squeeze through

1. Also, squeeze by. Manage to pass, win, or survive by a narrow margin, as in We squeezed through the second round of playoffs, or There was just enough food stored in the cabin for us to squeeze by until the hurricane ended. This idiom uses squeeze in the sense of “succeed by means of compression.” [c. 1700] Also see squeak by.

Example Sentences

The visitors pulled one back through Bryan Mbeumo with 15 minutes to go and United looked like they might squeeze through when Harry Maguire went on to level in the 89th minute.

From BBC

The animal got stuck after attempting to squeeze through the gate at a property in Banstead, Surrey, according to the RSPCA.

From BBC

He said the current party leadership needed to "change course" and suggested that these policies were "driving away our own voters, and letting Reform squeeze through."

From BBC

If we were to squeeze through small cracks in his mind’s cavern walls or crawl down its miniaturized hallways toward Erickson's nerve center, we might find ourselves in a room with a broken printer.

From Salon

But the Legislature habitually tries to squeeze through more spending long after the annual budget has been enacted.

From Los Angeles Times