as in coped
to meet one's day-to-day needs
working at night paid my college tuition and enabled me to get by—but just barely
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 got by
New Line got by on big swings like Lord of the Rings by selling foreign (though Warner Bros International also distributed these pics abroad.
—
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Also in that inning, Jeimer Candelario hit a ball to center that got by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong for a double.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
That was the only puck that got by Swayman.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Subramanian snatched the ball away and got by the keeper to score an easy goal.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
But what Gus got by doing 10 takes like that was incredible material.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
The thieves got by a security guard standing outside, but their images were captured by surveillance video, KTLA reported.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
That, however, was when Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker quickly got by Dolphins guard Daniel Brunskill and into Tagovailoa’s face, forcing the franchise quarterback to fire a pass toward Jaylen Waddle that linebacker Terrel Bernard easily snagged.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
San Francisco got by Sunday with contributions from their remaining three captains — Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir — as well as big efforts from Pearsall, Pineiro and Dee Winters .
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 12 Apr. 2026
Also in that inning, Jeimer Candelario hit a ball to center that got by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong for a double.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Apr. 2026
That was the only puck that got by Swayman.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2026
Subramanian snatched the ball away and got by the keeper to score an easy goal.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
But what Gus got by doing 10 takes like that was incredible material.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 20 Feb. 2026
The thieves got by a security guard standing outside, but their images were captured by surveillance video, KTLA reported.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Jan. 2026
That, however, was when Bills defensive tackle Deone Walker quickly got by Dolphins guard Daniel Brunskill and into Tagovailoa’s face, forcing the franchise quarterback to fire a pass toward Jaylen Waddle that linebacker Terrel Bernard easily snagged.
—Miami Herald, 23 Sep. 2025
San Francisco got by Sunday with contributions from their remaining three captains — Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner and Deommodore Lenoir — as well as big efforts from Pearsall, Pineiro and Dee Winters .
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for got by
Verb
-
Lennie asked about how the audience coped with that.—
Victoria Edel,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Sam coped with pain by avoiding movement and activity, swapping soccer for videogames.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday, nor did HUD officials.—
Lizzie Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Aug. 2025
-
The two men then said Smollett paid them to stage the attack, and Smollett was charged with filing a false police report; the charges were later dropped after Smollett paid a fine and did community service.—
Rick Porter,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Rubio then called Lebanon’s president, Joseph Aoun, who got on board.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Long before Bednar’s wobbly ninth, the Yankees got on the board first, welcoming Luis Severino back to the Bronx with three consecutive singles from Trent Grisham, Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger in the opening inning.—
Gary Phillips,
New York Daily News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The two got along at first, jurors were told, with Cuomo at one point taking Fahim to a Los Angeles Rams game.—
Sean Emery,
Oc Register,
14 Apr. 2026
-
And the campus’s real-life staff and the show’s crew apparently got along, which is a good sign should production need to return for a potential second season.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Both institutions got their start much like Tunnel, when artists managed to nab inexpensive real estate decades ago.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
17 Apr. 2026
-
In an era where heads are quickly turned by enticing name, image and likeness and revenue-sharing deals, Georgia managed to retain the most talent of any starting lineup in the Southeastern Conference in 2026.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
One of the children who somehow survived the slaughter grew up to be the maternal grandfather of Vermeer.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The risk of getting a new cancer also looked about the same whether researchers focused on people who had already survived five years or looked at their risk over their entire lifetime.—
Tesfaye Negussie,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
It’s made out of easy-to-clean nylon and comes in a whopping 50 different colors and patterns.—
Rebecca Shinners,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Building on the bones of Detroit techno and electro, his best records are hallucinogenic portals into worlds made out of 8-bit textures, rusty bleeps, and the occasional forlorn piano or sandpapery vocal sample.—
Andrew Ryce,
Pitchfork,
9 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Got by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/got%20by. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
