get away with

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get away with (third-person singular simple present gets away with, present participle getting away with, simple past got away with, past participle (UK) got away with or (US) gotten away with)

1. To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one.

   The thieves got away with a million pounds' worth of jewellery.

2. (idiomatic) To escape punishment for doing something objectionable.

   Do you think we could get away with taking Dad’s car?

   Not many people have gotten away with stealing that much money.

   Our teacher's so strict, he'd never let us get away with anything in class.

   • 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 53:

     The late Professor Pat White was an outspoken critic. In his 1986 book Forgotten Railways, he dismissed as smoke and mirrors the oft-used argument that 33% of rail routes carried only 1% of the traffic, as it ignores the fact that a third of the national road network also only carried 2% of cars and lorries. But unlike rail, road got away with it because no mention was made of how much it cost the taxpayer to keep them usable.

3. (colloquial, by extension) To avoid the consequences of doing something by an easier method.

   It's warm today, so you can probably get away with just wearing a short-sleeved shirt.

   • 2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 41:

     The vehicles resemble something out of Thunderbirds. They have to be squat, long and narrow to fit through the body of the TBM. They also have a cab at each end, as there's no getting away with a three-point turn in a tunnel!

   • 2022 May 27, Liam McCabe, Sarah Bogdan, “The Best Dishwashers”, in New York Times‎:

     But we still sought out the very best cleaners because they let you get away with using cheaper or gentler detergents, loading extra-crusty dishes, or running the quick cycle even with dishes that are pretty gnarly.

• scot-free

• get away with murder