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 of get by

• cope
• do
• get on
• get along
• manage

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

Some people have relied on predatory loans to get by. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2026

She’s been there since January, mostly getting by on her own. —Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 25 Mar. 2026

For the past two years, Darlyn was working as a deliverista to get by. —Julian Roberts-Grmela, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026

Tiny Goliath Trounces an Even Tinier David<\/h2>

While the iPad will continue to help the average user get by with paying the bills or writing their next breakout sci-fi novel, while maybe even tweaking some family photos, the MacBook Neo’s superior processor does it all better. —PC Magazine, 20 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for get by

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

get by

verb

1

: to make ends meet : manage

2

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment