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Synonyms

get back at

Idioms  

  1. Take revenge on, as in Watch out for Peter; he's sure to get back at you. Similarly, get one's own back means simply “get revenge,” as in She finally saw a chance to get her own back. The first expression dates from the late 1800s, the second from the early 1900s.

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.

Right then I saw a good chance to get back at my little sister.

From Literature

Claire was smart, she had friends, and she was going to find some way, I knew, to get back at me for scaring her and her brother.

From Literature

This is my chance to get back at Michelle.

From Literature

But if I say anything now, everyone will think I'm making it up because he made fun of me, to get back at him.

From Literature

“I feel great and ready to get back at it,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times

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.