ALL meanings of get by
get by
G g - verb without object get by to come to a specified place; arrive; reach: to get home late. 1
- verb without object get by to succeed, become enabled, or be permitted: You get to meet a lot of interesting people. 1
- verb without object get by to become or to cause oneself to become as specified; reach a certain condition: to get angry; to get sick. 1
- verb without object get by (used as an auxiliary verb followed by a past participle to form the passive): to get married; to get elected; to get hit by a car. 1
- verb without object get by to succeed in coming, going, arriving at, visiting, etc. (usually followed by away, in, into, out, etc.): I don't get into town very often. 1
- verb without object get by to bear, endure, or survive (usually followed by through or over): Can he get through another bad winter? 1
- verb without object get by to earn money; gain. 1
- verb without object get by Informal. to leave promptly; scram: He told us to get. 1
- verb without object get by to start or enter upon the action of (followed by a present participle expressing action): to get moving; Get rolling. 1
- noun get by an offspring or the total of the offspring, especially of a male animal: the get of a stallion. 1
- noun get by a return of a ball, as in tennis, that would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent. 1
- noun get by British Slang. something earned, as salary, profits, etc.: What's your week's get? a child born out of wedlock. 1
- idioms get by get back, to come back; return: When will you get back? to recover; regain: He got back his investment with interest. to be revenged: She waited for a chance to get back at her accuser. 1
- idioms get by get even. even1 (def 26). 1
- idioms get by get going, to begin; act: They wanted to get going on the construction of the house. to increase one's speed; make haste: If we don't get going, we'll never arrive in time. 1
- idioms get by get it, Informal. to be punished or reprimanded: You'll get it for breaking that vase! to understand or grasp something: This is just between us, get it? 1
- idioms get by get it off, Slang: Vulgar. to experience orgasm. 1
- idioms get by get it on, Informal. to work or perform with satisfying harmony or energy or develop a strong rapport, as in music: a rock group really getting it on with the audience. Slang: Vulgar. to have sexual intercourse. 1
- idioms get by get it up, Slang: Vulgar. to achieve an erection of the penis. 1
- idioms get by get off on, Slang. to become enthusiastic about or excited by: After years of indifference, she's getting off on baseball. 1
- idioms get by get round. get around. 1
- idioms get by get the lead out. lead2 (def 15). 1
- idioms get by get there, to reach one's goal; succeed: He wanted to be a millionaire but he died before he got there. 1
- idioms get by get together, to accumulate; gather: to get together a portfolio of 20 stocks. to congregate; meet: The alumnae chapter gets together twice a year. to come to an accord; agree: They simply couldn't get together on matters of policy. 1
- idioms get by get up, to sit up or stand; arise. to rise from bed. to ascend or mount. to prepare; arrange; organize: to get up an exhibit. to draw upon; marshal; rouse: to get up one's courage. to acquire a knowledge of. (to a horse) go! go ahead! go faster! to dress, as in a costume or disguise: She got herself up as an astronaut. to produce in a specified style, as a book: It was got up in brown leather with gold endpapers. 1
- idioms get by has / have got, to possess or own; have: She's got a new car. Have you got the tickets? must (followed by an infinitive): He's got to get to a doctor right away. to suffer from: Have you got a cold? 1
- noun get by For nearly 400 years, forms of get have been used with a following past participle to form the passive voice: She got engaged when she was 19. He won't get accepted with those grades. This use of get rather than of forms of to be in the passive is found today chiefly in speech and informal writing. In British English got is the regular past participle of get, and gotten survives only in a few set phrases, such as ill-gotten gains. In American English gotten, although occasionally criticized, is an alternative standard past participle in most senses, especially in the senses “to receive” or “to acquire”: I have gotten (or got) all that I ever hoped for. Have or has got in the sense “must” has been in use since the early 19th century; often the have or has is contracted: You've got to carry your passport at all times. The use of have (or has) got in the sense of “to possess” goes back to the 15th century; it is also frequently contracted: She's got a master's degree in biology. These uses are occasionally criticized as redundant on the grounds that have alone expresses the meaning adequately, but they are well established and fully standard in all varieties of speech and writing. In some contexts in American English, substituting gotten for got produces a change in meaning: She's got (possesses) a new job. She's gotten (has aquired) a new job. He's got to (must) attend the wedding. He's gotten to (has been allowed or enabled to) attend. The children have got (are suffering from) the measles. The children have gotten (have caught) the measles. The use of got without have or has to mean “must” (I got to buy a new suit) is characteristic of the most relaxed, informal speech and does not occur in edited writing except in representations of speech. Gotta is a pronunciation spelling representing this use. 1
- intransitivephrasal verb get by cope, manage 1
- verb with object get by to receive or come to have possession, use, or enjoyment of: to get a birthday present; to get a pension. 1
- verb with object get by to cause to be in one's possession or succeed in having available for one's use or enjoyment; obtain; acquire: to get a good price after bargaining; to get oil by drilling; to get information. 1
- verb with object get by to go after, take hold of, and bring (something) for one's own or for another's purposes; fetch: Would you get the milk from the refrigerator for me? 1
- verb with object get by to cause or cause to become, to do, to move, etc., as specified; effect: to get one's hair cut; to get a person drunk; to get a fire to burn; to get a dog out of a room. 1
- verb with object get by to communicate or establish communication with over a distance; reach: You can always get me by telephone. 1
- verb with object get by to hear or hear clearly: I didn't get your last name. 1
- verb with object get by to acquire a mental grasp or command of; learn: to get a lesson. 1
- verb with object get by to capture; seize: Get him before he escapes! 1
- verb with object get by to receive as a punishment or sentence: to get a spanking; to get 20 years in jail. 1
- verb with object get by to prevail on; influence or persuade: We'll get him to go with us. 1
- verb with object get by to prepare; make ready: to get dinner. 1
- verb with object get by (especially of animals) to beget. 1
- verb with object get by Informal. to affect emotionally: Her pleas got me. 1
- verb with object get by to hit, strike, or wound: The bullet got him in the leg. 1
- verb with object get by Informal. to kill. 1
- verb with object get by Informal. to take vengeance on: I'll get you yet! 1
- verb with object get by to catch or be afflicted with; come down with or suffer from: He got malaria while living in the tropics. She gets butterflies before every performance. 1
- verb with object get by Informal. to puzzle; irritate; annoy: Their silly remarks get me. 1
- verb with object get by Informal. to understand; comprehend: I don't get the joke. This report may be crystal-clear to a scientist, but I don't get it. 1
- verb get by (Intransitive Verb) IDI To subsist; to succeed, survive, or manage, at least at a minimal level. 0
- phrasal verb get by If you can get by with what you have, you can manage to live or do things in a satisfactory way. 0
- verb get by to pass; go past or overtake 0