to make ends meet
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To make one's income cover expenses; to keep out of debt.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Examples
The people can't even afford to make ends meet in this city.Người dân còn không thể kiếm sống được trong thành phố này.
Tatoeba sentence #13518969 (CC BY 2.0 FR, tatoeba.org, retrieved 2026-07-31)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to make ends meet” mean?
To make one's income cover expenses; to keep out of debt.
Is “to make ends meet” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.