Phrase guide

get rid of

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ɡɛt ɹɪd ʌv/
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To rid oneself of; to cause oneself to be free of or released from.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, transitive

Examples

  • Over the weekend he spent some time getting rid of the clothes he no longer wears.
  • I want to get rid of your influence over my life!
  • March 23, 1727, Alexander Pope, letter to Jonathan Swift to get rid of fools and scoundrels

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dispense with, abolish, discard, dismiss, drop, lose, remove, shed, shuck, junk, 86, bin, can, cast aside, cast off, cast away, chuck, chuck away, chuck out, dispose of, ditch, dump, get rid of, jettison, pitch, scrap, shift, throw aside, throw away, throw out, toss, trash

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

terminate, end, or take out

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Let's eliminate the course on Akkadian hieroglyphics
  • Socialism extinguished these archaic customs
  • eliminate my debts

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: extinguish, eliminate, do away with

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: destroy, destruct

Narrower terms: cancel out, wipe out, decouple, obliterate, knock out, drown, cut out, cut, prune, rationalize, rationalise, snuff out, extinguish, exclude, except, leave out, leave off, omit, take out

3

verb

Meaning 3

dispose of

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Get rid of these old shoes!
  • The company got rid of all the dead wood

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: remove

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: discard, fling, toss, toss out, toss away, chuck out, cast aside, dispose, throw out, cast out, throw away, cast away, put away, slough off, weed out, comb out, work off, cull, dump, ditch, unmuzzle, deaerate, de-aerate, decaffeinate, decarbonate, decerebrate, dechlorinate, defat, defibrinate, degrease, deionize, delist, delocalize, deoxygenate, destain, desulfurize, desulphurize, detick, devein, fettle, flesh, flense, kern, pith, scum, unbridle

4

verb

Meaning 4

do away with

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Slavery was abolished in the mid-19th century in America and in Russia

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abolish

Antonyms: none provided

Narrower terms: cashier, abrogate

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

64 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: gultoj — to rid (oneself) of
  • Albanian: heq qafe — to rid (oneself) of
  • Arabic: تَخَلَّصَ ... مِن (taḵallaṣa ... min) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Belarusian: збаўля́цца (zbawljácca) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Belarusian: зба́віцца (zbávicca) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Bulgarian: изба́вям се (izbávjam se) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Bulgarian: отказвам се от (otkazvam se ot) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Catalan: desfer-se de — to rid (oneself) of
  • Catalan: desempallegar-se de — to rid (oneself) of
  • Catalan: esbandir-se — to rid (oneself) of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擺脫 /摆脱 (bǎituō) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清除 (qīngchú) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Chinese Mandarin: 除去 (chúqù) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Czech: zbavit se — to rid (oneself) of
  • Danish: blive af med — to rid (oneself) of
  • Dutch: afkomen van — to rid (oneself) of
  • Dutch: verwerpen — to rid (oneself) of
  • Esperanto: forigi — to rid (oneself) of
  • Finnish: hylätä — to rid (oneself) of
  • Finnish: hankkiutua eroon — to rid (oneself) of
  • Finnish: heittää pois — to rid (oneself) of
  • Finnish: päästä eroon — to rid (oneself) of
  • French: se débarrasser de — to rid (oneself) of
  • French: se défaire de — to rid (oneself) of
  • German: loswerden — to rid (oneself) of
  • German: entledigen — to rid (oneself) of
  • Greek: γλιτώνω από (glitóno apó) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Greek: διώχνω (dióchno) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Hebrew: נפטר (niftár) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Hungarian: megszabadul — to rid (oneself) of
  • Icelandic: losna við — to rid (oneself) of
  • Irish: cuir díot — to rid (oneself) of
  • Italian: sbarazzarsi — to rid (oneself) of
  • Italian: liberarsi — to rid (oneself) of
  • Italian: disfarsi — to rid (oneself) of
  • Italian: eliminare — to rid (oneself) of
  • Japanese: 取り除く (torinozoku) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Japanese: 免れる (manukareru) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Korean: 제거하다 (jegeohada) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Manx: rey y gheddyn rish — to rid (oneself) of
  • Norwegian: bli kvitt — to rid (oneself) of
  • Pennsylvania German: aawaerre — to rid (oneself) of
  • Polish: pozbywać się — to rid (oneself) of
  • Polish: pozbyć się — to rid (oneself) of
  • Portuguese: livrar-se de — to rid (oneself) of
  • Portuguese: desembaraçar-se de — to rid (oneself) of
  • Romanian: se debarasa — to rid (oneself) of
  • Russian: избавля́ться (izbavljátʹsja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Russian: изба́виться (izbávitʹsja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Russian: выбра́сывать (vybrásyvatʹ) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Scottish Gaelic: faigh cuidhteas — to rid (oneself) of
  • Serbo-Croatian: otarasiti se — to rid (oneself) of
  • Spanish: deshacerse / desfacerse / librarse de — to rid (oneself) of
  • Spanish: quitarse — to rid (oneself) of
  • Spanish: desembarazarse — to rid (oneself) of
  • Swedish: bli av med — to rid (oneself) of
  • Swedish: göra sig av med — to rid (oneself) of
  • Turkish: kurtulmak — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: позбавля́тися (pozbavljátysja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: позба́витися (pozbávytysja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: позбува́тися (pozbuvátysja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: позбу́тися (pozbútysja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: звільня́тися (zvilʹnjátysja) — to rid (oneself) of
  • Ukrainian: звільни́тися (zvilʹnýtysja) — to rid (oneself) of