gets by
Survives, barely adequate
Gets by means to manage or survive, usually with just enough resources or ability.
The phrase implies adequacy rather than comfort or success: She gets by on a part-time salary, His Spanish isn't fluent, but he gets by.
Someone who gets by isn't thriving but isn't failing either—they're making do with what they have.
- copesHandles difficulty successfully
- scrapeRub harshly against
- making doUsing available resources adequately
- making ends meetEarning enough to survive
- perseveranceSustained resolve despite obstacles
ingenuity · subsistence · tight budget · eke out · just enough · bare minimum · muddle through · grit · fortitude · inventiveness · holding on · day to day · simplicity · adjustment · adaptability · frugality · inner strength · thriftiness
- successsuccess, succeeds, achievement, wins, triumph
gets bythrives
Succeeds and grows
flourishes · prospers · excels · lives large · does well
gets byfails
Does not succeed
collapses · falls apart · goes under · crumbles · breaks down