsto rid of
136 3.2

To remove something unwanted from a place

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than simply clearing items
to rid
vsto rid of
98 2.3

Make someone or something free of an unwanted thing

adds emphasis on freeing from troublesome or harmful situations rather than only removal
to do away with
vsto rid of
88 3.7

Remove something so it is no longer used

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than formal abolition
to eradicate
vsto rid of
85 6.6

Remove something harmful completely, for example a disease or pest

focuses on freeing from troublesome or harmful situations rather than full destruction
to cleanse
vsto rid of
  • Formal
73 4.8

Make a person or place free from unwanted feelings such as guilt

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than moral purification
to exterminate
vsto rid of
  • NSFW
60 6.9

To destroy something completely, often on purpose

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than extermination
to dispose of
vsto rid of
56 4.1

Deal with and finish a problem or task so it no longer causes trouble

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome persons or situations rather than problem solving
to purge
vsto rid of
49 6.3

To remove unwanted substances, things, or people by cleaning

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than systematic purging
to shake off
vsto rid of
41 3.6

Make something unwanted go away, like an illness, a feeling, or a person following you

is broader, covering freeing from troublesome people or situations beyond personal conditions
to cast
vsto rid of
38 4.0

To take off or throw away something

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than removing worn items
to weed out
vsto rid of
37 3.8

To remove unwanted people or things from a group

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than selective removal
to eject
vsto rid of
32 4.2

Force someone to leave a place

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than forced expulsion
to dispel
vsto rid of
29 4.6

To make a feeling or idea go away

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome people or things rather than ideas alone
to banish
vsto rid of
27 6.1

Make a thought or feeling go away so it stops bothering you

is broader, applying to freeing from persons, things, or harmful situations beyond mental states
to strip away
vsto rid of
27 4.0

Remove an outside layer or covering from something to show what is under it

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than gradual stripping
to expunge
vsto rid of
21 8.8

To remove all signs of something like a record or memory so it cannot be found

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than formal erasure
to extinguish
vsto rid of
21 5.5

End something completely, for example a custom or a debt

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than ending things broadly
to dislodge
vsto rid of
15 6.1

To force something or someone out of a place where they are stuck

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than physical displacement
to free
vsto rid of
12 1.0

To remove something unwanted from a place or person

focuses on freeing from troublesome or harmful situations rather than clearing obstructions
to cast aside
vsto rid of
  • Informal
11 3.7

Reject or ignore people and things you no longer want

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than mere rejection
to clear away
vsto rid of
10 1.8

To take things away from a place to make it tidy

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than tidying up
to clean out
vsto rid of
  • Informal
10 3.6

Remove people completely from a place or group because they are unwanted

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome people or situations rather than cleaning
to cast away
vsto rid of
4 4.1

To throw away things you no longer want

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than throwing away items
to cast off
vsto rid of
3 4.8

To get rid of something you do not want or need

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than simple discarding
to sweep away
vsto rid of
1 3.9

To destroy or carry something away completely, for example by water

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than total destruction
to extirpate
vsto rid of
  • Formal
1 9.9

To destroy something completely, including its root

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than root elimination
to disembarrass
vsto rid of
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To free a person or thing from an unwanted burden like debts

has a broader focus on freeing from harmful persons, things, or situations
to chuck out
vsto rid of
  • UK
1 5.0

To force someone to leave a place usually because they cause trouble

focuses on freeing from harmful or troublesome situations rather than informal disposal
to disburden
vsto rid of
9.0

To take away heavy things and worries from someone or something

covers freeing from troublesome or harmful persons, things, or situations as well as burdens
to disencumber
vsto rid of
  • Archaic
9.9

To free someone or something from a problem that makes things hard

focuses more widely on removing harmful persons, things, or situations rather than burdens alone

Antonyms

to keep
∞ 1.0

To continue doing something or stay in the same state

to retain
60 3.0

To hold something inside so it does not escape

How Free

to eliminate
  • NSFW
502 3.4
to release
∞ 1.8
to rid of
∞ 3.0
to clear off
8 3.0

Surface Forms

rid of infinitive
ridding of present participle
rids of third person singular
rid of past
rid of past participle

Morphology

rid + of

The verb 'rid' means 'make free from' and the preposition 'of' indicates the thing being removed, so the phrase 'rid of' directly composes to 'make free from X'; a B1 learner who knows both words can derive this meaning. This is a productive, cross-linguistically common construction (e.g. Spanish 'librar de', French 'se débarrasser de'), reinforcing its transparency.

Etymology

Rid of may come from a simple cleaning image: imagine pushing bad things out of a house with a broom so the house is free of them. If you rid a room of dirt you remove it, so 'rid of' now means 'to remove or get free from' something unwanted.