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get out of

A2 neutral inseparable transitive
In simple words

To leave a place, avoid having to do something, or get something from someone.

Literal meaning: To exit from the interior of something — transparent in the physical sense, idiomatic in abstract uses.

Meanings

1 A2 neutral

To leave or exit a physical place or container.

"He struggled to get out of the car because of his injured knee."

Grammar: inseparable
2 A2 idiomatic neutral

To avoid or escape a duty, commitment, or unpleasant task.

"He always manages to get out of doing the dishes by conveniently disappearing."

Grammar: inseparable
3 B1 idiomatic neutral

To obtain something from a person or situation, often with difficulty.

"The detective couldn't get a single word out of the suspect."

Grammar: inseparable
4 B1 idiomatic neutral

To stop having a bad habit or to leave a difficult personal situation.

"It's very hard to get out of the habit of checking your phone first thing in the morning."

Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes

Extremely versatile and high-frequency. In the avoidance sense, often implies using an excuse or some cleverness ('get out of doing the washing up'). In the extraction sense ('get information out of someone'), it implies difficulty.

Commonly used with

car bed trouble habit hand control information way

Forms

Base
get out of
I/you/we/they
3rd person
gets out of
he/she/it
Past simple
got out of
yesterday
Past participle
got/gotten out of
have + pp
-ing form
getting out of
continuous

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Synonyms

exit leave avoid escape extract wriggle out of

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