get at

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get at

verb gets at · getting at · got at · gotten at

transitive To manage to gain access to. I have a lot of money in my trust fund. I just can't get at it.
transitive To understand or ascertain by investigation. We need to get at the root cause of all this.
transitive To mean, signify, imply. I don't understand. What are you getting at?
Similar: drive at
transitive To attack verbally or physically; to annoy, bother. He's a bit disheartened. The newspapers have been getting at him again.
transitive To persuade by intimidation; to tamper with; to corrupt. That was a ridiculous verdict. I think the jury was got at.
transitive To begin working on or dealing with. Stop procrastinating on your work and get at it!
Similar: have at, get on
US, slang, transitive To contact someone. I've got some things to do for about an hour. After that, get at me.
UK, slang, transitive To tease (someone).

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MLA

"get at." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/get%20at. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

get at. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/get%20at

Chicago

"get at." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/get%20at.

BibTeX

@misc{get_at_2026,
  title = {get at},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/get%20at},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}