get by

What does "get by" mean?

1. To manage to survive or live with limited resources
2. To have just enough of something to manage
3. To pass someone or something

Examples

• It's hard to get by on minimum wage in this city.
• My French isn't great, but I can get by when traveling.
• We're getting by, but things are financially tight this month.
• She gets by with very little sleep somehow.
• Excuse me, can I get by? I need to reach that shelf.

How to use it

Implies doing the minimum necessary, often with limited resources. Has a connotation of difficulty or struggle but still managing.

Similar expressions

Opposites

Related phrasal verbs

• get up

  To rise from bed after sleeping

• get back

  To return to a place

• get along

  To have a friendly relationship with someone

• get away

  To escape from a place or person

• get over

  To recover from an illness, shock, or emotional upset

• get through

  To successfully complete or finish something difficult