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
He was confirmed 99-0 for secretary of state in the Senate, while some of Trump’s other Cabinet nominees barely scraped by or were rejected altogether.
—
Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025
Speaking in defense of the responsibility of government to help the poor, Osten said lawmakers must step forward and spend money for residents who are scraping by and having difficulty surviving.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2025
After the devastating Camp fire in Paradise in 2018, soil testing of 12,500 properties revealed that nearly one-third still contained dangerous levels of contaminants even after the first 6 inches of topsoil were scraped by federal crews.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025
Hackman moved to New York City and scraped by while searching for stage roles.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
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Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 2 May 2025
Speaking in defense of the responsibility of government to help the poor, Osten said lawmakers must step forward and spend money for residents who are scraping by and having difficulty surviving.
—Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 27 Apr. 2025
After the devastating Camp fire in Paradise in 2018, soil testing of 12,500 properties revealed that nearly one-third still contained dangerous levels of contaminants even after the first 6 inches of topsoil were scraped by federal crews.
—Corinne Purtill, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025
Hackman moved to New York City and scraped by while searching for stage roles.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 4 Mar. 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 20 May. 2025.
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