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
Too deep a hole was dug to get by, and ultimately get ahead, on a week or two of solid play.
—
Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
Chopper 3 showed traffic getting by on the shoulder.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
For them and others struggling to get by, the financial math is simple, even if the risk calculation isn’t.
—Ivis Garcia, Fortune, 10 Dec. 2025
Or a parent might expect some empty-nest freedom once their child grows up, only to find that the kid still needs to live at home or can’t get by without financial support.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
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Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 14 Dec. 2025
Chopper 3 showed traffic getting by on the shoulder.
—Tom Dougherty, CBS News, 12 Dec. 2025
For them and others struggling to get by, the financial math is simple, even if the risk calculation isn’t.
—Ivis Garcia, Fortune, 10 Dec. 2025
Or a parent might expect some empty-nest freedom once their child grows up, only to find that the kid still needs to live at home or can’t get by without financial support.
—Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 8 Dec. 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 19 Dec. 2025.
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