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 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 Their relationship enters a dramatic new phase when the latter — also single, barely getting by with ambitions to become a writer — gets pregnant after sleeping with her married professor and decides to keep the baby. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by

Verb

Navigating that grief can be difficult and coping with it looks different for everyone.

— Cody Godwin, USA Today, 24 Aug. 2026
Stahl will add to the report with details on how the town is coping with its history.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

And none of it seems close to being solved despite the 49ers getting on a plane to Australia in less than two weeks for the season opener against the Rams, who many expect to have Aaron Donald back from retirement.

— Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 21 Aug. 2026
The plaintiffs requested an injunction to block the referendum from even getting on the ballot, but Judge Walsh said their arguments did not meet the standards for an injunction and denied their request.

— Joshua Ceballos, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of getting on

Verb

People wear flannel and denim while making out in the storage room of the local watering hole.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 19 Aug. 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