Synonyms of make ends meet

make ends meet

phrase

as in cope

to meet one's day-to-day needs

The couple's income was just enough to make ends meet each month.

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cope
• do
• get on
• survive
• make out
• manage
• get along
• make do
• get by
• make shift
• fare
• shift
• afford
• carry on
• fend for oneself
• eke out
• last
• scrape (by or through)
• contrive
• scrape (out)
• scrounge
• squeeze
• swing
• wring
• wrest

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• fail
• fall short
• collapse
• flounder
• decline
• slump
• peter (out)
• give up
• wane
• fizzle

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of make ends meet

Just as many people can’t afford to have someone else clean their homes, landscape their yards or nanny their kids, those struggling to make ends meet may need to lean on AI assistance. — Billy J. Stratton, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026

But prices alone can't show what families are doing to make ends meet. — Jamie Stockwell, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

But after their father leaves for Switzerland, the girls’ mother, Esma (Simonida Selimovic), can’t make ends meet. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

In their ongoing quest to get younger and make ends meet under the salary cap, the Chiefs were left to reconcile the loss of two other starting defensive backs (Jaylen Watson and Bryan Cook) who got paid big elsewhere. — Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026