Phrasal verb
get away with sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to do something wrong or illegal and not get caught or punished for it.
phrasal verb. to escape the consequences of a wrongful act; to perform an action that is technically prohibited without receiving a penalty.
Examples
“He thinks he can get away with cheating.”
“The thief managed to get away with the crime because there were no witnesses present.”
“In many corporate scandals, high-level executives often get away with financial misconduct while lower-level employees face the full weight of the law.”
Examples
simple
“He thinks he can get away with cheating.”
contextual
“The thief managed to get away with the crime because there were no witnesses present.”
complex
“In many corporate scandals, high-level executives often get away with financial misconduct while lower-level employees face the full weight of the law.”
Usage
usually followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form) representing the bad action.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'get away' (to escape a place); the addition of 'with' shifts the focus from the physical escape to the lack of punishment for a specific deed.
Pitfall
She got away with steal the car.
She got away with stealing the car.
the preposition 'with' must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).
Phrasal verb
Particles
away with
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + away + with + object