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.
For some of us, it’s just enough to get by with a little help from our daemons.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
Exports are picking up as businesses explore new ways to get by with US free trade still restricted in several sectors, Macklem said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
“We used to get by in an imperfect system because the venture world would capitalize a good idea,” said Karen Knudsen, chief executive officer of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
You also, crucially, need to know your current Social Security benefit or your projected future benefit, depending on your situation, which you can get by logging in to your online Social Security account.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
It’s like easier to just “make do,” to get by.
From "Tears of a Tiger" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
