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Glite Dictionary
to keep head above water

to keep head above water

8 4.7
To avoid serious money problems during hard times
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : mantenerse a flote
  • The Hecks are a middle-class family living in the middle of Indiana, just trying to keep their heads above water.
  • struggling to keep head above water

And right now, man, we've just got to keep strong, kind of keep head above water.

Examples

  • As it was, we barely kept our heads above water.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • After losing my job, I had to find ways to keep my head above water until I could secure a new one.

  • Are we keeping our heads above water?

    Fiction book (1996)

  • It's the people who are struggling to pay their bills and barely keeping their heads above water.

    Blog text (23)

  • Of course, mostly I'm just trying to keep my head above water now that I'm back at work.

    Blog text (16)

  • How are small municipal utilities keeping their heads above water?

    Academic text (1997)

  • Glad to see you are on the upswing, and hopefully you will keep your head above water.

    Blog text (32)

  • Many SMEs struggle to keep their heads above water regarding the best use of their income.

    Academic text (2011)

  • It's all so confusing; you're just trying to get through your day, keep your head above water.

    Blog text (27)

  • In just a few weeks, he'd be submerged in lectures and labs, where his only concern would be keeping his head above water.

    Fiction book (1998)

Synonyms

to survive
vsto keep head above water
425 2.7

Manage to live on very little money

focuses on coping with difficulties in general rather than mere continued living
to cope
vsto keep head above water
272 2.9

To deal with problems and difficult situations

is about managing to continue despite problems often with financial stress
to stay afloat
vsto keep head above water
  • Informal
16 4.1

Keep operating when money is low

means managing to survive or cope rather than thriving or fully functioning
to keep afloat
vsto keep head above water
1 4.1

Manage to avoid money problems and pay bills

focuses on coping or surviving difficulties rather than only finance
to stay above water
vsto keep head above water
  • Informal
1 5.1

To keep enough money to pay bills and not owe money

focuses on surviving or coping with difficulties not limited to obligations
to keep above water
vsto keep head above water
4.9

To manage to survive when you have money problems

is the fuller idiomatic expression with the same meaning
to remain afloat
vsto keep head above water
5.3

To have enough money to keep going and avoid failure

applies more to financial operation than to personal coping or survival

Antonyms

to sink
358 1.0

To move down physically or emotionally, often when tired

How Secure

to thrive
241 3.2
to prosper
88 3.7
to keep head above water
  • Informal
8 4.7
to get by
121 3.1
struggle
466 3.2
to drown
135 3.5

Surface Forms

keep head above water infinitive
keeping head above water present participle
keeps head above water third person singular
kept head above water past
kept head above water past participle

Morphology

keep + head + above + water

The literal image — keeping one's head above water — is directly built from 'keep' + 'head' + 'above' + 'water', so a learner can infer the idea of avoiding drowning. However, the conventionalized figurative extension to 'manage to survive or cope (especially financially)' is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the parts, so learners may grasp a general sense but not the specific idiomatic nuance without exposure.

Etymology

The idiom keep head above water gives a clear picture: imagine someone in deep water trying to keep their head above the water so they can breathe. That's why it now means 'to manage to survive' hard times, often money problems.