WordVale

get around

to circumvent; to move about

In Phrasal Verbs

In more detail

1. (verb) to move from place to place; to travel

2. (verb) to find a way to deal with or avoid a problem or rule

3. (verb) to become known or spread (used with 'news' or 'word')

Examples

• 1. How do you get around the city without a car?
• 2. She found a way to get around the strict regulations.
• 3. News of their engagement got around quickly.

How to use get around

Get around has three distinct uses: traveling or moving locally (informal), avoiding or sidestepping difficulties or restrictions (informal to neutral), and describing how information spreads through a community (neutral). It is more conversational than formal alternatives like circumvent or bypass.

Register: informal

Common phrases

• get around by car
• get around on foot
• get around a problem
• word gets around
• get around the rules

Synonyms

travel · move about · circumvent · skirt · bypass

Opposites

stay put · confront · enforce

Word family

getting around · gets around

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse the three senses and may use it too formally in contexts where travel or circumvent would be more appropriate, or fail to recognize that word/news gets around means information is spreading through a community.

Nearby in Phrasal Verbs

do without, fall through, gear up, hand out, hinge on, hold up

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained