phrasal verb · informal
get by
/ɡet baɪ/GET·BY
to manage to survive or live with the limited resources or ability you have
Examples
“Even with a small salary, they manage to get by.”
“I can get by in Spanish, but I’m not fluent.”
“Students often get by on instant noodles during exam periods.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although I’m not fluent, I can usually get by in everyday conversations when I travel.”
Collocations
- get by on a small salary
- get by in English
Word family
Common mistakes
I can get by English.→I can get by in English.
She gets by with little money but happy.→She gets by with little money but is happy.
Say it for a higher band
5survive→6manage→7+get by
Synonyms
manage
survive
cope
Easily confused
get along
“I usually get along with my colleagues, which makes the office a pleasant place to work.”
get over
“It took me months to get over the disappointment of failing that exam.”
Related words
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