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Meaning & use

get rid of

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ɡet ˈrɪd əv/
US/ɡet ˈrɪd əv/

Meanings

  1. phrasephrasal verb

    To throw away or remove something that you no longer want or need.

    Grammar: Takes an object after rid of: get rid of the old sofa; get rid of it.

    Patterns

    • get rid of something

    We need to get rid of the old sofa.

    He got rid of the clutter in the garage.

    I finally got rid of my old phone.

  2. phrasephrasal verb

    To end or stop an unwanted problem, feeling or habit.

    Grammar: Used for problems and habits: get rid of a cough, a bad habit.

    Patterns

    • get rid of a habit
    • get rid of a feeling

    It took weeks to get rid of the cough.

    How can I get rid of this headache?

    She tried to get rid of her fear of public speaking.

  3. phrasephrasal verbinformal

    To make an annoying or unwelcome person go away, or to dismiss someone from a role.

    Grammar: Informal and sometimes rude when about people.

    Patterns

    • get rid of someone

    I couldn't get rid of the salesman for ten minutes.

    The club wanted to get rid of the manager.

    He found a polite way to get rid of the guests.

Word forms

third person singulargets rid of
past tensegot rid of
past participlegot rid of (gotten rid of in American English)
-ing formgetting rid of

Common combinations

get rid of waste
The city plans to get rid of waste more safely.
get rid of a bad habit
It is hard to get rid of a bad habit.
get rid of clutter
Get rid of clutter before the move.
finally get rid of
We finally got rid of the mice.
hard to get rid of
Mold is hard to get rid of once it spreads.
be rid of
I was glad to be rid of the noisy neighbors.

Synonyms and how they differ

dispose of
Dispose of is more formal and used for waste and legal matters.
throw away
Throw away is only about discarding objects, whereas get rid of can apply to problems and people.
eliminate
Eliminate is more formal and suggests removing completely.
remove
Remove is neutral and does not imply that you wanted it gone.

Opposites

keephold on to

Word family

rid verb
to free from something unwanted
riddance noun
the act of getting free, as in good riddance
rid of adjective
free of something, as in be rid of
ridding verb
the -ing form of rid

Commonly confused: get rid of or get ride of? get rid of or get out of?

get rid of vs get ride of

Get ride of is a common error; the correct form is get rid of.

get rid of vs get out of

Get out of means to avoid or escape something, not to remove it.

Practice

We should ___ the old magazines before we move.

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