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
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
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
-
Sam coped with pain by avoiding movement and activity, swapping soccer for videogames.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
24 Mar. 2026
-
In recent years, Bareilles has also coped publicly with the death of close friend and Broadway colleague Gavin Creel, the Tony Award–winning actor and singer who died in September 2024 from a rare and aggressive form of sarcoma.—
Abigail Park,
Billboard,
19 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
-
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
-
Her father got on the phone with 911.—
Dateline NBC,
NBC news,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Old differences fell away, and the two got along well.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The scooter rider managed to evade police by making a U-turn, cops said.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
In 34 seasons, the Rockies have managed only five playoff berths, never won a National League West title and appeared in one World Series in 2007, swept by the Boston Red Sox in a buzzkill end to the most magical run in baseball history.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In November, a wildlife photographer out on a whale watching trip in waters off the city captured dramatic video and photos of a pod of killer whales hunting a seal that survived only by clambering onto the stern of her boat.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Thomas Jefferson launched other expeditions besides Lewis and Clark’s, and those expeditions also included enslaved people, though their names have not survived.—
Craig Fehrman,
Space.com,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Plastic products are partly made out of oil, which has gone up more than 40% since the start of the war in late February.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Photons, which are massless, could be made out of massive particles in de Sitter space.—
Shalma Wegsman,
Quanta Magazine,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Got by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/got%20by. Accessed 12 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
