get by
verb
got by; got by or gotten by; getting by; gets by
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
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 are able to get by for a week with some deodorant, a bottle of 3-in-1, and a ziploc bag.
—
Kat Merck, Wired News, 2 May 2025
To get to this point in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona had to first get by another major Spanish team, Atletico Madrid, over two legs.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Many families are already struggling to get by in today's turbulent economy, especially with tariffs making many goods more expensive.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
To get by in most states, the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates the average single person needs to make about $45,000 a year, or $21.63 hourly assuming a 40-hour work week.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
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Kat Merck, Wired News, 2 May 2025
To get to this point in the Copa del Rey, Barcelona had to first get by another major Spanish team, Atletico Madrid, over two legs.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Apr. 2025
Many families are already struggling to get by in today's turbulent economy, especially with tariffs making many goods more expensive.
—Rachel Treisman, NPR, 23 Apr. 2025
To get by in most states, the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates the average single person needs to make about $45,000 a year, or $21.63 hourly assuming a 40-hour work week.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20by. Accessed 9 May. 2025.
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