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

Plants to Avoid Planting With Marigolds While marigolds get along with almost every plant in the garden and are seen as a top companion plant for flowers, herbs, and vegetables alike, there are a few plants to avoid planting near marigolds. —Heather Bien, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026

Apple goes along to get along Tim Cook generally seems keen to avoid expressing anything that might be perceived as a personal opinion in public. —ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026

Managing 14 cats means constant adjustments, especially since not all of them get along. —Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 24 Apr. 2026

Someone who can rebuild the team and develop young players, show patience, communicate with the media, get along with management and help improve the team’s image with a skeptical fan base that doesn’t trust ownership. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 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