get along

verb

got along; got along or gotten along; getting along; gets along

intransitive verb

1

a

: to proceed toward a destination : progress

b

: to approach an advanced stage

especially : to approach old age

2

: to meet one's needs : manage

we got along on a minimum of clothing

3

: to be or remain on congenial terms

Synonyms of get along

• cope
• do
• get by
• get on
• make out
• make ends meet
• manage

Examples of get along in a Sentence

most college students can get along with just a few hours of sleep at night

the preparations for the party are getting along just fine

Recent Examples on the Web

Letterman and Leno did not get along, and Kimmel also expressed disdain for his NBC competitor. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 May 2026

The former couple is reportedly not getting along at the moment, especially after Hewitt accused Davidson of being a deadbeat dad to their daughter, Scottie Rose. —Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 19 May 2026

Demonstrators' signs declared the real losers were regular people whose lives are being upended by an industry controlled by out-of-touch billionaires who can’t get along. —ABC News, 18 May 2026

Despite evidence that the two got along well enough, rumors spread in Vienna after Mozart’s death that Salieri had poisoned him. —Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 18 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1683, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for get along

• evensong
• livelong
• overlong
• vietcong
• agung
• belong
• birdsong
• furlong
• headlong
• headstrong
• lifelong
• plainsong

Kids Definition

get along

verb

1

a

: progress

b

: to approach old age

getting along in years

2

: manage sense 4

get along on a small paycheck

3

: to be or remain on pleasant terms