Idiom
Make ends meet
To make ends meet means to earn just enough money to pay for the basic things you need.
How people use it
People use it when talking about budgets, low pay and rising prices. Common patterns are "struggle to make ends meet" and "barely make ends meet." It is about covering necessities such as rent, food and bills, not about saving or buying luxuries. The tone is neutral and fits both everyday speech and news writing. It is often used with sympathy for people facing money troubles.
Examples
- After the factory closed, Dad took two part-time jobs to make ends meet.
- Many students cook at home to make ends meet.
- Rising rent makes it harder for young families to make ends meet.
Where it comes from
The exact source is uncertain. One common explanation comes from bookkeeping: making the two ends of the year's accounts, income and spending, meet so there is no shortfall. Another suggests the picture of stretching a short piece of cloth, rope or belt until the two ends meet. The phrase is recorded in English from the 1600s.
Check yourself
1. If a family can barely make ends meet, what is their situation?
Answer: They have just enough money for basics. Make ends meet means covering basic costs with little or nothing left.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Sam drives a taxi on weekends to make ends meet.. He earns extra money to cover his basic costs.
Similar idioms
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