get by

B1 neutral inseparable intransitive

In simple words

To have just enough — money, skill, or ability — to manage.

Literal meaning: To pass by someone or something, implying just squeezing past — which maps well onto the sense of just barely managing.

Meanings

1 B1 idiomatic neutral

very common

To have just enough money to pay for what you need to live.

"Since she lost her job, she's been barely getting by on her savings."

"Getting by on minimum wage is almost impossible in this city."
— Common phrase in economics and social journalism; widely used in UK and US news coverage of living wage debates

Grammar: inseparable

2 B1 idiomatic neutral

common

To be able to do something adequately, even if not perfectly.

"My Mandarin isn't great, but I can get by in a restaurant."

Grammar: inseparable

3 A2 neutral

common

To move past someone or something in a confined space.

"The corridor was so narrow that two people couldn't get by each other."

Grammar: inseparable

Usage notes

Often used in the context of finances ('barely getting by') but also for skills ('My Spanish is basic but I can get by'). Implies adequacy without comfort or excellence.

Commonly used with

money salary Spanish somehow barely alone

Forms

Base

get by

I/you/we/they

3rd person

gets by

he/she/it

Past simple

got by

yesterday

Past participle

got/gotten by

have + pp

-ing form

getting by

continuous

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Synonyms

manage cope survive make do scrape by get along

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