scrape by
phrasal verb
scraped by; scraping by; scrapes by
1
: to live with barely enough money : to be able to buy only the things most needed
Money was tight, but we somehow managed to scrape by.
2
: to succeed at doing something but just barely
He didn't study for the exam and just barely scraped by.
Examples of scrape by in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While billionaires are getting richer, Americans are scraping by on their measly paychecks.
—
Preston Fore, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
The institution is no longer camping out, scraping by, or making do.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025
At $1,800 gold, many mines were just scraping by.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The Toledo Truth Teller once occupied a bustling newsroom but now scrapes by with about a dozen people.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
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Preston Fore, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
The institution is no longer camping out, scraping by, or making do.
—Justin Davidson, Curbed, 3 Nov. 2025
At $1,800 gold, many mines were just scraping by.
—Frank Holmes, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
The Toledo Truth Teller once occupied a bustling newsroom but now scrapes by with about a dozen people.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
Cite this Entry
“Scrape by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrape%20by. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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