get/take the hint

idiom

: to understand what someone is suggesting when he or she says something in an indirect way

When she told me how much work she had to do, I got/took the hint and left.

Examples of get/take the hint in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Opinion|The real reason the frenzy over Biden is so unsettling Today at 4:10 p.m. EDT Analysis|Pelosi and Democrats to Biden: Maybe take the hint, please? —

Patrick Marley, Washington Post, 10 July 2024 Will his overbearing roommate take the hint and move out? —

Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 July 2024 Opinion|The Kamala Harris calculus: What do Democrats gain or lose? July 7, 2024 Opinion|What do Democrats do now? July 8, 2024 More From The Post Analysis|Pelosi and Democrats to Biden: Maybe take the hint, please? —

Perry Bacon, Washington Post, 10 July 2024 Some get the hint and stop the calls, but most don’t. —

Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 26 June 2024 If someone doesn’t take the hint, the orchestra will gradually crescendo. —

Matthew Jacobs, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2024 Hopefully some studio executive out there will take the hint. —

Katie Rife, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2022 Which means Freeman can’t take the hint: Given the length of those non-negotiations with Team Freeman, Braves officials didn’t want him. —

Terence Moore, Forbes, 25 June 2022 Merapi's Indonesian brethren did not take the hint, though, as Bromo in the Tengger Caldera continued to erupt throughout early December. —

Erik Klemetti, Discover Magazine, 4 Jan. 2011

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“Get/take the hint.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%2Ftake%20the%20hint. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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