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

But for the most part Cubs and Sox fans got along and treated each other with mutual respect. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026

Both teams then got along just fine after practice with several players from each team spending time together. — Jon MacHota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Alice and Gemma really don’t seem to get along, and neither seems inclined to back down from their hostile postures. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026

There’s always this notion that exes don’t get along, especially when the relationship ends on a bad note. — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 19 Aug. 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