get by

verb

got by; got by or gotten by; getting by; gets by

intransitive verb

1

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment

2

: to make ends meet : survive

3

: to proceed without being discovered, criticized, or punished

Synonyms

• cope
• do
• fare
• get along
• get on
• make out
• manage
• shift

Examples of get by in a Sentence

working at night paid my college tuition and enabled me to get by—but just barely

Recent Examples on the Web

He’s played doctors, lawyers, Civil Rights icons (American and African), cops, soldiers, cowboys, pilots, teachers, coaches, princes, kings, and everyday people just trying to get by. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024

As an adult, though, the comedy resonates more as an ode to the exhaustive nature of being a parent around the holidays and how everybody's just trying to get by at the holidays, even the tired mall Santa. 10. —Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024

The benefits a business leader gets by active listening far outshines lesser values of ego boosts. —Edward Deangelis, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Trudeau noted that even those earning at the high end of that amount have been struggling to get by. —Rob Gillies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

get by

verb

1

: to make ends meet : manage

2

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment