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

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 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
  • She’s coped in life by using other people to take care of her in many different ways.
    — Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 20 July 2026
  • Belgium’s midfield coped despite playing without both Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans, who was lost to injury in pregame warm-ups.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 11 July 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
  • But Polk never got on track as a rookie, catching just 12 of 33 targets for 87 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games (seven starts).
    — David DeChant, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But just a couple stops into the ride, the group says a man got on the train carrying a box.
    — Olivia Young, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of got on
Verb
  • McGonigle, DeBarberie said, was the type of kid who got along with all sorts of crowds.
    — Cody Stavenhagen, New York Times, 6 July 2026
  • But the Gen-X icons reportedly got along swimmingly and have long referred to each other as husband and wife because of their wedding scene.
    — Jesse Hassenger, Entertainment Weekly, 1 June 2026
Definition of got along
Verb
  • Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Burke’s mother, Colleen Burke, managed most of the company’s financial decisions.
    — Madeline Morrison, NBC news, 22 July 2026
  • The Japanese international moved to Birmingham last summer for around €9 million, but managed just one goal in 28 appearances in the English Championship.
    — Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Definition of managed
Verb
  • Mia Bieniemy, 57, survived the shooting after she was hospitalized for serious injuries.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 31 July 2026
  • The fund survived with just $10 billion, the Journal reported, keeping that Anthropic stake intact.
    — Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 31 July 2026
Definition of survived
Verb
  • Here’s a look back at the 2026 All-Star Weekend, and who made out best during the league’s midseason break.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 26 July 2026
  • Noem’s purchases were largely made out of public view and angered communities that were caught by surprise.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
Definition of made out

Browse Nearby Words

got back (at)
got by
gotcha
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Got by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/got%20by. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All