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 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 McCarthy drove a liner to center field that got by the diving Mangum and rolled to the wall. — CBS News, 21 June 2026 Sophia Wilson's shot deflected off Isabela and got by Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena in the 63rd minute for the lone goal before the 55,144 fans in Fortaleza. — ABC News, 9 June 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 The Last Guest While the Pope couldn’t make it for Colbert’s final show, the host still got by with a little help from a friend. — Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 22 May 2026 The previous record was the $36 million Saquon Barkley got by signing with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2025. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026 Herbst chided Williams for having four assistant city managers when prior city managers got by with two. — Susannah Bryan, Sun Sentinel, 6 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
  • For one thing, millennials have coped with a lot of instability and uncertainty in their formative years.
    — Adia Harvey Wingfield, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Once out and about, moonwalkers coped with very fine, tiny particles composed of sharp, glassy material.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 5 Aug. 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
  • The Bulls got on the scoreboard straight after halftime, ending New Zealand's streak without conceding at 124 minutes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • To help build that picture, Heinzerling and team got on court with Nadal, with camera operators dodging tennis balls and sliding and capturing moments of Nadal with his young son and wife at home.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of got on
Verb
  • Both teams then got along just fine after practice with several players from each team spending time together.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Frawley and Vance were better known as Fred and Ethel to millions of fans — and infamously never quite got along.
    — Rance Collins, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026
Definition of got along
Verb
  • Harston is also one of the Screaming Marys, a performance collective managed by Screaming Alley, which regularly hosts workshops in everything from burlesque to lip-syncing – and previously did Jackson’s drag king course.
    — Sheena McKenzie, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Those came when Madrid’s Champions League match at Benfica (then managed by Mourinho) was stopped after the Brazilian alleged opposition winger Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him.
    — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • In addition to Kristen, Norris is survived by another daughter, Megan; five grandchildren; and a sister, Mary Ann Fritsch.
    — Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Now, Gascón — whose entire family survived — is among hundreds residing in a tent city in a large sports complex that includes facilities for soccer, basketball, volleyball and other sports.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of survived
Verb
  • Two teenagers are taking their creativity to the next level with impressive prom dress and prom tux creations, both made out of duct tape.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Two former employees told Fortune that many people made out to the tune of $10 million through the buyouts, including those not in leadership positions.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 11 Aug. 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 20 Aug. 2026.

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