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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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 Related Stories Manchevski wrote and directed the dark comedy, which centers on Malina and Viktor, a sister and brother getting by hand to mouth at the edges of Macedonian society. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026 These cities and towns promised better jobs, cheaper homes, less traffic and higher quality of life, outweighing Florida’s allure of tropical weather and ease of getting by on Spanish alone. — Elliot Spagat, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 These cities and towns promised better jobs, cheaper homes, less traffic and higher quality of life, outweighing Florida's allure of tropical weather and ease of getting by on Spanish alone. — CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 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 Even with two incomes, the family is just getting by. — Andrea Hsu, NPR, 16 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by

Verb

Kawhi Leonard taught him about body management and coping with expectations.

— Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026
But with credit-card interest rates now as high as 28 percent, a short-term coping strategy can quickly become a long-term financial crisis, as interest rates climb and interest costs grow.

— Sheldon H. Jacobson, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

Service providers acknowledge that transitional housing is a good option for some people, such as those getting on their feet after evictions.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026
This project started for me with getting on a Zoom with Lance and the next step was getting on a Zoom with Lance and Rob.

— CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of getting on

Verb

Interestingly, a fleeting scene of Noah leaning on his teammates becomes a tragic mirror to Hal never having been able to do so (as a kid or as a Lantern) and John never getting along with his brothers.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of getting along

Verb

Some of the stories are just spoken matter-of-factly, while others are acted out with Jaku doing all the voices.

— Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
Anyone attempting to judge these works by their relationship to canonized video, computational art, and painting may have difficulty doing so.

— Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of doing

Verb

Keeping her husband happy yet oblivious—managing his baby fever with staged fake miscarriages—only goes so far when Martha begins suffering an inexplicable illness that culminates in an impossible pregnancy.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
The office of the CFO can spend less time managing work and more time interpreting information and making decisions that improve business performance.

— Ari Widlansky, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of managing

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“Getting by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/getting%20by. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of getting by

verb

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