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

The Bengals can get by from this point forward without checking these boxes, but the fallout wouldn’t be as significant as missing on the top four. —Paul Dehner Jr, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2026

Even before the Iran war began in March, three in four Americans said groceries were so expensive they were forced to cut costs elsewhere in their budgets to get by, according to point-of-sale company Toast. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 7 Apr. 2026

The cost of everything has gone up — health care, child care, groceries — and most people in rent stabilized apartments like mine are struggling to get by. —Joanne Grell, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026

Their relationship enters a dramatic new phase when the latter — also single, barely getting by with ambitions to become a writer — gets pregnant after sleeping with her married professor and decides to keep the baby. —David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 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