to get by

Examples

• All

• Don't ask me why; I'm just a small-timer trying to get by, like everyone else.

  Fiction book (1990)

• Sometimes, I catch myself worrying a little about how I'm gonna get by.

  Anything's Possible (2022)

• I mean, I learned to get by with less food.

• And people simply got by as best they could.

• How do you get by with so little sleep?

  The Good Doctor (2011)

• Same old story really, you know-- money, or the lack of it, but with help, we get by.

  Beyond Borders (2003)

• As for me, I was just trying to get by and do the best I could.

  Fiction book (1998)

• Some communities are literally struggling to get by, and they're worried.

• He'd been living at a senior citizens' home and getting by on Social Security and food stamps.

  Academic text (2011)

• She is paying me what she can to get by because she's also taking care of kids.

Synonyms

M

to manage

vsto get by

∞ 3.2

To do something difficult, often with little help

is more narrowly about continuing with scarce resources rather than general success

S

to survive

vsto get by

425 2.7

Manage to live on very little money

focuses more on everyday managing in limited situations rather than formal survival

C

to cope

vsto get by

272 2.9

To deal with problems and difficult situations

stresses surviving with scarce resources rather than the act of managing difficulty

C

to come through

vsto get by

218 3.4

To get through a hard time and be okay

is about ongoing survival or coping during hard times rather than a final success

P

to pull through

vsto get by

53 3.9

To survive a serious illness or danger, often with help from others, and start to get better

describes general coping in hard situations rather than recovery from severe crises

M

to make do

vsto get by

49 3.7

Use what you have even if it is not enough

is the broader idea of staying alive or continuing under limited conditions

M

to make out

vsto get by

• Informal

20 3.7

To manage or get by during a difficult time

emphasizes coping in hard times specifically with limited resources rather than general success

S

to scrape by

vsto get by

10 5.1

To manage to live with very little money

is broader managing with limited resources rather than barely surviving

S

to squeak by

vsto get by

• Informal

4 7.2

Manage to succeed or continue with only a small amount

means managing in hard situations generally, not only just escaping failure

S

to squeeze by

vsto get by

• Informal

1 5.8

Live with only enough money for basic needs

is the general process of surviving with limited means rather than barely enough

S

to scratch by

vsto get by

6.9

To manage to live with very little money

is the wider act of coping with limits, not only barely surviving

S

to scrape along

vsto get by

• UK

6.9

Live with difficulty because you have little money

covers general managing in hard times rather than constant near-failure

Antonyms

F

to fail

898 1.0

Not succeed in doing something you wanted to do

How Well

to thrive

241 3.2

to manage

∞ 3.2

to get by

121 3.1

struggle

466 3.2

to scrape by

10 5.1

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology