get one's own back

verb

To avenge oneself.

Similar
avengeeven the scoreget back atretaliatesettle the scoretake revengetar out
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Meanings

verbget one's own back (third-person singular simple present gets one's own back, present participle getting one's own back, simple past got one's own back, past participle (UK) got one's own back or (US) gotten one's own back)

present singular third person gets one's own back · participle present getting one's own back · past got one's own back · UK participle past got one's own back · US participle past gotten one's own back

  1. To avenge oneself.
    1 more example

    When he spurns her, Julia is outraged to hear it is because she did not measure up to his secret list of 10 bullet-pointed attributes for an ideal bride. To get her own back, she invites her best friend, penniless clergyman’s daughter Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), up to town to ensnare Malcolm, by faking the 10 comely attributes from his list.

    2022 August 24, Peter Bradshaw, “Mr Malcolm’s List review – Regency romcom served with cake-icing of irony”, in The Guardian

    Synonyms: avenge, even the score, get back at, retaliate, settle the score, take revenge, tar out

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo avenge oneself.

Similar
avengeeven the scoreget back atretaliatesettle the scoretake revengetar out
Also see
avengerequite

Origin

From get someone's back.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

get one's own back. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20own%20back

MLA

“get one's own back.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20own%20back. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “get one's own back,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/get%20one's%20own%20back.

Source: get one's own back on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.