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 hospital has already taken a series of major steps to make ends meet, according to Dr. Elaine Batchlor, its chief executive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026

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

Although he has often said she struggled to make ends meet, his father Olivier, also of Italian origin, ran a drinks distribution business and lived in the more affluent town of Montmorency.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

I try to explain that Mam has the disease and I’m worn out trying to make ends meet, keeping the home fires burning, getting lemonade for Mam and bread for my brothers.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Related Words

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