To get the better of

To get the better of
Get Get (g[e^]t), v. t. [imp. {Got} (g[o^]t) (Obs. {Gat} (g[a^]t)); p. p. {Got} (Obsolescent {Gotten} (g[o^]t"t'n)); p. pr. & vb. n. {Getting}.] [OE. geten, AS. gitan, gietan (in comp.); akin to Icel. geta, Goth. bigitan to find, L. prehendere to seize, take, Gr. chanda`nein to hold, contain. Cf. {Comprehend}, {Enterprise}, {Forget}, {Impregnable}, {Prehensile}.] 1. To procure; to obtain; to gain possession of; to acquire; to earn; to obtain as a price or reward; to come by; to win, by almost any means; as, to get favor by kindness; to get wealth by industry and economy; to get land by purchase, etc. [1913 Webster]

2. Hence, with have and had, to come into or be in possession of; to have. --Johnson. [1913 Webster]

Thou hast got the face of man. --Herbert. [1913 Webster]

3. To beget; to procreate; to generate. [1913 Webster]

I had rather to adopt a child than get it. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

4. To obtain mental possession of; to learn; to commit to memory; to memorize; as to get a lesson; also with out; as, to get out one's Greek lesson. [1913 Webster]

It being harder with him to get one sermon by heart, than to pen twenty. --Bp. Fell. [1913 Webster]

5. To prevail on; to induce; to persuade. [1913 Webster]

Get him to say his prayers. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

6. To procure to be, or to cause to be in any state or condition; -- with a following participle. [1913 Webster]

Those things I bid you do; get them dispatched. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

7. To betake; to remove; -- in a reflexive use. [1913 Webster]

Get thee out from this land. --Gen. xxxi. 13. [1913 Webster]

He . . . got himself . . . to the strong town of Mega. --Knolles. [1913 Webster]

Note: Get, as a transitive verb, is combined with adverbs implying motion, to express the causing to, or the effecting in, the object of the verb, of the kind of motion indicated by the preposition; thus, to get in, to cause to enter, to bring under shelter; as, to get in the hay; to get out, to make come forth, to extract; to get off, to take off, to remove; to get together, to cause to come together, to collect. [1913 Webster]

{To get by heart}, to commit to memory.

{To get the better of}, {To get the best of}, to obtain an advantage over; to surpass; to subdue.

{To get up}, to cause to be established or to exit; to prepare; to arrange; to construct; to invent; as, to get up a celebration, a machine, a book, an agitation.

Syn: To obtain; gain; win; acquire. See {Obtain}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • get the better of — or[get the best of] {v. phr.} 1. To win over, beat; defeat. * /Our team got the best of the visitors in the last quarter./ * /George got the better of Robert in a game of checkers./ * /When the opposing player fouled John, John let his anger get… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • get the better of — or[get the best of] {v. phr.} 1. To win over, beat; defeat. * /Our team got the best of the visitors in the last quarter./ * /George got the better of Robert in a game of checkers./ * /When the opposing player fouled John, John let his anger get… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • get the better of — verb a) To overwhelm or overcome Adam said, My temper got the better of me, and I said things as wasnt true. b) to influence heavily; to tend to control or persuade. Many people returned to work a bit anxious, they acknowledged, but grimly… …   Wiktionary

  • get the worst of — also[have the worst of] {v. phr.} To lose; be defeated or beaten in; suffer most. * /Joe got the worst of the argument with Molly./ Often used in the phrase the worst of it . * /If you start a fight with Jim, you may get the worst of it./ * /Bill …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • get the worst of — also[have the worst of] {v. phr.} To lose; be defeated or beaten in; suffer most. * /Joe got the worst of the argument with Molly./ Often used in the phrase the worst of it . * /If you start a fight with Jim, you may get the worst of it./ * /Bill …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • Get the Party Started — Infobox Single Name = Get the Party Started Artist = Pink from Album = M!ssundaztood Released = December 2001 ndash;February 2002 January 14, 2002 (UK) Format = CD single, maxi single Recorded = 2001 Genre = Pop rock, R B Length = 3:11 (Album… …   Wikipedia

  • To get the best of — Get Get (g[e^]t), v. t. [imp. {Got} (g[o^]t) (Obs. {Gat} (g[a^]t)); p. p. {Got} (Obsolescent {Gotten} (g[o^]t t n)); p. pr. & vb. n. {Getting}.] [OE. geten, AS. gitan, gietan (in comp.); akin to Icel. geta, Goth. bigitan to find, L. prehendere to …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • For the better — Better Bet ter, n. 1. Advantage, superiority, or victory; usually with of; as, to get the better of an enemy. [1913 Webster] 2. One who has a claim to precedence; a superior, as in merit, social standing, etc.; usually in the plural. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • To get the higher upper hand — Hand Hand (h[a^]nd), n. [AS. hand, hond; akin to D., G., & Sw. hand, OHG. hant, Dan. haand, Icel. h[ o]nd, Goth. handus, and perh. to Goth. hin[thorn]an to seize (in comp.). Cf. {Hunt}.] 1. That part of the fore limb below the forearm or wrist in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • have the better of — or[have the best of] See: GET THE BETTER OF …   Dictionary of American idioms

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