intransitive verb
1. : to make ends meet : manage , survive
got by for a time by hunting furs — M.C.Boatright
a marvel to me how all these … little two-by-four stores get by — John McNulty
2. : to succeed with the least possible effort or accomplishment
knew that with a little brushing up I could probably get by on an examination — Norman Cousins
3.
a. : to succeed without being discovered, criticized, or punished : pass unnoticed or unchallenged
a group of drivers is getting by with known violations — D.S.Buck
hold their jobs and get by socially … because they are easy to get along with — W.J.Reilly
b. : to pass for a white person
all four grandparents were colored, but all could get by — W.L.White