Make Ends Meet.
English
idiom
To have enough money to cover basic living expenses.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To have enough money to cover basic living expenses.
Trusted by1.5M+English learners & teachers worldwide
To have just enough money to cover your basic expenses and get by financially.
When you struggle to make ends meet, your income barely covers your costs and you have little or nothing left over.
It is used to describe financial difficulty that is not extreme poverty but involves living with very little margin.
"Scrape By"
—
Managing to survive with barely enough resources, often with difficulty and stress
"Live Paycheck to Paycheck"
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Having no savings and spending all income immediately, with nothing left before the next payment
"Make Ends Meet"
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Having just enough income to cover basic living expenses with little or nothing spare
How are you managing with the new rent — it jumped a lot.
Barely making ends meet honestly — I'm cutting back on everything that isn't essential.
I'm working two jobs and still struggling to cover everything.
That's really hard — making ends meet should not require that much just to get by.
Do you think the minimum wage is enough for people to make ends meet today?
In most cities, no — housing and food costs have outpaced wages by a lot.
