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 — • get the better of • 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 …   Словарь американских идиом

  • get the better of someone — get the better of (someone) if a feeling gets the better of you, it becomes too strong to control. Finally curiosity got the better of her and she opened the letter. Try to remain calm don t let your anger get the better of you …   New idioms dictionary

  • get the better of — (someone) if a feeling gets the better of you, it becomes too strong to control. Finally curiosity got the better of her and she opened the letter. Try to remain calm don t let your anger get the better of you …   New idioms dictionary

  • get the better of somebody — get the better of sb/sth idiom to defeat sb/sth or gain an advantage • No one can get the better of her in an argument. • She always gets the better of an argument. • His curiosity got the better of him (= he didn t intend to ask questions, but… …   Useful english dictionary

  • get the better of something — get the better of sb/sth idiom to defeat sb/sth or gain an advantage • No one can get the better of her in an argument. • She always gets the better of an argument. • His curiosity got the better of him (= he didn t intend to ask questions, but… …   Useful english dictionary

  • get the better of you — get the better of (you) to control your behavior. I didn t like what I had heard about this man, but my curiosity got the better of me and I had to meet him …   New idioms dictionary

  • get the better of — (you) to control your behavior. I didn t like what I had heard about this man, but my curiosity got the better of me and I had to meet him …   New idioms dictionary

  • get the better of — ► get the better of defeat or overcome. Main Entry: ↑better …   English terms dictionary

  • get the better of — index beat (defeat), overcome (surmount), overreach, subdue, subject, surmount Burton s Legal …   Law dictionary

  • get the better of — verb win a victory over You must overcome all difficulties defeat your enemies He overcame his shyness He overcame his infirmity Her anger got the better of her and she blew up • Syn: ↑overcome, ↑defeat …   Useful english dictionary

  • 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

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