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scratch by

B2 informal inseparable intransitive

In simple words

To just barely have enough money to live, with nothing extra.

Meanings

1 B2 idiomatic informal

rare

To barely manage to survive financially, having just enough to cover basic needs.

"After the factory closed, many families in the town were left scratching by on unemployment benefits."

Grammar: inseparable

Usage notes

Less common than 'scrape by' and considered a regional variant, more frequent in American English. Functionally identical to 'scrape by' in the sense of barely managing financially.

Commonly used with

income wages pension savings living

Forms

Base

scratch by

I/you/we/they

3rd person

scratches by

he/she/it

Past simple

scratched by

yesterday

Past participle

scratched by

have + pp

-ing form

scratching by

continuous

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Synonyms

scrape by get by manage survive make ends meet eke out a living

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