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Synonyms

get by

British  

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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
get by Idioms  

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

  2. 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]

  3. 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]

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.