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
John Magaro is devastating as a desperate dad who embarks on a road trip with his kids, scraping by to keep them fed and entertained, even trying to create some good memories along the way, following the death of his wife and their eviction that kicks off the movie.
—
Ew Staff, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Motivational speaking is hard, often thankless work, with most practitioners scraping by in front of luncheon crowds in Holiday Inn conference rooms.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Two other members of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, scraped by in South Texas border districts that are predominantly Latino, a demographic that has grown more Trump-friendly in recent years.
—Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2025
Of every team that has started 12-1, the Chiefs have scraped by with a record low scoring margin.
—Andrew Greif, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scrape by 
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Ew Staff, EW.com, 23 Jan. 2025
Motivational speaking is hard, often thankless work, with most practitioners scraping by in front of luncheon crowds in Holiday Inn conference rooms.
—Clay Risen, New York Times, 10 Jan. 2025
Two other members of the moderate Blue Dog Coalition, Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, scraped by in South Texas border districts that are predominantly Latino, a demographic that has grown more Trump-friendly in recent years.
—Tribune News Service, Twin Cities, 9 Jan. 2025
Of every team that has started 12-1, the Chiefs have scraped by with a record low scoring margin.
—Andrew Greif, NBC News, 10 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scrape by
Dictionary Entries Near scrape by
Cite this Entry
“Scrape by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrape%20by. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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