get at

phrase

1

: to reach effectively

The valve is hard to get at unless you have a special tool.

2

: to influence corruptly : bribe

3

: to turn one's attention to

The committee finally got at the main issue.

4

: to try to prove or make clear

I don't understand what he's getting at.

Examples of get at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Unmarried young men lead the rest of the population in sedentary, solo leisure time (a metric that gets at hours spent chasing dopamine hits in front of a screen). — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 13 July 2026

Messi got at the end of a through ball in the box, was one-on-one with Vozinha, and the keeper blocked the legend’s shot with his mid-section. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026

The trio’s story, the family believes, might be the only way to get at the truth of what happened. — Michael Loria, USA Today, 11 July 2026

Instead of shiny façades, people want to see behind the scenes, to get at the real story. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Rhymes for get at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat