Idiom B2 — Upper Intermediate

Make Ends Meet

To have just enough money to pay for essential living costs, with little or nothing left over.

Meaning

Literal origin: In accounting, the "ends" referred to the beginning and end totals of a financial period. "Making ends meet" meant balancing the books so that income covered expenses.

Figurative: To have just enough money to cover essential living costs — food, rent, bills — without having any money left over. The expression describes a financially tight situation where income and expenditure are barely balanced. It does not necessarily mean extreme poverty, but implies financial strain and the absence of any surplus.

Origin & History

The phrase derives from accounting terminology. In earlier bookkeeping practice, the "ends" of an account referred to the totals at the beginning and end of an accounting period. When income exactly covered expenditure, the two ends could be made to "meet" — the books balanced. The phrase began to transfer into everyday language in the 17th and 18th centuries to describe personal finances.

The expression appears in Francis Osborne's Advice to a Son (1656) and has been a consistent feature of English ever since. In the 21st century it remains one of the most commonly used financial idioms in everyday British and American English, appearing regularly in political debates, social journalism, and everyday conversation whenever the subject of cost of living or financial hardship arises.

Example Sentences

ContextExample
Personal finance"With rent so high in London, many young people struggle to make ends meet."
Working life"She took on a second job just to make ends meet after her hours were cut."
News / politics"The charity report found that one in five families cannot make ends meet on the current minimum wage."
Personal story"My parents worked very hard to make ends meet when I was growing up."

How to Use It

Register: Neutral. Widely used in spoken conversation, journalism, political speeches, and social commentary. Acceptable in semi-formal writing and opinion pieces. Replaced by "balance a budget" or "cover essential expenditure" in formal financial documents.

Grammar patterns: Most commonly used with modal or auxiliary verbs indicating difficulty: struggle to make ends meet / barely make ends meet / can hardly make ends meet. Subject can be a person, family, or organisation.

Negation: Very commonly used in the negative or with expressions of difficulty: "They can't make ends meet." / "It's hard to make ends meet."

Common Mistakes

Watch out for these errors

"She struggled to make the ends meet." (no article — the idiom is "make ends meet", not "make the ends meet")

"She struggled to make ends meet."

"He can't make both ends to meet." (incorrect structure — do not add "to" before "meet")

"He can't make ends meet."

"They made their ends meet last year." (no possessive — it is "make ends meet", not "make their ends meet")

"They managed to make ends meet last year."

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does "make ends meet" mean?
"Make ends meet" means to have just enough money to pay for essential living costs — food, rent, bills — without having anything left over. It describes a financially tight but survivable situation.
Where does "make ends meet" come from?
The phrase comes from accounting. In bookkeeping, "ends" referred to the totals at the beginning and end of an accounting period. To "make ends meet" meant to balance the books so that income covered expenses — the two ends of the accounts met.
Is "make ends meet" only about poverty?
Not exclusively, but it always implies financial difficulty or tightness. It can apply to anyone living on a limited budget — students, young families, people on low wages, or even small businesses. It does not necessarily mean severe poverty, just that there is little or no surplus money.
What is a synonym for "make ends meet"?
Synonyms and related expressions include: "get by" (manage financially), "scrape by", "keep your head above water" (stay out of debt), "live from hand to mouth" (spend everything you earn immediately), "struggle financially", and "tighten your belt" (spend less).
Can "make ends meet" be used in formal writing?
It can appear in journalism, social commentary, and opinion writing. In strictly academic or legal writing, "balance income and expenditure" or "cover essential living costs" would be more appropriate. In newspaper features and personal essays it is perfectly standard.
How do you conjugate "make ends meet"?
The verb "make" conjugates normally: "She makes ends meet by working two jobs." / "They could barely make ends meet last winter." / "Making ends meet on a minimum wage is very difficult." / "He struggled to make ends meet after losing his job."
What other money idioms are similar to "make ends meet"?
Related money idioms: "cost an arm and a leg" (very expensive), "tighten your belt" (spend less), "on a shoestring" (with very little money), "penny-pinching" (being very careful with money), "live from hand to mouth" (spend everything earned immediately), and "in the red" (in debt).
What CEFR level is "make ends meet"?
"Make ends meet" is considered B2 (Upper Intermediate). It appears in academic English courses, newspaper reading tasks, and IELTS-level vocabulary preparation at this level.
Is "make ends meet" used in British and American English?
Yes. The idiom is used equally in British and American English with identical meaning. It appears commonly in political speeches, social journalism, and everyday conversation in both varieties.
What is the opposite of "make ends meet"?
The opposite would be expressions like "have money to spare", "live comfortably", "be well off", or "have more than enough". A direct contrast: "They used to struggle to make ends meet, but now they live very comfortably."