get off scot-free

idiom

informal
: to not get the punishment that is deserved
It's not fair. I was punished and they got off scot-free.

Examples of get off scot-free in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Foreign actors trying to interfere in the 2020 election will not get off scot-free, according to national security adviser Robert O'Brien. Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2020 After her husband and daughter's murderers get off scot-free, Riley disappears for five years. Stacey Grant, Seventeen, 22 Apr. 2023 But existing law scarcely allows option traders to get off scot-free. William Baldwin, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021 But Judge Gonzalez Rogers likely won’t let Apple get off scot-free. Robert Hackett, Fortune, 25 May 2021 Many of today’s radicalized voters come from families who sacrificed when the country went to war over phantom weapons of mass destruction and watched the responsible policy makers get off scot-free. Rahm Emanuel, WSJ, 28 Dec. 2020 Foxx said at the time that violent offenders, including some looters, would be prosecuted, but up to 817 protesters who had minor charges against them would get off scot-free. Mica Soellner, Washington Examiner, 10 Aug. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'get off scot-free.' 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 off scot-free

Cite this Entry

“Get off scot-free.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20off%20scot-free. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!