From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishget to the bottom of somethingget to the bottom of somethingCAUSEto find out the cause of a problem or situation I never got to the bottom of this! → bottom
Examples from the Corpus
get to the bottom of something• They can get to the bottom of a case for me.• Dido doesn't claim to have got to the bottom of what she calls the Canine Predicament.• When I got to the bottom of the hill and looked up, and I saw that beautiful campus, I cried.• That co-operation will be vital in getting to the bottom of this matter as soon as possible.• He must get to the bottom of that matter.• We decided to get to the bottom of this!• Or had her efforts to get to the bottom of the rue Roland mystery taken an unexpected toll on her?• After a few falls we all managed to get to the bottom of the slope in a snow plough position.• We're trying to get to the bottom of this, and see if she is lying. 