GETTING BY Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words

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

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of getting by The result, says Roya, is deepening apathy among her fellow citizens, whose preoccupation now is just getting by. — Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026 That free ticket, obtained by getting by hitting two of six numbers on a previous drawing, is now worth $6 million. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 That is not the performance of a team getting by on heart. — Sylvana Quader Sinha, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 Mexico passed its opening test with flying colors, getting by South Africa 2-0. — Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 18 June 2026 Two lanes of traffic are now getting by after the multi-vehicle crash. — Laura Fay, CBS News, 17 June 2026 Even with two incomes, the family is just getting by. — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 16 June 2026 Federal employees are guaranteed to receive back pay once the shutdown ends, according to a 2019 law, but getting by until then can be hard. — Tami Luhby, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026 Millman, his wife and their teenage daughter are barely getting by on his two part-time jobs, one bagging groceries, the other helping homebound seniors. — Noam N. Levey, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by

Verb

Counseling in later life isn’t just for coping with loss and illness.

— Washington Post, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2026
Residents of Chinatown, located in the Ground Zero perimeter, faced the most challenges coping with the tragedy, the documents said.

— Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

Today, a look at how some generative AI medical devices are getting on the market quickly.

— Mario Aguilar, STAT, 3 Sep. 2026
Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.

— Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of getting on

Verb

The success of Oasis Live ’25 — and the fact that the brothers are still getting along well enough to do press for their documentary together — has sparked rumors of a further Oasis tour, perhaps next year.

— Ellise Shafer, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Everyone’s getting along for now Two nights ago, my daughter refused to go to sleep well past her bedtime.

— Chris Branch, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of getting along

Verb

Ava and Shai naturally did some more making out at Charlie’s, but what did Ariana get up to?

— Tom Smyth, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
The book has the teens making out the first night things went from friends to something more, but the show took it to another level with Bret and Debbie having sex on a lounge chair at a party.

— Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026