To manage to survive or function with limited resources or ability.
To have just enough — money, skill, or ability — to manage.
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
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
To be able to do something adequately, even if not perfectly.
"My Mandarin isn't great, but I can get by in a restaurant."
To move past someone or something in a confined space.
"The corridor was so narrow that two people couldn't get by each other."
To pass by someone or something, implying just squeezing past — which maps well onto the sense of just barely managing.
To have just enough — money, skill, or ability — to manage.
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.
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Listen to native speakers using "get by" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.