Synonyms of getting by

getting by

verb

present participle of get by

as in coping

to meet one's day-to-day needs

working at night paid my college tuition and enabled me to get by—but just barely

Synonyms & Similar Words

• coping
• getting on
• getting along
• doing
• making do
• making out
• managing
• making ends meet
• surviving
• making shift
• carrying on
• fending for oneself
• shifting
• scraping (by or through)
• faring
• affording
• scraping (out)
• eking out
• scrounging
• lasting
• contriving
• squeezing
• wringing
• swinging
• wresting

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• falling short
• failing
• collapsing
• floundering
• declining
• giving up
• waning
• slumping
• petering (out)
• fizzling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of getting by

For those who worked part-time while raising children, or who’ve spent decades just getting by with little chance to save for retirement, old age can hit hard. —Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 26 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

Magallan said that most day care and child care providers are just getting by. —David Ingram, NBC news, 4 Jan. 2026

For many, that’s the difference between getting by and falling behind. —Kam Shenai, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Jan. 2026

Despite all this, PG&E seems to be getting by. —Nick Bowlin, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025

The Heat’s new-look offense relies on players getting by their defender and into the paint without the help of a screen. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2025

Much of the 31-year-old comic’s material revolves around getting by in an increasingly stupid world — half-hearted attempts at self-improvement, if not self-preservation. —Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025

Sadly, after about a decade of getting by, the dairy market tanked. —Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025