phrasal verb (informal) · informal
get wind of
/ɡet wɪnd əv/get WIND of
to hear about something secret or private, often through rumor
Examples
“The students got wind of the surprise test and prepared nervously.”
“When investors got wind of the merger, the stock price rose.”
“If management gets wind of the complaints, they will investigate.”
Band 8 sentence
“As soon as the staff got wind of the policy change, there was a wave of questions.”
Collocations
- get wind of + noun/that-clause
- get wind of a plan/rumour/secret
Word family
Common mistakes
They heard of the plan.→They got wind of the plan.
She got the wind about the exam.→She got wind of the exam.
Say it for a higher band
5hear about→6hear rumours of→7+get wind of
Synonyms
hear about
hear rumours of
Easily confused
hear about
“I heard about the new restaurant from a friend.”
hear rumours of
“People began to hear rumours of a takeover.”
Related words
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In get …
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