Get At (Verb)
Meaning 1
Cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves".
Classification
Verbs of feeling.
Examples
- The sound of fingernails on a chalkboard really gets at me.
- Her constant complaining gets at his patience.
- The feeling of sand in my socks gets at me throughout the day.
- It gets at me that she never listens to my advice.
- The smell of smoke wafting from the neighbor's BBQ gets at my allergies.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 2
Reach or gain access to; "How does one access the attic in this house?"; "I cannot get to the T.V. antenna, even if I climb on the roof".
Classification
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming.
Examples
- She was trying every possible route to get at the bees' nest in the hollow tree, but it was too high.
- A ladder was finally used to get at the broken light fixture hanging from the 12-foot ceiling.
- Police were having trouble getting at the crime scene due to the fallen power lines barricading the street.
- Maintenance workers had to cut a hole through a wall just to get at the corroded pipe that had been causing the leak.
- The phone installer used a long wrench with a curved claw end to get at a corroded screw deep in the electrical box.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
Influence by corruption.
Classification
Verbs of political and social activities and events.
Examples
- The politician's opponents accused her of trying to get at the judges to sway their verdict in her favor.
- They were worried that the wealthy businessman would get at the committee members to influence the decision.
- The powerful corporation was suspected of attempting to get at key policymakers to undermine their investigation.
- It was rumored that the mafia had managed to get at some high-ranking officials to gain protection for their crimes.
- The whistleblower feared that her former employer would get at the jurors to discredit her testimony.