scrape by

phrasal verb

scraped by; scraping by; scrapes by

1

: 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.

2

: 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

While the Duttons are just barely scraping by, the smug evil-doer is enjoying a warm bath in his mansion. —Matt Cabral, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2025

The nonprofit not only provides food, clothing, showers and services for hundreds of homeless folks, but also rent assistance for working families just scraping by and on the verge of homelessness. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2025

That an independently wealthy painter who graduated from an elite university is having their work scraped by a data harvesting model? —Oskar Oprey, Artforum, 28 Jan. 2025

The area is forecast to scrape by with overnight lows near 1 degree. —Lauren Penington, The Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for scrape by

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify