idiom / phrasal verb · neutral
get something off one's chest
UK/ɡet ˈsʌmθɪŋ ɒf wʌnz ʧɛst/US/ɡet ˈsʌmθɪŋ ɑːf wʌnz ʧɛst/get something off one's CHEST
to say something that has been worrying you so that you feel relieved
Examples
“She needed to get something off her chest, so she told her friend the whole story.”
“I felt better after I got it off my chest.”
“If you need to get something off your chest, I'm here to listen.”
Band 8 sentence
“He finally got it off his chest and admitted he had been struggling with exam stress.”
Collocations
- get it off my chest
- want to get something off your chest
Word family
Common mistakes
I want to get my chest off.→I want to get something off my chest.
Can I get this off my chest?→Can I get this off my chest?
Say it for a higher band
5tell→6confide→7+get something off one's chest
Synonyms
confide
unburden
Easily confused
confide
“She confided in her sister about the problem.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In get …
Learn it with its set