get\ at

get\ at
v
1. To reach an understanding of; find out the meaning.

This book is very hard to get at.

2. To do harm to.

The cat is on the chair trying to get at the canary.

Compare: get back at
3. To have a chance to do; attend to.

I hope I have time to get at my homework tonight.

Compare: get to(2)
4. To mean; aim at; hint at.

What was Betty getting at when she said she knew our secret?

What the teacher was getting at in this lesson was that it is important to speak correctly.

Syn.: drive at
Compare: get across

Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • get — [ get ] (past tense got [ gat ] ; past participle gotten [ gatn ] ) verb *** ▸ 1 obtain/receive ▸ 2 become/start to be ▸ 3 do something/have something done ▸ 4 move to/from ▸ 5 progress in activity ▸ 6 fit/put something in a place ▸ 7 understand… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • get — /get/ verb past tense got, past participle got especially BrE gotten especially AmE present participle getting RECEIVE/OBTAIN 1 RECEIVE (transitive not in passive) to be given or receive something: Sharon always seems to get loads of mail. | Why… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • get*/*/*/ — [get] (past tense got [gɒt] ; past participle got) verb 1) [T] to obtain, receive, or be given something Ross s father got a new job.[/ex] Did you get tickets for the game?[/ex] You get ten points for each correct answer.[/ex] Young players will… …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

  • get — [get] verb got PASTTENSE [gɒt ǁ gɑːt] got PASTPART gotten PASTPART [ˈgɒtn ǁ ˈgɑːtn] getting PRESPART 1 …   Financial and business terms

  • get — [get; ] also, although it is considered nonstandard by some [, git] vt. GOT, gotten, getting: see usage note at GOTTEN got, got [ME geten < ON geta, to get, beget, akin to OE gietan (see BEGET, FORGET), Ger gessen in vergessen, forget < IE… …   English World dictionary

  • Get — (g[e^]t), v. i. 1. To make acquisition; to gain; to profit; to receive accessions; to be increased. [1913 Webster] We mourn, France smiles; we lose, they daily get. Shak. [1913 Webster] 2. To arrive at, or bring one s self into, a state,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • get — ► VERB (getting; past got; past part. got, N. Amer. or archaic gotten) 1) come to have or hold; receive. 2) succeed in attaining, achieving, or experiencing; obtain. 3) experience, suffer, or be afflicted with. 4) move in order to pic …   English terms dictionary

  • get — 1. range of use. Get is one of the most frequently used and most productive words in English. Often it has virtually no meaning in itself and draws its meaning almost entirely from its context, especially in idiomatic uses such as get to bed, get …   Modern English usage

  • Get — (g[e^]t), v. t. [imp. {Got} (g[o^]t) (Obs. {Gat} (g[a^]t)); p. p. {Got} (Obsolescent {Gotten} (g[o^]t t n)); p. pr. & vb. n. {Getting}.] [OE. geten, AS. gitan, gietan (in comp.); akin to Icel. geta, Goth. bigitan to find, L. prehendere to seize,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • get — [v1] come into possession of; achieve access, accomplish, acquire, annex, attain, bag*, bring, bring in, build up, buy into, buy off, buy out, capture, cash in on*, chalk up*, clean up*, clear, come by, compass, cop*, draw, earn, educe, effect,… …   New thesaurus

  • Get Up — can refer to:*GetUp!, the Australian political campaigning organisation *Get up!, a film directed by Kazuyuki Izutsu *GET UP, the graduate employee unionizing campaign at the University of Pennsylvania. Music *Get Up (Ciara song), a song by Ciara …   Wikipedia

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