How to use ”get rid of”
What does ”get rid of” mean?
Get rid of is an informal expression. It means ”take action to stop owning an unwanted thing”.
We can use get rid of something and get rid of someone as a synonym of several verbs and in many different contexts.
”Get rid of” as a synonym
Here are some of the verbs we can replace with get rid of. (Don’t forget that get rid of is more informal than these synonyms.)
He got rid of his car. = sold it She got rid of her old shoes. = threw them away I got rid of about a hundred words when I edited the text. = removed The company needs to get rid of about fifty workers in order to improve efficiency. = lay them off In the detective novel, the killers got rid of the corpse by dumping it in a lake. = they disposed of it |
a cluttered room . . . time to get rid of a few things!
Test yourself: try this quick exercise
Instructions: Try to think of a good replacement verb or phrase for get rid of in the sentences below. The first one has been done for you. Check your answers in the key at the bottom of the page.
- I’m hoping to get rid of my old car this year. (get rid of = sell)
- You can get rid of those old magazines; I don’t need them anymore.
- If you want to have more chairs in the meeting room, we will have to get rid of a couple of tables.
- The company got rid of him because he was always late for work.
- Sadly the boss will have to get rid of at least six workers if business doesn’t improve soon.
- He lived in the north for many years but was never able to get rid of his London accent.
- It’s a dreadful and outdated law: the government should get rid of it.
- How did the murderer get rid of the dead body?
Key (scroll down)
Possible answers
- I’m hoping to get rid of my old car this year. (get rid of = sell)
- You can get rid of those old magazines; I don’t need them anymore. (throw away)
- If you want to have more chairs in the meeting room, we will have to get rid of a couple of tables. (remove)
- The company got rid of him because he was always late for work. (dismissed, fired, sacked)
- Sadly the boss will have to get rid of at least six workers if business doesn’t improve soon.
(lay off, let go) - He lived in the north for many years but was never able to get rid of his London accent. (lose)
- It’s a dreadful and outdated law: the government should get rid of it. (abolish)
- How did the murderer get rid of the dead body? (dispose of, hide)
