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

Every week, new households reach out in need, families, seniors and individuals struggling to make ends meet. — Christine Franz, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026

Meanwhile, workers across CSU campuses have rallied at fall convocations over the last few weeks to draw attention to their struggle to make ends meet. — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Masala y Maíz, co-founded by chefs Norma Listman and Saqib Keval in 2017, has been hosting such pay-what-you-can events since 2020, when many people were struggling to make ends meet and many restaurants were closing. — Whitney Eulich, Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2026

Lee was a sharecropper who sometimes worked construction jobs to make ends meet, and Avie was a homemaker. — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026