phrasal verb · neutral
get the idea across
UK/ɡet ðə aɪˈdɪə əˈkrɒs/US/ɡɛt ðə aɪˈdiːə əˈkrɔs/get·the·i·DE·a·a·CROSS
to communicate an idea clearly so that people understand it
Examples
“I used a diagram to get the idea across to the students.”
“He can't get the idea across when he speaks too fast.”
“Good visuals help you get your idea across in presentations.”
Band 8 sentence
“If you want to persuade an examiner in Task 2, you must get your idea across with clear examples and cohesive language.”
Collocations
- get the idea across to an audience
- use examples to get the idea across
Word family
Common mistakes
get idea across→get the idea across
make the idea across→get the idea across
Say it for a higher band
5say clearly→6communicate→7+get the idea across
Synonyms
communicate
convey
Easily confused
get the message
“After the manager's comments, everyone seemed to get the message.”
Related words
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