put food on the table

verb

To provide enough money to cover basic necessities.

Similar
put bread on the tablebring home the baconcarry one's weightearn a livingearn one's cornearn one's crustearn one's keepkeep the home fires burning
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Meanings

verbput food on the table (third-person singular simple present puts food on the table, present participle putting food on the table, simple past and past participle put food on the table)

present singular third person puts food on the table · participle present putting food on the table

  1. idiomaticTo provide enough money to cover basic necessities.

    I don't care what I do. If it pays the bills and puts food on the table, I'm not bothered.

    2009, “My Laid-off Life”, in The Guardian, 15 Jun 09
    2 more examples

    The locals bemoan the tourist crush and at the same time welcome it because it puts food on the table.

    2005, Darwin Porter et al., Frommer's Italy 2005

    The middle class does not consider itself free form the concern of putting food on the table.

    1996, Werner Peters, Society on the Run, page 81

    Synonyms: put bread on the table, bring home the bacon, carry one's weight, earn a living, earn one's corn, earn one's crust, earn one's keep, keep the home fires burning

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo provide enough money to cover basic necessities.

Similar
put bread on the tablebring home the baconcarry one's weightearn a livingearn one's cornearn one's crustearn one's keepkeep the home fires burningput bread on the table
Also see
bring home the baconearn one's crustearn one's keepmake a livingput bread on the table

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 養家糊口 /养家糊口
  • 養家糊口 /养家糊口 (yǎngjiāhúkǒu)provide enough money to cover basic necessities
Finnish tuoda leipä pöytään
  • tuoda leipä pöytäänprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
French mettre du pain sur la table, nourrir son homme
  • mettre du pain sur la tableprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
  • nourrir son hommeprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
  • faire bouillir la marmiteprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
Polish zapewniać byt, zapewnić byt
  • zapewniać bytprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
  • zapewnić bytprovide enough money to cover basic necessities
Cite this entry
APA

put food on the table. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20food%20on%20the%20table

MLA

“put food on the table.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20food%20on%20the%20table. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “put food on the table,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/put%20food%20on%20the%20table.

Source: put food on the table on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.