get by
Britishverb
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to pass; go past or overtake
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informal (intr, adverb) to manage, esp in spite of difficulties
I can get by with little money
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(intr) to be accepted or permitted
that book will never get by the authorities
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Move past, as in There isn't room for this car to get by .
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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]
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
After getting burned by Amway, the notorious multilevel marketing company, he’d had to work 18-hour days to get by.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
“You see a lot of people consuming the minimum, what they need to get by through the week,” said owner Carina Murillo, 31, as she checked out customers on a recent weekday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026
“Leap of Faith” has a country-style lyric of struggles to get by in a “gritty old town,” but the sound more closely resembles cheerful “heartland rock.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
He essentially lived on his own and had to get by with few resources.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
He’s big enough so that when he stands there, he’s a human wall blocking people so we can get by.
From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
