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

Real wages, adjusted for inflation, have declined almost every month since the Iran war started, prompting some consumers to dip into savings and rely on credit cards to get by. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Other people threw french fries and chicken bones; the cats got by. — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026

In the past, a second-rate software rollout cost a company time and money but rarely sank it, since a firm with a strong moat could get by. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Acuff went left and went right, getting by Grimes rather easily. — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 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