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
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Recent Examples of get by
Sometimes, those familiar chord changes provide enough sustenance to get by.
—
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
Yes, some filmmakers could get by using less emotion and showing more loyalty to the source material.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the McFaddens are showering at a relative's home and relying on jugs of water to get by.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
There's not a frame that gets by him.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Pitchfork, 26 Jan. 2026
Yes, some filmmakers could get by using less emotion and showing more loyalty to the source material.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026
Meanwhile, the McFaddens are showering at a relative's home and relying on jugs of water to get by.
—Liz Crawford, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
There's not a frame that gets by him.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 19 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for get by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for get by
Verb
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So too does Helen, who handles her own feelings about Callie through her own coping mechanisms, some of which work, most of which don’t, and many of which center on building her own friendship with Minnie.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
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Patients with substance use disorders have often relied on substances as their escape lever from these deeper problems, rather than developing healthier coping mechanisms.—
Emma Fenske,
The Conversation,
12 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The southern Portuguese city of Alcacer do Sal, about 60 miles from Lisbon, was battling rising waters from the river Sado, with downtown areas flooded and water levels measuring roughly 7 feet high in some places.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
6 Feb. 2026
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For people that are not tracking what that actually means, that means that ICE can do almost no arrests in the entire country … If a court rules that there’s a final order of removal, they’re removed actually by an administrative warrant, not a judicial warrant.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That means that each week more than 100,000 people get on bikes and skates and rollerblades to roll past some of the most iconic parts of Mexico's capital city.—
Eyder Peralta,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2026
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There's also the option of reaching out to the utility companies to get on a budget plan that softens the blow.—
John Shumway,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the galley, Ben and Alesia are getting along fine until dessert.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
10 Feb. 2026
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Is there a right or a wrong choice in choosing a dog breed that will get along well with your kids?—
Taylor Grothe,
Parents,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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So now, a team that has defeated conference leaders such as Oklahoma City, Denver, Detroit and New York, also has managed to fall to the lottery likes of Utah, Indiana and Sacramento, with the 15-40 Pelicans up next.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
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Interestingly, and likely due to the fact that all six episodes were released at once, Steal even managed to make Luminate’s Top 50 list just based on its first two days of viewing.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20by. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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