get around

verb

got around; got around or gotten around; getting around; gets around

transitive verb

1

: circumvent, evade

2

: to get the better of

intransitive verb

1

a

: to find or take the necessary time or effort

—used with to

b

: to give attention or consideration

—used with to

2

: to go from place to place

3

: to become known or current

word got around that he was resigning

Synonyms

• beat
• best
• conquer
• defeat
• dispatch
• do down [British]
• get
• lick
• master
• overbear
• overcome
• overmatch
• prevail (over)
• skunk
• stop
• subdue
• surmount
• take
• trim
• triumph (over)
• upend
• win (against)
• worst

Examples of get around in a Sentence

somehow, an inexperienced lawyer managed to get around the media giant's stable of high-priced legal eagles

somehow she managed to get around the rules for paying the sales tax on a car bought out of state

Recent Examples on the Web

Another said that the same man came to his shop in five different outfits on the same day to try to get around it. —HubSpot, 20 June 2025

Donald Trump’s son Eric may have hinted at how the T1 will get around the problem. —Verne Kopytoff, Fortune, 18 June 2025

How does this proprietor get around the biblical truth to make more money on the Sabbath? —Michael Isaacson, Sun Sentinel, 18 June 2025

Artists got around these limitations creatively, even hilariously, as in Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s character portraits, with their faces composed of tiny naked figures, interwoven. —Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1798, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 3

Rhymes for get around

• aboveground
• battleground
• belowground
• paperbound
• turnaround
• ultrasound
• underground
• wraparound
• abound
• aground
• astound
• background

Kids Definition

get around

verb

1

: evade

2

: to do or deal with (something not yet done or dealt with)

will get around to it

3

: to go from place to place

4

: to become known

word got around