get to the bottom of
idiom
: to find out the true reason for or cause of (something)
Police are working furiously to get to the bottom of this recent string of violent crimes.
Examples of get to the bottom of in a Sentence
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In the teaser, Officer Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman) return to get to the bottom of a new mysterious figure who shows up in an ominous black cape.
—
Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 May 2025
Far from a coordinated plan to get to the bottom of the bombing, the sequence of events that enabled Mas’ud’s prosecution was unforeseen and chaotic, balls colliding in the bingo cage of history.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Despite promises from the Sheriff’s Department to get to the bottom of what happened in Flores’ case, Carpenter said, a year and a half has passed and the deputy’s family still has not been informed about the results of the investigation.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
To get to the bottom of the spice mystery, experts at The Ohio State University collected powdered samples from 10 pepper varieties including serrano, Scotch bonnet, and Chile de árbol.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
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Caroline Blair, People.com, 21 May 2025
Far from a coordinated plan to get to the bottom of the bombing, the sequence of events that enabled Mas’ud’s prosecution was unforeseen and chaotic, balls colliding in the bingo cage of history.
—Henry Leutwyler Robert Petkoff Emma Kehlbeck Quinton Kamara, New York Times, 20 May 2025
Despite promises from the Sheriff’s Department to get to the bottom of what happened in Flores’ case, Carpenter said, a year and a half has passed and the deputy’s family still has not been informed about the results of the investigation.
—Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 19 May 2025
To get to the bottom of the spice mystery, experts at The Ohio State University collected powdered samples from 10 pepper varieties including serrano, Scotch bonnet, and Chile de árbol.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for get to the bottom of
Cite this Entry
“Get to the bottom of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20to%20the%20bottom%20of. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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