get by
verb
got by; got by or gotten by; getting by; gets by
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
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
Especially in the past few years, Gen Z has been flocking to more affordable cities just to get by during the cost-of-living crisis.
—
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The company sold meal boxes during the pandemic to get by, but even when restaurants did reopen, sales remained below pre-COVID levels.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Some people have relied on predatory loans to get by.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
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.
Sydney Lake, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2026
The company sold meal boxes during the pandemic to get by, but even when restaurants did reopen, sales remained below pre-COVID levels.
—Neal Riley, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2026
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
Some people have relied on predatory loans to get by.
—Clio Chang, Curbed, 25 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/get%20by. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
