scrape by

verb

To only afford the essentials; to barely sustain oneself.

“Everyone in her family had to get a second job just so they could scrape by.”

Similar
scratch byscrape alongscratch alongsqueak bysqueeze byrub along
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Meanings

verbscrape by (third-person singular simple present scrapes by, present participle scraping by, simple past and past participle scraped by)

present singular third person scrapes by · participle present scraping by · participle past scraped by · past scraped by

  1. intransitiveTo only afford the essentials; to barely sustain oneself.

    Everyone in her family had to get a second job just so they could scrape by.

    Synonyms: scratch by

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo only afford the essentials; to barely sustain oneself.

Similar
scratch by

More synonyms by meaning

verbmanage one's existence barely

Similar
scrape alongscratch alongsqueak bysqueeze byrub along
Broader
copeget bymake out
Also see
muddle throughrub alongscrape alongscratch a livingscratch byscrimp

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

From scrape + by.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Spanish sobrevivir a duras penas, pervivir a malas penas
  • sobrevivir a duras penasTranslations
  • pervivir a malas penasTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

scrape by. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrape%20by

MLA

“scrape by.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrape%20by. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scrape by,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scrape%20by.

Source: scrape by on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.