GET AT Synonyms: 10 Similar Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

get at

verb

Definition of get at

as in to pay off

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for get at

pay off

Verb

In September of 2021, desperate to pay off a loan, and to keep the debt a secret from his girlfriend, Jontay went on a five-day binge.

— New Yorker, New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2026
The subtext for this latest crackdown, said The Straits Times (Singapore), is that Xi’s long-running purges are not paying off.

— The Week UK, TheWeek, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of pay off

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Get at.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20at. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gauntlet

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't