got by

verb

past tense of get by
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

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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 Those five goals came on 14 shots, the last from the left point by Hedman that somehow got by Hart late in the second. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 State police said all northbound lanes of the Bishop Ford were shut down after the crash, but traffic still got by on the right shoulder. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Machine Gun Kelly got by in Miami with a little help from his friends. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026 Other people threw french fries and chicken bones; the cats got by. — Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026 Almirón got by Sporting Kansas City defender Moisés Mosquera with several stop-and-go moves before serving a precise pass to Tomás Jacob for a score in the 13th minute. — Michael Cunningham, AJC.com, 24 Aug. 2026 His single mom, Laura, got by with assistance from the local church and benevolent relatives, including one who bought Warner football cleats. — Dan Pompei, New York Times, 21 July 2026 Cape Verde gave the defending champions a major scare on Friday, forcing extra time before Argentina got by via a late own goal in an epic Round of 32 confrontation. — Michael Lewis, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026 Koeninger ripped a ball to center field that got by a diving Zo Palmore scoring Davis to tie the game again, 7-7. — Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for got by
  1. coped
  2. did
  3. got on
  4. got along
  5. managed
  6. survived
  7. made out
Verb
  • Adam has always coped with the world by drawing—his artwork on yellow legal pads and sticky notes illustrates the novel—but now there’s a new girl in school who’s praised for her artwork, and Adam feels his identity as an artist slipping away.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The countries that coped best were not always those with the most energy resources.
    — Dr. Sarah Kapnick, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of coped
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
  • Wisconsin Republicans did the same last year, and similar efforts have been raised in other states.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2025
Definition of did
Verb
  • Hartford doubled the lead just three minutes later as Barry Coffey got on the end of one on a scramble in the box and pushed it past Charleson goalkeeper Luis Zamudio.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 8 Nov. 2026
  • During pre-production, the 80-year-old got on the line with Ippolito to walk him through his early years.
    — Derek Lawrence, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of got on
Verb
  • And apparently, my skin wasn't the only one that got along with these pads.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Whether that announcement is marriage- or pickleball-related remains to be seen, but not everyone coming back together got along in the Big Brother house, so how does Chen Moonves feel about Jason De Puy and Kamu Kirk being reunited?
    — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of got along
Verb
  • Deckhand Matt may just be the most audacious toe-stepper to debut in this franchise since Alesia, who, in the last season of Down Under, managed to rearrange the interior team according to her own proclivities.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Nov. 2026
  • This looming ban — slipped into a sweeping budget bill passed by Congress last year — was set to go into effect this November before a bipartisan coalition of senators managed to punt the deadline by a month, to December 11.
    — Sarah Owermohle, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • He is survived by his wife, four children and two grandchildren, Isabella and Edward.
    — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2026
  • He is also survived by his younger brother Nigel Frieda, the British music producer and founder of the Sugababes.
    — Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of survived
Verb
  • Four of the mummified corpses also tested positive for alcohol, which likely came from drinking chicha, a beer made out of maize.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2026
  • My oldest gifted me a bouquet of red roses made out of Legos.
    — Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of made out

Browse Nearby Words

got back (at)
got by
gotcha
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Cite this Entry

“Got by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/got%20by. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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