get away with

present singular third person gets away with · participle present getting away with · past got away with · UK participle past got away with · US participle past gotten away with

1. To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one.

   The thieves got away with a million pounds' worth of jewellery.

2. idiomaticTo escape punishment for doing something objectionable.

   Do you think we could get away with taking Dad’s car?

   3 more examples

   Not many people have gotten away with stealing that much money.

   Our teacher's so strict, he'd never let us get away with anything in class.

   The late Professor Pat White was an outspoken critic. In his 1986 book Forgotten Railways, he dismissed as smoke and mirrors the oft-used argument that 33% of rail routes carried only 1% of the traffic, as it ignores the fact that a third of the national road network also only carried 2% of cars and lorries. But unlike rail, road got away with it because no mention was made of how much it cost the taxpayer to keep them usable.

   2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 53

3. broadlycolloquialTo avoid the consequences of doing something by an easier method.

   It's warm today, so you can probably get away with just wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

   2 more examples

   The vehicles resemble something out of Thunderbirds. They have to be squat, long and narrow to fit through the body of the TBM. They also have a cab at each end, as there's no getting away with a three-point turn in a tunnel!

   2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 41

   But we still sought out the very best cleaners because they let you get away with using cheaper or gentler detergents, loading extra-crusty dishes, or running the quick cycle even with dishes that are pretty gnarly.

   2022 May 27, Liam McCabe, Sarah Bogdan, “The Best Dishwashers”, in New York Times