get by

verb

got by; got by or gotten by; getting by; gets by

intransitive verb

1

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment

2

: to make ends meet : survive

3

: to proceed without being discovered, criticized, or punished

Synonyms

• cope
• do
• fare
• get along
• get on
• make out
• manage
• shift

Examples of get by in a Sentence

working at night paid my college tuition and enabled me to get by—but just barely

Recent Examples on the Web

Many Gen Z need financial help from their parents to get by. —Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY, 19 July 2024

For someone who’d spent years as a single mother, struggling to get by with jobs ranging from teacher to housemaid, the financial success that followed was a welcome surprise. —Zack O’Malley Greenburg, Variety, 15 July 2024

Sadie Sink gets by with a little help from her musician friends! —Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 11 Aug. 2024

Elsewhere, Allison is a working actress with an angsty teenager, Luther is getting by as a stripper, and Klaus — cloaked in layers of outerwear and plastic gloves — is struggling with an overbearing case of germophobia. —Stacy Lambe, IndieWire, 8 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

get by

verb

1

: to make ends meet : manage

2

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment