scrape by

phrasal verb

scraped by; scraping by; scrapes by

: to live with barely enough money : to be able to buy only the things most needed

Money was tight, but we somehow managed to scrape by.

: to succeed at doing something but just barely

He didn't study for the exam and just barely scraped by.

Examples of scrape by in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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But while major, chronic household costs continue to squeeze millions of families — especially those scraping by on lower incomes — President-elect Donald Trump is inheriting a robust overall economy fueled by consumers who keep on spending. —

J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 15 Nov. 2024 And for Macdonald, who once took out a $20,000 loan just to scrape by to pursue his dreams, the man who bet on himself has hit the jackpot. —

Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 6 Aug. 2024 Above, some of the planet’s poorest people scrape by. —

Stuart A. Reid, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017 Facing a long road to recovery after Hurricane Helene, Asheville musicians fret about scraping by until crowds can come back. —

Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scrape by