# get out of sth

CEFR A2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/get-out-of-sth
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

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.

For teachers: 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.

## Pitfalls

- Not "I need to get out this work." but "I need to get out of this work." — The preposition 'of' is required to connect the verb to the thing being avoided.

## Usage notes

- 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'.

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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.