Word.ws English Dictionary

getting off someone's back

getting off someone's back is the present participle and gerund of get off someone's back.

Meaning of get off someone's back

Verb

get off someone's back (third-person singular simple present gets off someone's back, present participle getting off someone's back, simple past got off someone's back, past participle (UK) got off someone's back or (US) gotten off someone's back)

  1. (ambitransitive, idiomatic, informal) To cease pestering or criticizing someone; to leave someone alone.
    • Nothing gets an overly inquisitive auntie or an uncle with unpalatable political views off your back like a Boxing Day fixture.2016, Daniel Gray, Saturday, 3pm: 50 Eternal Delights of Modern Football

Questions about getting off someone's back

What is getting off someone's back the present participle and gerund of?
Getting off someone's back is the present participle and gerund of get off someone's back.

Words near getting off someone's back in the dictionary

  1. getting off on the wrong foot
  2. getting off one's ass
  3. getting off one's backside
  4. getting off one's chest
  5. getting off one's high horse
  6. getting off someone's back
  7. getting off someone's case
  8. getting off the ground
  9. getting off the mark
  10. getting off the nut
  11. getting off with

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: getting off someone's back (page history and authors); get off someone's back (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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