make ends meet

idiom

Formsmakes ends meet, making ends meet, made ends meet

1 meaning of make ends meet

1
idiomintransitive
To have just enough money to pay for the things you need.
Like making a small lunch stretch so you have enough to eat all day.
After losing his job, he struggled to make ends meet.
They both work two jobs just to make ends meet.
Similarmanage, cope, survive

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Origin

The origin is not known. It may have first meant the ends of a rope meeting, or making money last from one payday to the next with no gap. The form "make both ends meet" goes back to the 17th century.