What Does “Get away with doing sth” Mean?
“Get away with doing sth” means to do something wrong or bad without being punished or facing consequences.
Introduction
The phrase “get away with doing sth” is commonly used in English to describe situations where someone commits an action that is usually wrong or forbidden but does not get caught or punished for it. Understanding the “get away with doing sth meaning” helps learners recognize how people talk about avoiding consequences in different contexts. This phrase is useful for talking about mistakes, rule-breaking, or misbehavior that goes unnoticed or unpunished. It often implies a sense of luck, cleverness, or sometimes unfairness. Knowing how to use this phrasal verb correctly will improve your fluency and help you sound more natural in conversations.
Quick Info Box
- Phrasal verb: Get away with doing sth (get away with something)
- Type: Transitive
- Level: B2
- Short meaning: Avoid punishment for doing something wrong
Structure (Grammar Rules)
“Get away with” is an inseparable phrasal verb, which means you cannot put the object between “get” and “away.”
Correct patterns:
- Get away with + noun (something)
- Get away with + verb-ing (doing something)
Incorrect: Get away something with (never separate the phrase)
How to Use “Get away with doing sth”?
You use “get away with doing sth” when you want to say someone did something wrong but was not caught or punished. It can be used in both formal and informal English. Usually, it talks about breaking rules, laws, or social norms. You can use it in past, present, and future tenses by changing the verb “get” accordingly.
Examples:
- She got away with cheating on the test.
- He always gets away with arriving late to work.
- Will they get away with lying to the manager?
Examples
Imagine a student who copied homework but the teacher did not notice. You could say:
- She got away with copying her homework because the teacher never checked carefully.
- They managed to get away with skipping the meeting without telling anyone.
- He got away with breaking the vase since no one saw him.
- Many people try to get away with minor mistakes at work to avoid trouble.
- It’s unfair when people get away with doing bad things without any consequences.
These examples show “get away with doing sth in a sentence” used naturally to describe avoiding punishment.
Common Mistakes
Sometimes learners make mistakes by separating the phrasal verb or using incorrect forms. For example:
- Incorrect: She got away the cheating with.
- Correct: She got away with cheating.
- Incorrect: He gets away with to lie.
- Correct: He gets away with lying.
Remember, “get away with” is inseparable and always followed by a noun or verb-ing form.
Differences / Synonyms
There are similar phrasal verbs like “get off with” or “escape punishment,” but they have subtle differences.
- Get off with: Often means receiving a lighter punishment than expected.
- Escape punishment: More formal and direct about avoiding consequences.
“Get away with doing sth” emphasizes the act of avoiding any punishment, often by luck or cleverness, while “get off with” suggests some punishment was given but it was light.
Common Collocations
Here are common words used with “get away with”:
- Get away with cheating: Avoiding punishment for dishonest behavior.
- Get away with lying: Not being caught for telling the truth.
- Get away with stealing: Successfully avoid consequences for theft.
- Get away with breaking rules: Avoid consequences for rule-breaking.
- Get away with murder: A phrase meaning to escape punishment for a serious crime, often used figuratively.
Related Phrasal Verbs
Here are related phrasal verbs of get away with doing sth:
Real-life Dialogue
Here is a short conversation using the phrase:
Anna: Did you hear that Mike didn’t get punished for missing the deadline?
John: Yeah, he really got away with doing nothing this time.
Anna: It’s so unfair. We all worked hard, but he got away with it.
Practice
Fill in the blanks with the correct form of “get away with doing sth”:
- She always __________ (get away with / cheat) on tests because the teacher is strict.
- They __________ (get away with / lie) about their absence last week.
- Do you think he will __________ (get away with / break) the rules again?
- He __________ (get away with / steal) the money without anyone noticing.
FAQs
- Q: Can “get away with” be used in formal writing?
A: It is more common in informal or conversational English, but can be used in formal writing depending on context.
- Q: Is “get away with” separable?
A: No, it is an inseparable phrasal verb.
- Q: Can I say “get away with to do something”?
A: No, after “get away with,” use the verb in -ing form (gerund).
- Q: What does “get away with murder” mean?
A: It means to avoid punishment for a serious crime, often used figuratively to say someone avoids consequences easily.
- Q: Can “get away with” be used positively?
A: Usually it refers to negative actions, but sometimes it can be used humorously or sarcastically.
