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

To help make ends meet this season, the farm has turned its attention to other crops, including watermelon, sweet corn and pick-your-own pumpkins. — Tara Lynch, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026

But in February, the firefighters, many of whom worked second jobs to make ends meet, unionized. — Abe Streep, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026

Katt Williams, who long ago sold flowers to help make ends meet, is tonight sending bouquets of appreciation to his comedic rivals. — Timothy Bella, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026

The film includes flashbacks to his time in the war and features a parallel story about his young carer struggling to make ends meet. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 16 Oct. 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