How do you use "Make ends meet" in a sentence?

It's hard to make ends meet on minimum wage. We're just about making ends meet. Struggling to make ends meet after the redundancy.

Make ends meet

Q: What does "Make ends meet" mean?

To earn just enough money to cover basic expenses Managing to balance income with essential expenses, often with difficulty. The 'ends' are income and expenditure that must 'meet' (match up).

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★★ Very Common Neutral

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Meaning: To earn just enough money to cover basic expenses

勉强挣够基本生活费

Ganar justo lo suficiente para cubrir los gastos básicos

基本的な生活費をぎりぎり賄えるだけ稼ぐ

수입과 지출을 겨우 맞추다, 근근이 살아가다

Managing to balance income with essential expenses, often with difficulty. The 'ends' are income and expenditure that must 'meet' (match up).

设法让收入和基本开支平衡，通常很吃力。'ends（两端）'指的是收入和支出，它们必须'meet（对上）'。

Lograr equilibrar los ingresos con los gastos esenciales, a menudo con dificultad. Los 'ends' (extremos) son los ingresos y los gastos que deben 'meet' (coincidir).

収入と必要経費のバランスをなんとか保つこと。多くの場合苦労を伴う。「ends（両端）」とは収入と支出のことで、それが「meet（一致する）」必要がある。

재정적으로 겨우 꾸려나가는 것—수입이 지출을 간신히 충당하는 상태. 'ends'는 수입과 지출이 맞닿는 것을 의미한다.

Examples

It's hard to make ends meet on minimum wage.
靠最低工资很难维持生计
Es difícil llegar a fin de mes con el salario mínimo
最低賃金では生活がやっとだ
최저임금으로는 생활하기가 빠듯하다.
We're just about making ends meet.
我们勉强维持生活
Apenas llegamos a fin de mes
なんとかやりくりしている
겨우겨우 살림을 꾸려가고 있다.
Struggling to make ends meet after the redundancy.
被裁员后挣扎着维持生计
Luchando por llegar a fin de mes después del despido
リストラ後、生活費のやりくりに苦労している
해고 후 생활비를 맞추느라 허덕이고 있다.

Pronunciation

/meɪk endz miːt/

Usage Guide

Context: budgeting, poverty, finances

Tone: serious, sympathetic

✓ Do Say

Make ends meet
维持生计
Llegar a fin de mes
やりくりする
겨우 먹고살다
Struggling to make ends meet
挣扎着维持生计
Luchando por llegar a fin de mes
生活するのに苦労している
겨우 생계를 유지하다

✗ Don't Say

Common expression about financial struggle
关于经济困难的常见表达
Expresión común sobre dificultades económicas
経済的な苦労についての一般的な表現
흔하고 널리 이해되는 표현이에요

Common Mistakes

None—universally understood

Origin & History

From bookkeeping where income and expenses must meet (balance). Also possibly from tailoring where fabric ends must meet. Dating from the 17th century.

Etymology: From balancing income and expenses

First recorded: 17th century

Cultural Context

Era: 17th century onwards

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Economic discussions; Cost of living debates

Regional notes: Universal across English-speaking world.

Variations

Make ends meetMaking ends meet