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 number of people who have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet reached 9.4 million in November 2025, the highest level since the Bureau of Labor Statistics started tracking that indicator in 1994.

From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026

After the high-profile Venice wedding of US billionaire Jeff Bezos a year ago, the ambassador's visit was a fresh "slap" to local people, some of whom struggle to make ends meet, the group said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

"Our concern isn't Buy Now Pay Later itself. It's what can happen when people begin relying on multiple forms of credit simply to make ends meet," said Matthew Sheeran, its external relations manager.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

We meet the Pierces as Mildred is struggling to make ends meet.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026

Many a woman, white or black, waving to her husband as the trains of soldiers pulled out of the station, harbored anxiety alongside her sadness and pride, worried about how to make ends meet.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield

Related Words

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