get back at (someone)
idiom
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
There’s some self-awareness — when Jaheim begins flirting with Rupert’s girlfriend Florence (Rosie Graham) to get back at his tormenter, Florence immediately recognizes and comments on his motivations — but not so much that Boarders ever risks collapsing in on itself.
—
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024
As Beane explains to his team, the two acted as card counters who were ready to get back at the casino — or teams with astronomical budgets and star power.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
According to Roth, the younger Van Halen threw a woman — whom Wolfgang thought was Roth's girlfriend but was actually an accountant in charge of payroll for the tour — out of two concerts to get back at him for it.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
His lawyers also argued that Jabbari fabricated the allegations to get back at Majors after their breakup.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Jan. 2024
The defense also argued that Jabbari fabricated the allegations to get back at Majors after their breakup.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023
The small incident balloons into a chase, then builds into an obsession for each party to get back at the other: the out-of-work handyman and his late-model Toyota Tacoma versus the wealthy entrepreneur in her shiny new Mercedes SUV.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Now Abbott is threatening to use his veto power to get back at Patrick and the Senate for refusing to pass the governor’s preferred tax plan, the Republican lieutenant governor said.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 15 June 2023
The first of those days off is Sunday, a day the Dodgers might have wanted a chance to quickly get back at it and put their Game 1 failures behind them.
—Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 8 Mar. 2024
As Beane explains to his team, the two acted as card counters who were ready to get back at the casino — or teams with astronomical budgets and star power.
—Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023
According to Roth, the younger Van Halen threw a woman — whom Wolfgang thought was Roth's girlfriend but was actually an accountant in charge of payroll for the tour — out of two concerts to get back at him for it.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024
His lawyers also argued that Jabbari fabricated the allegations to get back at Majors after their breakup.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Jan. 2024
The defense also argued that Jabbari fabricated the allegations to get back at Majors after their breakup.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 18 Dec. 2023
The small incident balloons into a chase, then builds into an obsession for each party to get back at the other: the out-of-work handyman and his late-model Toyota Tacoma versus the wealthy entrepreneur in her shiny new Mercedes SUV.
—Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
Now Abbott is threatening to use his veto power to get back at Patrick and the Senate for refusing to pass the governor’s preferred tax plan, the Republican lieutenant governor said.
—Philip Jankowski, Dallas News, 15 June 2023
The first of those days off is Sunday, a day the Dodgers might have wanted a chance to quickly get back at it and put their Game 1 failures behind them.
—Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'get back at (someone).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near get back at (someone)
Cite this Entry
“Get back at (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20back%20at%20%28someone%29. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share