rid1 adjectiverid2 verb
ridrid1 /rɪd/ ●●○ S3 adjective 
Longman Language Activatorto have got rid of something or somebody
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.
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.
to get rid of something that you do not want 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
also something has got to go American 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.
to get rid of something that is causing problems 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
to get rid of someone because you do not like or need them any more · 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.
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.
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.
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.
also somebody has (got) to go American spoken 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.
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."
to get rid of a leader, someone in authority etc 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.
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.
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.
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.
to throw something away also chuck away informal British informal: throw/chuck something away · I've thrown his photograph away and I never want to see his face again.· It's a nice dress. It would be a shame to chuck it away.· To avoid the risk of infection, needles must be used once and then thrown away immediately.throw/chuck away something · Some employers throw away all incorrectly hand-written applications without even reading them.· In the bin there were a few scraps of food his mum had chucked away.
also chuck out especially British, informal, /toss out American informal to get rid of something, especially when you are trying to make a place more tidy or to make space for new things: throw/chuck/toss something out: · You haven't thrown those magazines out have you?· We chucked a lot of stuff out when we moved house.throw/chuck/toss out something: · She would do nothing for days then spring into action and spend a day throwing out all the garbage, cleaning the bathroom, and dusting.· Why don't you toss out all those old books. You'll never want to read them again.
to throw something away, especially something old or dirty: · I think it's time we got rid of all these old toys.· If you hate that furniture so much why don't you get rid of it and buy some new stuff.get rid of something for somebody: · Give me the empty bottles -- I'll get rid of them for you.
American informal to get rid of something, especially when you are trying to make a place more tidy or to make room for new things: · If you don't want any of these shoes, I'm going to toss them.· "What should I do with all your old text books?" "Just chuck them out - I'm never going to need them."
formal to throw away something that you do not want or no longer need, by putting it in a suitable place: · Please dispose of this wrapper carefully.· Nuclear waste can cause serious damage to the environment if not disposed of properly.
formal to throw away something that you no longer need, especially by dropping it on the ground or leaving it somewhere you should not: · People who discard their litter in the streets should have to pay heavy fines.· A child had become trapped in a refrigerator discarded in a vacant lot.
to throw away something dangerous or something no one wants, especially by leaving it in an unsuitable place: dump something in/into something: · People who want to get rid of old cars sometimes dump them in the woods.· Toxic waste is being dumped into the ocean.· The half-burned bodies were dumped in mass graves.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
He was a bully, and we’re well rid of him (=it is good that he has gone).
He was a bully, and we’re well rid of him (=it is good that he has gone).PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1get rid of somebody/something a)to throw away or destroy something you do not want anymore: - I can never get rid of the lumps in my gravy.
- It's about time you got rid of that old gas-guzzling car.
- My mother made me get rid of my dog.
- They burned the ship to get rid of the evidence.
- But if we got rid of the old masts, we would be losing at least a quarter-ton of dead weight.
- But you don't get rid of me like that.
- Congress never really tried very hard to get rid of Education or any other department.
- Long before dark, Liz felt she was ready to do anything to get rid of the child.
- Petrie used a complicated measure of condition to get rid of the effects of size alone.
- That was the quickest way of getting rid of wolves.
- They wanted to get rid of her because they thought she was an interfering busybody.
- You know, turn off the stereo, get rid of any reading material.
- I'd give anything to be rid of this headache.
- Anxious to be rid of the interruption, Madame Weill carefully brought the offending nude inside.
- He was glad to be rid of the typewriter, though he had been unwilling to part with it until now.
- I am glad to be rid of them, but the thousands of species outdoors delight me.
- I wanted it to go. Be rid of it.
- If Frank wanted to be rid of me, he would be.
- Not that you are rid of it, but you have conquered it.
- Perry is rid of his pursuer, fresh again.
- Yet why should you castrate yourself To be rid of them both?
- Fred and Louise want it that way too, they want rid of me.
- Is Wilko trying to prove a point or does he just want rid of Rocky???
- They wanted rid of me all the time.
It’s time we got rid of all these old toys. Governments should be encouraged to get rid of all nuclear weapons. b)to take action so that you no longer have something unpleasant that you do not want: I can’t get rid of this cough. He opened the windows to get rid of the smell. c)to make someone leave because you do not like them or because they are causing problems: Are you trying to get rid of me? It can be difficult for schools to get rid of poor teachers.2be rid of somebody/something to have taken action so that something or someone is no longer there to worry or annoy you: The clerical part of his job was tedious, and he was glad to be rid of it. He was a bully, and we’re well rid of him (=it is good that he has gone).3want rid of somebody/something to want to get rid of someone or something that is annoying you: I could tell that he wanted rid of me.rid1 adjectiverid2 verb
ridrid2 verb (past tense and past participle rid, present participle ridding) rid somebody/something of something phrasal verb written to take action so that a person, place etc is no longer affected by something bad or no longer has it: a promise to rid the country of nuclear weapons Will science finally rid us of this disease?rid yourself of something He struggled to rid himself of his fears.