Get away

get away & gets away getting away got away gotten/got away

1. get away (from) p.v. When you escape from people who are chasing you because they want to hurt you or because you have committed a crime, youget away orget away from them.

When he took the knife out of his pocket, Igot away from him fast.

By the time the police arrived, the robbers had alreadygotten away.

getaway n. When you escape from people who want to capture or hurt you, you make agetaway.

The robbers made theirgetaway in a blue Ford.

The car used for thegetaway was found abandoned in the next town.

2. get away (with) p.v. When you do something that is sneaky or wrong and you are not punished or criticized for it because no one knows or cares about it, youget away

with it.

Jake has been cheating on his taxes for years, and he alwaysgets away with it.

Hegot away with kilting his ex-wife even though everyone knew he was guilty.

3. get away (from) p.v. When youget away from people or places, you leave them even though it may be difficult.

I'm tired of this town. I need toget away.

Frank was talking and talking, and I couldn'tget away from him.


4. get away p.v. When youget away, you go on vacation.

/ have a lot of work to do, but I'll try toget away for a week or two.

We always try toget away in January and go skiing.

Infinitive
    present tense -ing form past tense past participle
hold out hold out & holds out holding out held out held out

 

1. hold ... out p.v. When youhold out your hand, you extend it in front of your body so that someone can shake hands with you or put something in your hand. Hold out is similar toput out.

Maybe Mr. Young is mad at me. Iheld out my hand, but he didn't shake it.

The street was filled with beggarsholding their handsout.

2. hold out p.v. When a supply of something is enough for your needs, the supply holds out.

The beerheld out until the end of the party, but we didn't have enough wine.

This is all the money I have, so it has tohold out until I get paid again.

3. hold out p.v. When youhold out, you resist an attack, pressure, or temptation or you continue to survive in a dangerous situation.

More than 1,000 enemy soldiers attacked the fort. There were only 98 of us inside, but weheld out for two weeks.

I haven't had a cigarette in three days, and I don't know how much longer I canhold out.

holdout n. Someone who resists an attack, pressure, or temptation is aholdout.

The enemy soldiers are in control of the country, but there are someholdouts hiding in the mountains.

There are still a fewholdouts who don't have credit cards.

4. hold out (for) p.v. When youhold out orhold out for something, you refuse to compromise in a negotiation and accept anything less than your original demands.

The basketball player isholding out for a million dollars a game.

The union spokesman said the union members wouldhold out until their demands were met.

holdout n. When you refuse to compromise in a negotiation and accept anything less than your original demands, you are aholdout.

All the players have signed contracts except for twoholdouts.