get by

verb

1. to pass; go past or overtake

2. informal,  (intr, adverb) to manage, esp in spite of difficulties

   I can get by with little money

3. (intr) to be accepted or permitted

   that book will never get by the authorities

Idioms and Phrases

Move past, as in There isn't room for this car to get by .

Manage to succeed or get along; also, barely succeed. For example, He's getting by even though he only works half-time , or If he applied himself, Paul could be getting A's, but instead he's just getting by . [Early 1900s]

Be unnoticed; also, get approval or pass inspection. For example, I wonder if these errors will get by the proofreader , or He hoped the paint job would get by . [Early 1900s]

Related Words

• cope 
• get along 
• get on 
• prosper 
• subsist 
• thrive