make ends meet
English
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
make ends meet
Where it comes from
Unknown. Perhaps originally referred to the ends of rope meeting, signifying continuity and therefore security and stability. Perhaps shifting later to refer to the attempt at making money last from one pay period to the next (i.e. the ends), thereby leaving no gap or break in the availability of funds. Compare French joindre les deux bouts (literally “join the two ends”) with the same meaning. The form make both ends meet is attested from the 17th century, and was the more common form until the early-to-mid 20th century.
verb makes ends meet · making ends meet · made ends meet
- To have enough money to cover expenses; to get by financially; to get through the pay period (sufficient to meet the next payday). ... a schoolmaster, whose income being small, he was fain to keep a glass of good liquor for the entertainment of passengers, by which he made shift to make the two ends of the year meet.
Translations
Every language
verb get by financially
| Español | llegar a fin de mes, redondear el presupuesto, hacer que alcance el dinero, hacer alcanzar el / al dinero, rebuscárselas, ir mal viviendo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 입에 풀칠하다 ibe pulchilhada |
| 中文 | 量入為出 /量入为出 liàngrùwéichū, 維持生活 /维持生活 wéichí shēnghuó |
| Português | chegar ao fim do mês, conseguir pagar as contas |
| Français | joindre les deux bouts |
| Deutsch | über die Runden kommen, über den Monat kommen |
| Italiano | far quadrare i conti, arrivare a fine mese, arrotondare lo stipendio, sbarcare il lunario |
| Русский | своди́ть концы с концами svodítʹ koncy s koncami |
| עברית | גמר את החודש |
Talk about this word "make ends meet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/make%20ends%20meet. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. make ends meet. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/make%20ends%20meet "make ends meet." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/make%20ends%20meet.Cite this
@misc{make_ends_meet_2026,
title = {make ends meet},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/make%20ends%20meet},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
