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
Delivery workers and cab and ride hailing drivers work long hours just to get by, while corporate platforms skim profits from every ride.
—
Phara Souffrant Forrest, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Feels like offensive line, probably get by with Steen and combo of lane/big Fred, but a big body first-rounder like Proctor from Alabama might be the move?
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
As cold weather continues to slam the South, the stories of how people and animals are getting by continue to filter in.
—Dylan Lovan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Sometimes, those familiar chord changes provide enough sustenance to get by.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Phara Souffrant Forrest, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Feels like offensive line, probably get by with Steen and combo of lane/big Fred, but a big body first-rounder like Proctor from Alabama might be the move?
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
As cold weather continues to slam the South, the stories of how people and animals are getting by continue to filter in.
—Dylan Lovan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
Sometimes, those familiar chord changes provide enough sustenance to get by.
—Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for get by
Verb
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That approach cuts the costs of medicines, creates local jobs, and instills reliance to better cope with global shocks.—
Alexis Akwagyiram,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
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Gayheart, meanwhile, penned an essay for The Cut that December that offered an inside glimpse at how her family was coping with the diagnosis.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Nor did Liu attempt a quadruple toe loop as did the Russian Adeliia Petrosian.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Through a stellar debut season, freshman Jazzy Davidson has done everything for USC that was asked of her.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Sometimes, to get away from it all, therapy involved simply getting on a board and riding.—
Eddie Pells,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Feb. 2026
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This forms a striking contrast with the scenes fashioned to look exactly like a typical cheesy reality TV show, with all the glitter balls, high-resolution close-ups and corny cutaways to crying family members, when Lea gets on the show.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Working with Preller, 48, would give the new top boss a better sense of him and how the two get along.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
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Reports that Lindor and Soto didn’t get along last season, their first on the Mets together, were overblown.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But Posey, the executive, seems content to manage a massive talent debt to the Dodgers that grows larger by the day.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Coyotes also manage urban deer populations — a critical ecosystem function because ballooning deer herds can decimate forests, stunt plant growth and contribute to invasive species influxes.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20by. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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