make ends meet

phrase

: to make one's means adequate to one's needs

did all they could do to make ends meet

Examples of make ends meet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Gerber said some of their friends were going through a difficult time, including one who was working at a Texas airport's bar trying to make ends meet for his family. — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

The increase is partly driven by rising costs of living and broader problems for families in making ends meet. — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026

Augustave took the food delivery job with DoorDash to help the family make ends meet after losing his TPS this summer. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2026

At the time, Mullally was rising to fame after two seasons of Will & Grace, while Offerman was still struggling to make ends meet and living on a couch in a friend’s basement. — Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 15 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1815, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for make ends meet

• amit
• athlete
• backseat
• blackfeet
• broadsheet
• browbeat
• buckwheat
• compete
• compleat
• complete
• conceit
• concrete