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

Single mother working hard to get by and get an education and show her son the world. —Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 18 June 2026

Even with two incomes, the family is just getting by. —Andrea Hsu, NPR, 16 June 2026

With the recent wave of triple-digit temperatures this past weekend, now is the perfect time to get by the water. —Kat Tran, Sacbee.com, 15 June 2026

Don’t expect today’s luxury campers to get by on just gorp and Eggs Erroneous. —Brendan Cosgrove, Fortune, 15 June 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