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 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 As Americans are barely getting by because of inflation, tariffs, and a cost-of-living crisis, saving for retirement can feel like the priority lowest on the totem pole. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by

Verb

The Sparks have alternated winning and losing streaks while coping with injuries to Kelsey Plum and a porous defense.

— Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
France’s main task against Morocco at Gillette Stadium was coping with Achraf Hakimi, the best right-back in the tournament and familiar to the France players who have played club football with him at Paris Saint-Germain.

— Michael Cox, New York Times, 10 July 2026

Definition of coping

Verb

The trailer shows the Harrigans getting on the front foot in their latest war on the streets, with Conrad and Maeve walking brazenly into danger at one point firing at rivals.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 July 2026
From the gratifying casual exchanges being experienced by anyone going to Fan Fest, getting on the KC Streetcar, happening upon visitors in restaurants or attending satellite festivities.

— Vahe Gregorian July 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026

Definition of getting on

Verb

Much of the penultimate episode is about tying up loose ends and spending some wholesome time together before the eliminations inevitably begin, and … honestly, everyone is just getting along pretty well.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 11 July 2026
The former couple is reportedly not getting along at the moment, especially after Hewitt accused Davidson of being a deadbeat dad to their daughter, Scottie Rose.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 19 May 2026

Definition of getting along

Verb

Not the family stuff, like Natalie’s spontaneous nipple piercing after making out with Cady’s maybe-daughter, Nevaeh (Malia Pyles), who later murders her own mother after kissing her, for way too long, on the mouth.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 June 2026
The finale concluded on an uncomfortable cliffhanger between Benny and Carmen, as the former walked in on the latter making out with his crush Miles (Rish Shah), leading to an unexpected confrontation in which Benny is accidentally outed to his sister.

— Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 6 June 2026

Definition of making out

Verb

By managing computing infrastructure for models, Fireworks does business in the inference cloud market, alongside startups such as Baseten and Together AI.

— Jordan Novet, CNBC, 16 July 2026
Weinberg says the confederation has evolved immensely since then, shifting from simply managing competitions to actively trying to help develop football in the region.

— Juliana Kim, NPR, 16 July 2026