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

There was no struggling to get by, which gave me a pretty stable upbringing. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2025

Personal Finance The 10 cities where Americans are financially struggling the most Despite positive economic indicators, Americans in these cities are struggling to get by By Start Slideshow Start Slideshow While the stock market is booming, plenty of Americans are still struggling. —Ben Kesslen, Quartz, 27 Feb. 2025

Austin Cindric got by his teammates and leads this race early. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb. 2025

The images document fabulous unknowns, New Yorkers who don’t belong to the elite and may be struggling to get by but are, at the moment Gottfried encounters them, emphatically enjoying their lives. —Arthur Lubow, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for get by

• apply
• awry
• belie
• bely
• bigeye
• bonsai
• buckeye
• comply
• coxae
• decry
• defy
• deny

Kids Definition

get by

verb

1

: to make ends meet : manage

2

: to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment