get away
Britishverb
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to make an escape; leave
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to make a start
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to steal and escape (with money, goods, etc)
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to do (something wrong, illegal, etc) without being discovered or punished or with only a minor punishment
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interjection
noun
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the act of escaping, esp by criminals
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a start or acceleration
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(modifier) used for escaping
a getaway car
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Break free, escape, as in The suspect ran down the street and got away , or I wanted to come but couldn't get away from the office . [c. 1300] A variant is get away from it all , meaning “to depart and leave one's surroundings or problems or work behind.” For example, Joe is taking a few days off—he needs to get away from it all .
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Start out or leave quickly, as in The greyhounds got away from the starting gate , or I thought I had the answer but it got away from me .
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Go, move off. For example, Get away from my desk! or Get away—I don't want you near that hot stove . [Late 1700s] Also see get away with .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even when you win the race, you don't get away from the cobbles.
From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026
Her drive for success and wealth comes from “wanting to get away from that life and what I saw around me,” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
So far, Apple has been able to get away with its limited AI updates. iPhone demand is strong, services revenue is growing, and new product launches have excited customers.
From Barron's • Mar. 24, 2026
“I’m just trying to go to dinner,” she tells the camera in a video captured by an onlooker, “and I’ve asked these people several times to get away from me.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
They were both so eager to get away from that sharecropping farm that they started loading the wagon by moonlight.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.