Meaning & use
getting through
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Meanings
phraseidiom
finishing a task, or dealing with a difficult period until it ends.
Grammar: Used as a noun-like phrase: the subject is a task or a hard time, not a person: Getting through the exam was hard.
Patterns
- getting through something
- getting through a difficult time
- getting through the work
Getting through all that paperwork took her the whole weekend.
He kept telling himself that getting through the first year was the hardest part.
Getting through the winter without heating was a real struggle for the family.
phraseidiom
reaching someone by phone or succeeding in making contact with them.
Grammar: Often used with to before the person: getting through to the manager.
Patterns
- getting through to someone
- getting through on the phone
- having trouble getting through
I kept getting through to a recorded message instead of a real person.
Getting through to the hospital at night can be almost impossible.
She finally succeeded in getting through after trying for an hour.
phraseidiom
making someone understand or accept what you are saying.
Grammar: Usually followed by to and a person: getting through to teenagers.
Patterns
- getting through to someone
- getting through to a person
Getting through to him about the risks was harder than I expected.
The teacher is good at getting through to students who have given up.
Nothing I say seems to be getting through to them.
phraseidiomBritish
passing successfully through an examination or a stage of a competition.
Grammar: Common in British English for exams and rounds of a contest; the object is the exam or round.
Patterns
- getting through an exam
- getting through a round
- getting through the interview
Getting through the written test is only the first step.
The team celebrated getting through to the final.
She was relieved at getting through her driving test on the second try.
Common combinations
- have trouble getting through
- We had trouble getting through because the line was busy.
- getting through a difficult time
- Friends helped her in getting through a difficult time.
- getting through to someone
- I spent the morning getting through to someone in the accounts department.
- getting through the work
- Getting through the work is easier when you plan your day.
- finally getting through
- After three attempts, he finally got through to the office.
Synonyms and how they differ
- completing
- Focuses on reaching the end of a task and says nothing about difficulty, while getting through often suggests effort or endurance.
- surviving
- Used for staying alive or coping through hardship; getting through is broader and also covers ordinary tasks and phone calls.
- reaching
- Simply means arriving at or contacting someone; getting through adds the idea of overcoming an obstacle to do so.
Opposites
Word family
- get through phrasal verb
- the base form, meaning to finish, contact, or survive something
- get-through noun
- rare in modern use; an informal way of referring to a successful contact or completion
Commonly confused: getting through or go through? getting through or get across?
getting through vs go through
Go through means to experience something or to examine it, as in go through a difficult period or go through the files; getting through stresses finishing or making contact.
getting through vs get across
Get across means to make an idea understood, while getting through to someone means you actually reach or convince that person.
Practice
Which sentence uses "getting through" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Getting through the report" means finishing it, which fits the future time in the sentence. Option 2 wrongly uses through for movement to a place, option 3 describes writing on the report rather than finishing it, and option 4 mixes a present continuous form with the past time word yesterday.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “getting through”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.