get one's own back en · VERB
Etymology
From get someone's back.
Meanings
-
To avenge oneself.
When he spurns her, Julia is outraged to hear it is because she did not measure up to his secret list of 10 bullet-pointed attributes for an ideal bride. To get her own back, she invites her best friend, penniless clergyman’s daughter Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), up to town to ensnare Malcolm, by faking the 10 comely attributes from his list.
2022 August 24, Peter Bradshaw, “Mr Malcolm’s List review – Regency romcom served with cake-icing of irony”, in The Guardian:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| got one's own back | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | UK | lexicographic |
| got one's own back | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| gets one's own back | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| gotten one's own back | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | US | lexicographic |
| getting one's own back | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Synonyms
settle the score · retaliate · avenge · even the score · take revenge · tar out · get back at · get one's own back