get along

verb

1. (often foll by with) to be friendly or compatible

   my brother gets along well with everybody

2. to manage, cope, or fare

   how are you getting along in your job?

3. (also preposition; often imperative) to go or move away; leave

interjection

1. informal,  an exclamation indicating mild disbelief

Idioms and Phrases

Also, get on . Be or continue to be on harmonious terms. For example, She finds it hard to get along with her in-laws , or He gets on well with all of his neighbors except one . The use of along dates from the late 1800s; the use of on dates from the early 1800s. A colloquial synonym for get along well is get on like a house afire , in effect comparing increasingly good relations to the rapid progress of a fire.

Also, get on . Manage, fare with some success; also, prosper. For example, I can just get along in this town on those wages , or Her way of getting on in the world was to marry a rich man . The use of on dates from the late 1700s; the variant dates from the early 1800s.

get along without . Manage without something, as in With that new car loan, he can't get along without a raise . [Early 1800s]

Also, get on . Progress; advance, especially in years. For example, How are you getting along with the refinishing? or Dad doesn't hear too well; he's getting on, you know . [Late 1700s] Also see along in years ; get on , def. 5.

get along with you . Go away; also, be quiet, drop the subject, as in “Leave me. Get along with you” (Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge , 1837). [First half of 1800s] Also see get on .

Example Sentences

Or a disgruntled independent when he assails a Democratic establishment that’s become, as he sees it, “a club of insiders who take care of each other” and mostly go along to get along.

From Los Angeles Times

They all get along fine, though Jake battles that most common of TV paternal ailments, Busy Dad Syndrome.

From Los Angeles Times

VanLandingham sees the leadership of our armed forces under pressure “to not engage in the critical thinking, which, as commanders, they are required to do, and to instead go along to get along.”

From Los Angeles Times

"I want to get along with the people that I work with," insists Norris: "I want to have a laugh and enjoy as many moments as I can."

From BBC

“We were on TV together and people went, ‘Well, they all seem to be getting along,” he said, before shooting down the fan-fueled hope.

From Salon

Related Words

• cope 
• flourish 
• get by 
• get on 
• prosper 
• succeed 
• thrive