Get away with something means to do something wrong or risky and avoid any punishment for it. It's used for serious wrongdoing and for small liberties someone might otherwise be told off for.
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get away with + noun/-ing (do something wrong or risky without punishment)
- He took a two-hour lunch break and somehow got away with it.
- You won't get away with being late again — the manager has already warned you.
- She wore trainers to the wedding and actually got away with it.
What changed
First versionHe cheated in the exam and got away because nobody noticed.
RevisionHe cheated in the exam and got away with it because nobody noticed.
Without with, get away simply means to escape or flee — it's about the act of leaving. To say that someone avoided the consequences of doing something wrong, you need get away with it: not just leaving, but escaping any consequences.
In English, the subject of get away with is always the person, not the wrongdoing: He got away with it. What they did comes after with, so the sentence starts with whoever broke the rule: The company got away with breaking the rules.
Your turn
She parked in the disabled space all week, but she never got a ticket — she really ___.
Show the answer
got away with it — She broke the parking rules all week and never got a ticket, meaning she avoided the consequences — got away with it. Got away on its own would just describe leaving or escaping, not avoiding punishment.
Describe a time when someone, maybe even you, got away with a small offence or a risky action. Say what was done and why it had no consequences.
My brother forgot to pay for his coffee at the café, and because the queue was so long, he got away with it.
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