make ends meet

Cultural  

1. To earn enough income to provide for basic needs: “The workers complained that on their present wages they could hardly make ends meet, let alone enjoy any luxuries.”

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make ends meet Idioms  

1. Manage so that one's financial means are enough for one's needs, as in On that salary Enid had trouble making ends meet. This expression originated as make both ends meet, a translation from the French joindre les deux bouts (by John Clarke, 1639). The ends, it is assumed, allude to the sum total of income and expenditures. However, naval surgeon and novelist Tobias Smollett had it as “make the two ends of the year meet” (Roderick Random, 1748), thought to go back to the common practice of splicing rope ends together in order to cut shipboard expenses.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

make ends meet

The coup bid and a corruption probe against Flavio Bolsonaro did little to sway voters fed up with crime, violence and the battle to make ends meet in Latin America's biggest economy.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

The higher costs on everyday items, from gas and groceries to housing and healthcare, come as more Americans are struggling to make ends meet — especially older adults.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

He argued that it fed the dream that it could lead to greater riches for a population that is often battling to make ends meet.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

In Arak, an industrial hub in western Iran, dozens lined up Monday in front of the governor’s office and said they could no longer make ends meet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026

Our setup was typical of most immigrant families: the mom and dad tried to make ends meet, while the kids took care of each other.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

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Related Words

• collect
• conserve
• keep
• maintain
• manage
• spare
• store

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