# get away with sth

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/get-away-with-sth
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to do something wrong or illegal and not get caught or punished for it.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "She got away with steal the car." but "She got away with stealing the car." — the preposition 'with' must be followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form).

## Usage notes

- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.