INDEX:
1. to get rid of something that you do not want
2. to get rid of a leader, someone in authority etc
3. to get rid of someone because you do not like or need them any more
4. to get rid of something that is causing problems
5. to get rid of harmful ideas or influences
6. to have got rid of something or somebody
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ REMOVE
↑ TIDY
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1. to get rid of something that you do not want
▷ get rid of /ˌget ˈrɪd ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to remove something that you do not want or do not use any more, for example by giving it to someone else or throwing it away :
▪ Let’s get rid of some of these old books.
▪ I hate these chairs. I wish we could get rid of them.
▪ We finally got rid of all that old junk we had stored in the basement.
▷ throw away /ˌθrəʊ əˈweɪ/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to get rid of something by putting it somewhere where it will be taken away and destroyed :
throw away something
▪ Don’t throw away these boxes - I might want to use them later.
throw something away
▪ Oh, no. I think I’ve accidentally thrown the invitation away.
▷ throw out /ˌθrəʊ ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to get rid of something, especially when you are trying to make a place more tidy or to make space for new things :
throw out something
▪ My wife made me throw out my old tennis shoes.
throw something out
▪ Can I throw these newspapers out, or are you still reading them?
▷ dispose of /dɪˈspəʊz ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb] formal
to get rid of something that is difficult or unpleasant to get rid of :
▪ The company has been charged with illegally disposing of hazardous wastes.
▪ Police are still puzzled as to how he managed to dispose of his victim’s body.
disposal [uncountable noun]
dispose of of
▪ We need new legislation to ensure the safe disposal of nuclear waste.
▷ get shot of /ˌget ˈʃɒt ɒv ǁ-ˈʃɑːt-/ [verb phrase] British informal
to get rid of something, especially something that you have been wanting to get rid of for a long time :
▪ I can’t wait to get shot of this old car.
▪ Everybody’s in a rush to get shot of their shares in the company.
▷ something will have to go also something has got to go American / something wɪl ˌhæv tə ˈgəʊ something hæz ˌgɒt tə ˈgəʊǁ-ˌgɑːt/ [verb phrase] spoken
if you say that something will have to go you think it should be thrown away, especially because you do not like it :
▪ I can’t stand this carpet. I’m sorry Larry, it’ll have to go.
2. to get rid of a leader, someone in authority etc
▷ get rid of /ˌget ˈrɪd ɒv/ [transitive verb]
to get rid of a leader, someone in authority etc :
▪ He’s a terrible manager -- it’s about time they got rid of him.
▪ Local people desperately want to get rid of US troops on the island.
▪ The trustees of the University are considering getting rid of him.
▷ overthrow /ˌəʊvəʳˈθrəʊ/ [transitive verb]
to take power away from a leader or government, especially by force :
▪ President Kassem was overthrown and murdered in 1963.
▪ The dictatorship was overthrown after a year of fighting, in which thousands of people were killed.
overthrow /ˈəʊvəʳθrəʊ/ [uncountable noun]
▪ He came to power after the overthrow of Haile Selassie.
▷ oust /aʊst/ [transitive verb] written
force a leader out of his or her position of power :
▪ Nusabe was ousted in a coup late last year.
▪ Reformers have expressed concern that he could be ousted by hard-liners opposed to his reforms.
ousted [adjective only before noun]
▪ Supporters of the ousted dictator have been rounded up and jailed.
▷ be deposed /biː dɪˈpəʊzd/ [verb phrase]
if a political leader, king etc is deposed, their power is taken away from them :
▪ He was deposed after more than 18 years in power.
▪ Moreau was deposed in a military coup and fled to the US.
deposed [adjective only before noun]
▪ The deposed king will set up a government in exile.
3. to get rid of someone because you do not like or need them any more
▷ get rid of /ˌget ˈrɪd ɒv/ [transitive verb]
▪ New police chief Brody promised to get rid of the city’s drug dealers.
▪ The company announced that it will get rid of another 500 workers by the end of the year.
▪ One of the administration’s first tasks will be to get rid of many of the officials appointed by the previous president.
▷ purge /pɜːʳdʒ/ [transitive verb]
if the leaders of a political organization purge a group of people from that organization, they get rid of them because they have political views that they strongly disagree with :
▪ Many radicals were purged from the party in the early seventies.
▪ In the North, Sung systematically purged those whom he considered a threat.
purge [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ Stalin’s purges of the 1930s
▷ weed out /ˌwiːd ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to find out those people who are not suitable to belong to an organization or group, and get rid of them :
▪ We do have procedures in place to weed out individuals who are corrupt.
▪ The report claimed that there were at least 20,000 inefficient teachers that needed to be weeded out.
▷ root out /ˌruːt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to try hard to find out all the people who are not suitable to belong to a particular group or organization, especially when it is not easy to know who they are, and get rid of them :
▪ The Ministry of Health is continuing its efforts to root out incompetent doctors.
▪ At that time, a secret branch of the National Police was involved in rooting out dissidents.
▷ somebody will have to go also somebody has (got) to go American spoken / somebody wɪl ˌhæv tə ˈgəʊ, somebody həz (ˌgɒtǁˌgɑːt) tə ˈgəʊ/
say this when you no longer want to employ someone :
▪ It’s been decided. Murrow will have to go.
▪ ‘Gates has done nothing but divide this city. He has got to go,’ said one of the protesters.
▷ dump /dʌmp/ [transitive verb] informal
to end a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend :
▪ I think the guy’s a jerk. I’m glad Debbie dumped him.
▪ ‘Why did he dump her?’ ‘He met somebody else.’
4. to get rid of something that is causing problems
▷ get rid of /ˌget ˈrɪd ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to remove or deal with something that is causing you trouble, such as an illness or a problem :
▪ I can’t seem to get rid of this cold.
▪ We’ve cleaned the carpet twice, but still can’t get rid of the smell.
▪ Weedaway is a safe and natural way to get rid of weeds coming up in the garden.
▷ abolish /əˈbɒlɪʃǁəˈbɑː-/ [transitive verb]
to officially end a law, legal right, or system, especially one that has existed for a long time :
▪ The unpopular tax was finally abolished some ten years ago.
▪ He served over 27 years in prison for fighting to abolish white-only rule.
abolition /ˌæbəˈlɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
when something is abolished :
▪ The group is working toward the abolition of the death penalty.
▷ scrap /skræp/ [transitive verb]
to end a system, law etc, or to decide not to use a plan that you were intending to use :
▪ Plans to build a new airport have been scrapped because of lack of funding.
▪ The president’s proposal to scrap the program has angered many members of Congress.
▷ ditch /dɪtʃ/ [transitive verb]
to get rid of something because you do not need it :
▪ Investors ditched stocks that were performing badly.
▪ Brumfeld apparently ditched the car near Texarkana and fled into the woods.
▷ do away with /duː əˈweɪ wɪð/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to get rid of something so that it does not exist any more :
▪ San José State University is doing away with its business school and department of journalism.
▪ All countries in the region should commit themselves to doing away with weapons of mass destruction.
▷ eradicate /ɪˈrædɪkeɪt, ɪˈrædəkeɪt/ [transitive verb]
to completely get rid of something such as a disease, a social problem, or something that causes these things :
▪ The disease has been eradicated from the Western world through the use of vaccines.
▪ Their aim is to eradicate child poverty in the country within 10 years.
eradication /ɪˌrædɪˈkeɪʃ ə n, ɪˌrædəˈkeɪʃ ə n/ [uncountable noun]
▪ The eradication of the beetle has led to a five-fold increase in crop yields.
▷ eliminate /ɪˈlɪmɪneɪt, ɪˈlɪməneɪt/ [transitive verb]
to completely get rid of something that is unnecessary or unwanted :
▪ Traffic police intend to eliminate congestion caused by illegally parked vehicles.
▪ Advances in medical science have eliminated the need for many patients to spend long periods of time in hospital.
▷ root out /ˌruːt ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to completely and thoroughly get rid of something that is causing you problems, especially by trying to make sure the causes of it are found and stopped :
root out something
▪ The new president has promised to root out high level corruption.
root something out
▪ Wherever we find waste and incompetence we will root it out.
5. to get rid of harmful ideas or influences
▷ rid something of /ˈrɪd something ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb not usually in passive]
to get rid of something bad or harmful so that they no longer exist in a place or organization :
▪ Scientists hope to one day rid the world of this terrible disease.
▪ McCarthy wanted to rid America of the ‘evils of Communism’.
▪ I can’t seem to rid my mind of what happened on the day of the accident.
▷ free something of /ˈfriː something ɒv/ [transitive phrasal verb]
to get rid of ideas, behaviour, influences etc that are considered bad or harmful and have been present for a very long time :
▪ Neighbourhood Watch schemes have succeeded in virtually freeing the area of crime.
▪ Aid organisations are trying to free the country of the ravages of two decades of civil war.
▷ dispel /dɪˈspel/ [transitive verb]
to get rid of beliefs, ideas or feelings from people’s minds, especially if they are false or harmful :
dispel rumours/notions/doubts etc
▪ The Central Bank attempted to dispel rumours of a possible financial crisis.
▪ In an interview Monday, the Foreign Affairs Secretary tried to dispel doubts about his handling of the crisis.
6. to have got rid of something or somebody
▷ be rid of /biː ˈrɪd ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to have got rid of someone or something, so that they are not there to worry or annoy you :
▪ At first I was glad to be rid of the extra work, but then I realized how much money I was losing.
▪ The sooner we’re rid of this government the better.
▪ You shouldn’t even think about buying a new car until you’re rid of your current debts.
▷ be glad/happy to see the back of /biː ˌglæd, ˌhæpi tə siː ðə ˈbæk ɒv/ [verb phrase] British informal
to be very pleased you have got rid of something or someone :
▪ I’ll be glad to see the back of this project.
▪ We will be glad to see the back of Williams, that’s for sure.