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
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
The rest of the time, Meyer is scraping by to provide necessities for her children.
—Megan Garnai, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
Pic centers on Pedro, 35, a recovering cocaine addict, who scrapes by making street deliveries.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
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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
The rest of the time, Meyer is scraping by to provide necessities for her children.
—Megan Garnai, IndyStar, 10 Sep. 2025
Pic centers on Pedro, 35, a recovering cocaine addict, who scrapes by making street deliveries.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 21 Aug. 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 30 Sep. 2025.
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