Phrasal verb
get out of sth
Definition
phrasal verb. To avoid a responsibility or duty, often by making an excuse. You use this when you find a way to not do something you are supposed to do.
phrasal verb. To evade or escape a duty, responsibility, or unpleasant situation. This phrasal verb is transitive and informal.
Examples
“He wants to get out of washing the dishes.”
“She pretended to be sick to get out of the meeting this morning.”
“The disgraced executive could not get out of testifying before the committee, despite his lawyer's best efforts to find a legal loophole.”
Examples
simple
“He wants to get out of washing the dishes.”
contextual
“She pretended to be sick to get out of the meeting this morning.”
complex
“The disgraced executive could not get out of testifying before the committee, despite his lawyer's best efforts to find a legal loophole.”
Usage
The object is typically a responsibility, chore, or social event that one wishes to avoid.
Teaching tip
Contrast this figurative meaning (avoiding a duty) with the literal meaning of exiting a physical space, like 'get out of the car'.
Pitfall
I need to get out this work.
I need to get out of this work.
The preposition 'of' is required to connect the verb to the thing being avoided.
Phrasal verb
Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + out + of + object