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
Current and former employees swear Preller gets by on a few hours of sleep a night.
—
Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Here a miserable delivery boy gets by disposing of mummies recovered in Iquique, North of Chile.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
That, however, was when Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker quickly got by Dolphins guard Daniel Brunskill and into Tagovailoa’s face, forcing the franchise quarterback to fire a pass toward Jaylen Waddle that linebacker Terrel Bernard easily snagged.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
White played just 29 snaps in the season opener, and the defense got by without him in Miami thanks to backups like Anfernee Jennings, who has fully bought into Vrabel’s program despite being placed on the trade block this summer.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
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Brittany Ghiroli, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Here a miserable delivery boy gets by disposing of mummies recovered in Iquique, North of Chile.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Sep. 2025
That, however, was when Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker quickly got by Dolphins guard Daniel Brunskill and into Tagovailoa’s face, forcing the franchise quarterback to fire a pass toward Jaylen Waddle that linebacker Terrel Bernard easily snagged.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
White played just 29 snaps in the season opener, and the defense got by without him in Miami thanks to backups like Anfernee Jennings, who has fully bought into Vrabel’s program despite being placed on the trade block this summer.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 19 Sep. 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 30 Sep. 2025.
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