get by — manage with difficulty
phrasal verbB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon
to manage to live or do something with just enough of what you need, often when it's difficult or you don't have much.
Say it like a native
Textbook We manage to survive financially despite our limited income.
Native We just about get by.
'Get by' compactly means manage on just enough. Spelling it out as 'survive financially despite limited income' loses the natural, understated tone.
Pattern: get by (on/with something)
In use
- I don't earn much, but I can get by on my salary.daily life
- Even though students often have a tight budget, most of them find ways to get by while studying abroad.IELTS speaking
Common mistake
✗ We get by with one salary.
✓ We get by on one salary.
You get by ON an amount of money (get by WITH a tool/resource).
Common collocations
get by + means— on [an amount], without it, somehow, on very little
Don't confuse it
'Get by' is not the same as 'get ahead' (to become more successful) or 'get away' (to escape).