Get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
get on at
(Britain) To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 27, 2026UK
(Britain) To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.
She did keep getting on at him a lot.
For parents
Get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.
For ESL learners
get on at means: To scold, to criticize, to complain directly to.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.
Cluster: general
Heard in the wild
“How did you get on at your mum's? Have you managed to keep those pests at bay?”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Was this helpful?
Comments
For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
Used in
UK
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "get on at".
⚡About Tech, Dev & AI slang
The vocabulary of software engineers, AI researchers, and anyone living in a terminal or on GitHub — from LLM to MCP, CORS to vibe coding, agentic to enshittification.
See all Tech, Dev & AI slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "get on at" (G)
get off of someone's cloudget off onget off one's assget off the nutget off withget onget one's act togetherget one's arse in gearget one's ashes hauledget one's ass handed to oneget one's ass in gearget one's bowels in an uproar
Browse all slang words starting with G.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- 81%
(US, informal) To complain to (someone).
- 80%
(informal, UK) (To criticize).
- 79%
To start on at someone is British informal for launching into criticism or a complaint directed at a specific person — nagging, berating, or having a go at them, often repeatedly and without much provocation. It implies persistence; you don't just criticize once, you start on at them and keep going. It's the verbal equivalent of a dog with a bone. Common in northern English dialects, it conveys the kind of low-level domestic friction that everyone has experienced but not everyone has a snappy phrase for.
- 78%
(transitive) To scold someone; to pressure someone; to criticize someone.
- 75%
(UK) To contact (someone) in order to raise or discuss a certain matter.