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

She and her husband had moved in with their in-laws because all four of them are disabled and it was easier to care for one another and make ends meet being in one household.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

The increased cost of petrol and diesel – along with that of heating oil - has become a serious concern for people struggling to make ends meet.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

Some drove for a ride-share app in the evenings, to make ends meet in a country of widespread deprivation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Inflation, healthcare costs and low or no savings are pushing many retirees to go back to work, even part time in low-paying jobs, to make ends meet.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 21, 2026

In order to make ends meet, Mr. Xhoma, like so many other residents of Alexandra, rented rooms to boarders.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

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