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 There was Spencer, who was getting by far the most media attention and the most money. — David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Acuff went left and went right, getting by Grimes rather easily. — Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026 Only one lane of eastbound traffic was getting by during rush hour as police investigated. — Digital Producer, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by

Verb

Lake County families, like those across the nation, are coping with higher prices for gasoline, groceries, housing and health care.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Harvard Health’s advice on coping with holiday grief suggests adjusting celebrations or starting new rituals when the old ones feel too heavy.

— Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

So my wife and I are getting on a plane, leaving our three children with a babysitter, and praying war won’t break out and strand us.

— Jonathan Dekel, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
The flight went on as planned, but these men knew my grandfather and heard that his daughters were getting on the plane.

— Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of getting on

Verb

Despite not getting along from the get-go, Lexi and Ridge notice a spark between June and Dan and decide to set them up.

— Rachel LaBonte, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Oct. 2026
As the Commander of the crew, my main responsibilities were to make sure the crew was safe, in good health and spirits, getting along well and on top of their work.

— Michaela Musilova, Space.com, 26 Oct. 2026

Definition of getting along

Verb

Japan has long been viewed as a treasure trove of bankable manga, gaming and other forms of IP, but the country’s unique rights structures and ways of doing business have made collaboration more difficult for potential international partners.

— Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
The inescapable reality is that neither country can deliver any knockout blows against the other without doing grievous damage to itself.

— Ali Wyne, Foreign Affairs, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of doing

Verb

Likewise, this season, dancers making out at Diesel made spectators part of the performance.

— Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026
That’s no longer what, a few years ago, might have been described as a cautious approach, not when audiences are making out-of-nowhere titles like Obsession and Backrooms into buzzy hits and craving something new.

— Alison Willmore, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of making out

Verb

However, their power requirements create additional challenges for facilities already managing substantial electricity consumption.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
But Southeast Asian coordination may happen without ASEAN’s guidance, argues Hans Vriens, co-founder and managing partner of government affairs consultancy Vriens & Partners.

— Sam Beltran, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026