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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Recent Examples of getting by
Much of the 31-year-old comic’s material revolves around getting by in an increasingly stupid world — half-hearted attempts at self-improvement, if not self-preservation.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Sadly, after about a decade of getting by, the dairy market tanked.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
Sadly, after about a decade of getting by, the dairy market tanked.
—Andrew Watman, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for getting by
Verb
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David Fry remembers pacing in the batting cage during the 2024 playoffs, his way of coping with wielding no influence over what was unfolding on the field.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
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My son is a future engineer, or maybe an entrepreneur—he got kicked off the bus in Kindergarten for starting a bubble gum trading ring, his coping mechanism for controlling social interactions.—
Hayley Matz Meadvin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Everton were more aggressive in and out of possession, getting on the front foot and forcing errors.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
6 Oct. 2025
-
Parker gets a crew together including an old friend (LaKeith Stanfield) and a new ally (Rosa Salazar) to steal sunken treasure coming into New York, getting on the bad side of the mob and a billionaire.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What's without question is that the longer a shutdown continues, the more pressure will be brought on essential services going to vulnerable people and federal workers getting along (either on the job or not) without pay.—
Todd Spangler,
Freep.com,
4 Oct. 2025
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The duo are known for their close collaboration while also getting along well with their boss of five-and-a-half years, Cheeks.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Even though Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to give Amorim a full season, and losing to Sunderland was not regarded as terminal, doing so would have brought immense pressure.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Hi hi hello, how is everyone doing on this lovely Sunday?—
Rosalind Bowling,
Nashville Tennessean,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hoping to better understand the demand for smutty scares, Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville (Olivia Williams), spend an interminable evening at the theater surrounded by people throwing popcorn and making out while the topless woman onscreen is tortured and killed in a masked man’s dungeon.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
4 Oct. 2025
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Patrick took it surprisingly well, because Kacie kept making out with him and confirming that her choice had nothing to do with her feelings for him.—
Sydney Bucksbaum,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Containment is part of a larger plan for managing a wildfire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
8 Oct. 2025
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Pumpkin seed oil may have many health benefits, including boosting skin, hair, and heart health and managing menopause symptoms.—
Mark Gurarie,
Health,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Getting by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/getting%20by. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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