get back at (someone)

phrase

informal

: to do something bad or unpleasant to (someone who has treated one badly or unfairly)

After he lost his job, he vowed that he would find a way to get back at his old boss.

Examples of get back at (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Lucy tries to get back at Stephen by crashing his Yale reception and sabotaging his admission by tipping off a staff member about his dangerous behavior. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026

So when the Super Bowl came along, Marshawn felt like Pete was going to get back at him by not giving him the ball, to keep him from being MVP. — Terence Moore, Forbes.com, 5 Feb. 2026

In this version of the classic tale, Peter is Wendy's father, and James, the book’s Captain Hook, plans to seduce her to get back at his nemesis. — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 26 Jan. 2026

Shakespeare humanizes the Elizabethan stage stereotype of the villainous Jew by giving Shylock ample reason for wanting to get back at his Christian persecutors. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2026