Get By in a Sentence: Meaning, Uses & Examples

Get by means to manage with the resources you have, usually with little to spare. To use get by in a sentence, keep the two words together and add on, with or without: “They get by on one small pension.” The phrase is intransitive, inseparable and informal, so it never takes a direct object.

Get by at a glance

• Get by is an intransitive phrasal verb, so it never takes a direct object.
• It means to manage or survive with the resources available, usually with little to spare.
• The verb is inseparable: nothing can sit between get and by.
• The usual patterns are get by on and get by with, which name the means.
• The commonest error is making it transitive, as in get by the money.

What does get by mean?

Get by is an intransitive phrasal verb meaning to manage or survive with limited means, or to be just adequate. The Cambridge entry for get by records both the survival sense and the sense of being good enough, and the two share an idea of scraping through. A student gets by on four hours of sleep; an old van still gets by for short trips. One honest limitation matters: get by does not mean doing well. Where a person prospers or thrives, the verb undersells them, because getting by sits at the lower edge of adequacy.

The three senses share the same grammar and differ only in what is limited. The preposition tells you which limit is in play: on names the means, with names what is barely enough, and without names what is missing. People who manage on a budget are the clearest examples.

How do you use get by in a sentence?

Because get by is intransitive and inseparable, the pattern is simple: keep the two words together and follow them with a prepositional phrase or nothing at all. Five patterns cover almost every real sentence.

Get by in a sentence: examples across contexts

Get by stays informal wherever it appears, but its subject shifts from a single person to a whole household or village. The eight sentences below show that range, and each one names what the resource is or what is missing.

The examples show why the preposition matters. Where the situation is hopeless rather than merely tight, a family may struggle to pay bills instead of simply getting by, and where the strain is long, the formal verb is to subsist on rice.

Get by vs get along

Learners often mix up get by and get along because both are two-word get phrases used in speech. The table shows how far apart they really are.

Verdict: use get by for money, resources and bare adequacy, and use get along with people for relationships and progress. When the need is not just to manage but to hold on through something difficult, the stronger verb is survive the winter, and the formal equivalent of managing is to cope with the change.

Word forms and grammar of get by

Only the verb get changes in this phrase, and the form gotten by is standard in American English. The table lists the real forms and marks the spelling that learners wrongly build.

Because the phrase is inseparable, nothing can appear inside it, which is what separates it from verbs such as knock down. That fixed shape is also why the adjective form get by happy is an error and the adverb in get by happily is required.

Common mistakes with get by

• Incorrect: We get by the money from my father. Correct: We get by on the money from my father. Rule: Get by is intransitive, so it needs on or with before the resource, never a direct object.
• Incorrect: She gets by to live in the city. Correct: She gets by on very little in the city. Rule: Get by already means manage, so a to-infinitive of purpose is redundant.
• Incorrect: He is getting by a difficult year. Correct: He is getting by during a difficult year. Rule: Because the verb is intransitive, a time phrase needs during or through, not a bare noun.
• Incorrect: I get along by on my salary. Correct: I get by on my salary. Rule: Get along and get by are separate phrases, so never blend by into get along.

Practice using get by

Work through the six items, then check the reasoning rather than only the answer.

1. Fill the gap: After the rent rise, the couple had to ______ on a single income.
2. Choose the better word: The old car is not fast, but it (gets by / gets along) for short journeys.
3. Correct the error: We get by the little money we save each month.
4. Build a sentence: use get by without about a household living without a car.
5. Spot the register: which belongs in a message to a friend — we get by on very little these days, or we subsist on a modest allowance?
6. Rewrite with barely: They manage on her wages. Use barely get by.

Answers

1. get by — the couple manage with the single income, and on introduces the resource.
2. gets by — the car is merely adequate, while gets along usually describes people or progress.
3. We get by on the little money we save each month — the phrasal verb takes on before the resource.
4. Model answer: The family got by without a car by cycling and taking the bus.
5. We get by on very little these days — the informal phrase suits a friend, while subsist belongs in a report.
6. They barely get by on her wages — barely adds the sense of managing with almost nothing to spare.

The bottom line

Use get by in a sentence when someone manages with the minimum rather than living comfortably, and follow it with on, with or without to name the resource. The two nuances that decide most sentences are these: the verb is intransitive, so it never takes a direct object, and it is inseparable, so nothing sits between get and by. Where the meaning is a friendly relationship rather than survival, get along is the phrase you want.

Frequently asked questions about get by

What does get by mean?

Get by means to manage or survive with the resources you have, usually without much to spare. Someone who gets by on a small wage covers the essentials but saves little. The phrase also means to be just good enough, as in the old printer still gets by for short documents. It is informal and common in speech.

Is get by separable?

No. Get by is inseparable because it has no object, so there is nothing to place between get and by. You cannot say get it by when you mean manage, because the it would need a different verb. This is why the phrase never appears in the split order that separable phrasal verbs allow.

Which preposition follows get by?

The usual choices are on, with and without. Use on for the main means of survival; use with for what is barely sufficient, as in get by with one computer; and use without for what is missing, as in get by without a car. A bare noun after get by is a common error.

What is the difference between get by and get through?

Get by means managing with little, while get through means surviving or finishing something difficult. You get by on a low wage over months, but you get through a hard week or a long exam. Get through is transitive and can be separated, so the two phrases behave quite differently in a sentence.

Ever wondered how to effectively “get by” in a conversation or a challenging situation? The phrase “get by” is a versatile English expression that signifies managing or coping with a task, circumstance, or obstacle.

When someone mentions they are just “getting by,” it often implies that they are able to handle a situation adequately, even if it may not be ideal. The term suggests navigating through difficulties with the resources or skills available without excelling or thriving.

7 Examples Of Get By Used In a Sentence For Kids

• I can get by with my ABCs.
• Let’s get by counting to ten.
• We will get by saying thank you.
• I know I can get by writing my name.
• Everyone can get by learning new words.
• We should all get by helping each other.
• Sing with me to get by in class.

14 Sentences with Get By Examples

• To pass the exam, many students have to study hard and get by with minimal sleep.
• In college, it can be challenging to get by on a tight budget, so students often rely on instant noodles.
• Some students find it hard to get by without a morning cup of coffee to kickstart their day.
• It can be difficult to get by in college without proper time management skills.
• Students often have to get by with outdated textbooks until they can afford to buy the latest editions.
• Balancing assignments from multiple classes can be tough, but students find ways to get by.
• During the week of final exams, students often have to get by on very little sleep.
• In a busy college schedule, it’s important to find efficient ways to get by.
• To survive the long lectures, some students bring snacks to get by without getting hungry.
• Some students attend study groups to get by with difficult course material.
• It can be tough for college students to get by without a reliable internet connection.
• When facing unexpected challenges, students have to find creative solutions to get by.
• Many college students have to get by using public transportation to save money on commuting.
• Students often form study groups to get by during midterm season.

How To Use Get By in Sentences?

To use the phrase “Get By” in a sentence, means to manage, cope, or survive in a given situation. The verb “Get” is combined with the adverb “By” to express the idea of getting through a difficulty with minimal resources or effort.

Here is an example of how to use Get By in a sentence:
– “I lost my job, but I can still get by with the help of my savings until I find a new one.”

When using “Get By,” remember that it conveys the idea of making do with what one has or dealing with a challenging situation without any extra support. It can imply a sense of struggle or difficulty, but also resilience and resourcefulness.

Some other examples of sentences that include Get By are:

• “Despite the high cost of living in the city, many people are able to get by by sharing apartments with roommates.”
• “During tough times, creativity is essential to getting by with limited resources.”

Remember to choose your words carefully and make sure the context of your sentences matches the meaning of the phrase “Get By.” By following these guidelines, you will be able to incorporate Get By effectively in your everyday conversations.

Conclusion

In everyday life, we often come across situations where simple actions or solutions are needed to “get by.” Whether it be managing with limited resources, making do with what we have, or simply navigating through challenges, the phrase “get by” encapsulates the resilience and resourcefulness we exhibit in overcoming obstacles.

From utilizing creative problem-solving to adapting to changing circumstances, the concept of “getting by” underscores our ability to persevere and thrive in difficult situations. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, all we need is a little determination and ingenuity to navigate life’s hurdles and continue moving forward.