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Glite Dictionary
to keep above water

to keep above water

4.9
To manage to survive when you have money problems
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : mantenerse a flote
  • With rising rent prices, many families worry about how to keep above water financially.

Examples

  • Half of the servers were working through college, and the other half were just trying to keep above water.

    Blog text (33)

  • The lab, however, would be kept above water—literally—in 2012 with $15 million from DOE's high-energy and nuclear physics research programs.

    Academic text (2011)

  • He watched as Bein tried to expand his lungs and keep above water.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • After losing his job, he struggled to keep above water while paying his bills.

  • Despite facing numerous challenges, she managed to keep above water through hard work and perseverance.

Synonyms

to survive
vsto keep above water
425 2.7

Manage to live on very little money

stresses coping and managing problems rather than only plain existence
to cope
vsto keep above water
272 2.9

To deal with problems and difficult situations

focuses more on surviving and managing personal or financial problems
to stay afloat
vsto keep above water
  • Informal
16 4.1

Keep operating when money is low

focuses more on surviving or coping with personal problems rather than operations
to subsist
vsto keep above water
11 7.2

Manage to live with very little food or money

means surviving at a minimal level rather than coping with broader difficulties
to keep head above water
vsto keep above water
  • Informal
8 4.7

To avoid serious money problems during hard times

has the same meaning but uses a different idiomatic phrasing
to keep afloat
vsto keep above water
1 4.1

Manage to avoid money problems and pay bills

is broader, covering coping with personal or financial difficulties not only money
to stay above water
vsto keep above water
  • Informal
1 5.1

To keep enough money to pay bills and not owe money

means the same idea but is expressed with another common verb phrase
to remain afloat
vsto keep above water
5.3

To have enough money to keep going and avoid failure

is about coping overall not only maintaining business money matters

Antonyms

to go bankrupt
73 3.5

To be unable to pay debts

How Afloat

to thrive
241 3.2
to keep above water
4.9
to get by
121 3.1

Surface Forms

keep above water infinitive

Morphology

keep + above + water

The phrase literally combines 'keep' + 'above' + 'water' and evokes the image of preventing sinking, so a learner who knows the words can often infer the metaphorical sense of 'stay afloat' or 'manage to survive/cope'. However, the transfer from physical position to financial or personal stability is a metaphorical extension and not fully literal or predictable without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The expression keep above water may come from the clear image of a person or small boat trying to keep their head above the water so they do not sink. So today it means 'to manage to survive' or 'to cope' with money or other problems.