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
About 29% depend entirely on Social Security benefits to get by.
—
Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
With the growing popularity of agritourism, many farmers are letting the customers go into the field and pick their own, getting more dollars per pumpkin than farmers could get by selling through the markets.
—Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
Until then, the show gets by on the charm of its supporting characters, including Noah’s brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons), and sister-in-law, Esther (Jackie Tohn).
—Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Some can get by on five hours of sleep; some can’t.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2025
With the growing popularity of agritourism, many farmers are letting the customers go into the field and pick their own, getting more dollars per pumpkin than farmers could get by selling through the markets.
—Shelley Mitchell, The Conversation, 24 Oct. 2025
Until then, the show gets by on the charm of its supporting characters, including Noah’s brother, Sasha (Timothy Simons), and sister-in-law, Esther (Jackie Tohn).
—Kristen Baldwin, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Oct. 2025
Some can get by on five hours of sleep; some can’t.
—Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2025
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 29 Oct. 2025.
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