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
To get by offensively, Rajaković is going to have to stagger his prolific scorers pretty strongly.
—
Eric Koreen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
On the streets of London, Mike is hustling to get by.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Many entry-level Ford workers, Farley also recounted at Ford Pro Accelerate, have had to take multiple jobs just to get by before the company moved them to full-time status, raising wages and offering more security.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
My father worked in construction and only picked up enough English words to get by.
—Priscilla Blossom, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
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Eric Koreen, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
On the streets of London, Mike is hustling to get by.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Many entry-level Ford workers, Farley also recounted at Ford Pro Accelerate, have had to take multiple jobs just to get by before the company moved them to full-time status, raising wages and offering more security.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2025
My father worked in construction and only picked up enough English words to get by.
—Priscilla Blossom, Time, 2 Oct. 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 14 Oct. 2025.
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