get rid of

Idioms & Phrases

get rid of

Also, be rid of. Eliminate, discard, or free oneself from. For example, It's time we got rid of these old newspapers, or He kept calling for months, but now we're finally rid of him. The first expression dates from the mid-1600s, the second from the 1400s. Also see get out of, def. 5.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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