get by
[verb]
Synonyms: manage, cope, exist, fare, get along, keep one's head above water, make both ends meet, survive

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English Thesaurus: speak, be fluent in something, get by, have/pick up a smattering of somethin

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

get by phrasal verb (see also get)
to have enough money to buy the things you need, but no more:
I don’t earn a huge salary, but we get by.
get by on
Sometimes they had to get by on very little.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

speak to be able to talk in a foreign language:
Do you speak German?
I learnt Spanish for years, but I still don’t speak it very well.
be fluent in something to be very good at speaking and understanding a foreign language, so that you can speak it almost as well as your own language:
Applicants should be fluent in Cantonese.
get by to speak enough of a language to be able to buy things, ask for help etc:
‘What’s your Italian like?’ ‘Not great, but I can get by.’
I’ve just bought a book called ‘Get by in Portuguese'.
have/pick up a smattering of something to speak or learn to speak a small but useful amount of a language:
While I was in Bali, I picked up a smattering of Indonesian.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

get by
to be able to satisfy your needs with a certain amount of something (usually related to money)
The man is able to get by on his salary because he does not spend much money.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

get by
v., informal
1. To be able to go past; pass.
The cars moved to the curb so that the fire engine could get by.
2. To satisfy the need or demand.
Mary can get by with her old coat this winter.
The janitor does just enough work to get by.
Synonym: GET ALONG⁴.
3. Not to be caught and scolded or punished.
The soldier thought he could get by with his dirty rifle.
The boy got by without answering the teacher's question because a visitor came in.
Compare: GET AWAY WITH.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲