to-make-ends-meet
/tə meɪk ɛndz miːt/ IELTSAcademic
idiom
To have just enough money to pay for basic needs and necessary expenses. It often suggests life is difficult, and there is no money left over.
- She works two jobs to make ends meet.
- Many families struggle to make ends meet.
- After rent, he could barely make ends meet.
Adinary Nuance
To make ends meet means you have just enough money to survive. It is stronger and more everyday than manage, and less specific than get by. Writers use it when they want to show financial pressure, not just ordinary careful spending.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- đủ sống
- Spanish
- llegar a fin de mes
- Chinese
- 勉强维持生计
- Japanese
- 生計を立てる
- Korean
- 겨우 생계를 잇다
Etymology
This idiom comes from the idea of meeting both ends of a budget: income and expenses. It has been used in English since the 1700s.
Common phrases
struggle to make ends meetbarely make ends meettry to make ends meet
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is to make ends meet formal or informal?
- It is neutral and common in everyday English. It also appears often in news and business writing.
- Can I say 'make end meet'?
- No. The correct idiom is always **make ends meet**.
- What is the difference between make ends meet and get by?
- **Get by** means manage with difficulty. **Make ends meet** usually means having enough money for basic needs.
- Is this phrase used in IELTS writing?
- Yes. It is useful when writing about money, jobs, or living costs.