Get by
Get by verb - To meet one's day-to-day needs.
Keep up
Keep up verb - To continue to operate or to meet one's needs.
Usage example: let's hope that old air conditioner keeps up through this heat wave
Both terms in one sentence
- In season 8, new intern Ed is another subversion in that while he was initially smart enough to get by with little work, eventually it became impossible for him to keep up and he was fired.
Source: Hard Work Hardly Works
Cite this Source
Keep up and Get by. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/get_by/keep_up
Get by & Keep up. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/get_by/keep_up>.
Keep up or Get by. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/get_by/keep_up.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "get by" and "keep up" have occurred on timeline