Synonyms of get by

get by

verb

as in to cope

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

• cope
• do
• get on
• get along
• manage
• make do
• make out
• make ends meet
• survive
• make shift
• fare
• shift
• carry on
• afford
• fend for oneself
• eke out
• scrape (by or through)
• last
• scrape (out)
• scrounge
• contrive
• squeeze
• swing
• wring
• wrest

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fall short
• fail
• collapse
• decline
• give up
• flounder
• wane
• slump
• fizzle
• peter (out)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of get by

Rosemary Farm in Santa Maria, California, has struggled to get by as bird flu ravages poultry populations across the U.S., sickening and killing birds and causing egg prices to spike. —Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2025

One of the biggest gets by the museum in recent years were 51 photographs by the incredible photographer Robert Bergman. —James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Feb. 2025

Joey Logano gets by Corey LaJoie to lead once again! —Alex Zietlow and, Charlotte Observer, 17 Feb. 2025

Some people don’t get by with their secrets and with evading the effects of those secrets. —Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2025