ENGLISH
REFERENCE

get out of

phr. v..
B1 Intermediate Oxford Informal

phr. v.. to avoid doing something that you do not want to do, often by making an excuse.

phr. v.. to evade a responsibility, duty, or commitment through various means, often involving a pretext or excuse.


SIMPLE

I managed to get out of the meeting by saying I was sick.

CONTEXTUAL

She tried to get out of going to the party because she was feeling very tired.

COMPLEX

The company attempted to get out of its contractual obligations by citing a minor technicality in the original agreement.

Particles
out of
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
get + out + of + object
Usage

usually followed by a noun or a gerund (-ing form) representing the avoided task.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'escape' (physical) and 'avoid' (general); 'get out of' specifically implies a social or professional duty that the person is trying to dodge.

Pitfall

He got out to do the dishes.He got out of doing the dishes.the preposition 'of' is required, and the following verb must be in the -ing form.

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