as in to cope
to meet one's day-to-day needs
working at night paid my college tuition and enabled me to get by—but just barely
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Recent Examples of get by
Sometimes, those familiar chord changes provide enough sustenance to get by.
—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
Yes, some filmmakers could get by using less emotion and showing more loyalty to the source material.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the McFaddens are showering at a relative's home and relying on jugs of water to get by.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
There's not a frame that gets by him.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
Yes, some filmmakers could get by using less emotion and showing more loyalty to the source material.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the McFaddens are showering at a relative's home and relying on jugs of water to get by.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
There's not a frame that gets by him.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for get by
Verb
-
Mobs attacked television vans and set cars ablaze as overrun hospitals struggled to cope with scores of injured people.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Ever since Cile was swept away by the floodwaters that swamped Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country last summer, her mother has been coping with her grief by writing her daughter a letter every day.—
Corky Siemaszko,
NBC news,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The southern Portuguese city of Alcacer do Sal, about 60 miles from Lisbon, was battling rising waters from the river Sado, with downtown areas flooded and water levels measuring roughly 7 feet high in some places.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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For people that are not tracking what that actually means, that means that ICE can do almost no arrests in the entire country … If a court rules that there’s a final order of removal, they’re removed actually by an administrative warrant, not a judicial warrant.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But to then get on the plane and fly back to Stockholm means a lot to me.—
Emily Zemler,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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Wade Haynes has been standing outside twice a day to make sure children get on and off the bus and to keep his community safe.—
Ubah Ali,
CBS News,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And people are still very much interested in it, and if the two women still get along.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
1 Feb. 2026
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Pratt, who is the author of two books on wildlife and holds lectures on getting along with the natural world, said there is something bigger at stake than removing mountain lions from the Santa Monica or Santa Ana mountains.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His campaign disputes that characterization, emphasizing his role on the administration’s FEMA Review Council, a body tasked with evaluating disaster policy rather than managing day-to-day operations, according to reporting from the Charlotte Observer.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Feb. 2026
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An American surfer managed to drag his surfboard onto the train, even though it wasn’t allowed.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20by. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
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