phrasal verb · informal
get at
/ɡet æt/get·AT
speaking
to mean or to imply something (often used in questions: 'What are you getting at?').
Examples
“What are you trying to get at?”
“I didn't understand what he was getting at in the meeting.”
“She kept hinting and I couldn't figure out what she was getting at.”
Band 8 sentence
“During the interview she kept circling the issue but I couldn't tell exactly what she was getting at.”
Collocations
- what are you getting at?
- get at the meaning
Word family
get at + noun / get at + that-clause phrasal verb
Common mistakes
What do you get?→What are you getting at?
He tried to get me.→He was trying to get at me / He was trying to get at something.
Say it for a higher band
5mean→6hint at→7+get at
Synonyms
hint at
Easily confused
hint at
“She hinted at a possible change in the schedule.”
Related words
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In get …
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