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Synonyms

go at

British  

verb

  1. to make an energetic attempt at (something)

  2. to attack vehemently

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
go at Idioms  

  1. Attack, especially with energy; also, proceed vigorously. For example, The dog went at the postman's legs, or Tom went at the woodpile, chopping away. This idiom is sometimes put as go at it, as in When the audience had settled down, the lecturer went at it with renewed vigor. [First half of 1800s]

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.

Handing the trap back to me, Papa said, “You know, this time of the year there’s not much to do around the farm, just planting; and I can take care of that. You go right ahead and have a go at those monkeys. Maybe you can catch them; you’ve caught everything else in these hills.”

From Literature

After the defeat in Rennes, last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele had a go at his colleagues as he suggested too many had stopped playing for the collective.

From Barron's

Another five caps came and went in 2022, making this current run the 27-year-old's third go at international level.

From BBC

For weeks it has been a case of when, not if, Thomas Frank went, despite the club's ownership and leadership team being determined to give Frank a proper go at turning things round.

From BBC

I’d stand there with my mouth closed tight, my lips zipped, glued, and stapled together to keep the angry words that were banging to get out and have a go at Mama from escaping.

From Literature

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.