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

• 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

Though Good Boy gets by for a while on the strength of its performances and the sheer oddness of its plot, the flimsiness of its characters drains the film of energy long before its 110 minutes are up. —Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025

Emma Heming Willis gets by with a little help from her family. —Ryan Coleman September 2, EW.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Briscoe gets by to take the lead once again, and the Legacy Motor Club duo of Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek run in third and fourth place, respectively. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 1 Sep. 2025

Dinklage, with his heavy head and weary eyes, plays Winston as someone who has been too busy trying to get by to see the trap that he and everyone around him have been caught in. —Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025

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