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
The Big East champion Huskies (35-18) move into the losers’ bracket in the double-elimination regional and have the misfortune of now having to get by top seed LSU on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in an elimination game.
—
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
President Trump has faced backlash in recent days for saying children can get by with fewer dolls this year if his sweeping tariff policies drive up living costs for families.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 6 May 2025
To get by in most states, the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates the average single person needs to make about $45,000 a year, or $21.63 an hour assuming a 40-hour work week.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 May 2025
If these cuts move forward, many more Texans will face hunger, and the most vulnerable among us—children, seniors, veterans, and working families just trying to get by—will bear the brunt of this hardship.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 16 May 2025
President Trump has faced backlash in recent days for saying children can get by with fewer dolls this year if his sweeping tariff policies drive up living costs for families.
—Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 6 May 2025
To get by in most states, the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimates the average single person needs to make about $45,000 a year, or $21.63 an hour assuming a 40-hour work week.
—Rachel Barber, USA Today, 2 May 2025
If these cuts move forward, many more Texans will face hunger, and the most vulnerable among us—children, seniors, veterans, and working families just trying to get by—will bear the brunt of this hardship.
—Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for get by
Recent Examples of Synonyms for get by
Verb
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Going on plenty of walks and sticking to the dog's normal routine can all assist in helping your dog cope with a loss.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
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Young men might be more likely to suppress emotional expression, engage in risk-taking behavior, or use substances to cope with grief.—
Charell G. Coleman,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Verb
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One of his owners, Craig Leipold, did, back in January.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
5 June 2025
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Enter Ketamine To confirm the finding, the team did the experiment again.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
4 June 2025
Verb
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This could further exacerbate the challenges facing first-time homebuyers in the state, who are struggling to get on the property ladder due to historically high mortgage rates, rising prices, and growing housing costs.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 June 2025
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Visiting an Aman is a bit like getting on a spacecraft destined for planet Luxury.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
3 June 2025
Verb
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All ribbing aside, the brother and sister get along famously.—
Jae-Ha Kim,
Rolling Stone,
6 June 2025
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In the beginning, Donald Trump and Elon Musk got along great.—
David Pogue,
CBS News,
1 June 2025
Verb
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The city must manage costs — as difficult as that is to do politically — rather than searching for new ways to increase taxes.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 May 2025
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Your role in the economy could move from direct labor, to managing AI systems like the CEO of a company manages their direct reports, to steering the direction of AI systems working for you like a company board weighing in on long-term direction.—
Luke Drago,
Time,
30 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Get by.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/get%20by. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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