get along
Britishverb
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(often foll by with) to be friendly or compatible
my brother gets along well with everybody
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to manage, cope, or fare
how are you getting along in your job?
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(also preposition; often imperative) to go or move away; leave
interjection
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Also, get on . Be or continue to be on harmonious terms. For example, She finds it hard to get along with her in-laws , or He gets on well with all of his neighbors except one . The use of along dates from the late 1800s; the use of on dates from the early 1800s. A colloquial synonym for get along well is get on like a house afire , in effect comparing increasingly good relations to the rapid progress of a fire.
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Also, get on . Manage, fare with some success; also, prosper. For example, I can just get along in this town on those wages , or Her way of getting on in the world was to marry a rich man . The use of on dates from the late 1700s; the variant dates from the early 1800s.
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get along without . Manage without something, as in With that new car loan, he can't get along without a raise . [Early 1800s]
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Also, get on . Progress; advance, especially in years. For example, How are you getting along with the refinishing? or Dad doesn't hear too well; he's getting on, you know . [Late 1700s] Also see along in years ; get on , def. 5.
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get along with you . Go away; also, be quiet, drop the subject, as in “Leave me. Get along with you” (Charles Dickens, Barnaby Rudge , 1837). [First half of 1800s] Also see get on .
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Is a manager causing you stress, or do you simply not get along with your coworkers?
From MarketWatch
I didn’t figure that I could get along without my tongue.
From Literature
Once in their preferred roles, the two got along reasonably well.
From Los Angeles Times
My stepdaughter, now 28, gets along well with him and his teenage son.
From MarketWatch
“It’s a very friendly animal that gets along well with the rest of the animal kingdom.”
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
