paycheck to paycheck
11
5.5
- idiom
- US
:
vivir de sueldo a sueldo
- Many families face financial stress because they are living paycheck to paycheck, with no savings to fall back on.
- live paycheck to paycheck
You know that, and insane inflation then keeps you stuck paycheck to paycheck in a sea of debt.
- You know that, and insane inflation then keeps you stuck paycheck to paycheck in a sea of debt.
- You know, some people live from paycheck to paycheck and I understand it and I just couldn't.
- I'm just saying he was living paycheck to paycheck.
- Most of you are living hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck.
- Yes, even people making over six figures are living paycheck to paycheck much more today than last year.
- Because what's worse to a family today than living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to get by?
- Even before the pandemic, the majority of Americans lived paycheck to paycheck.
- So I forget the percentage of households of people that live paycheck to paycheck, but it's ungodly.
- I think the other part of it, Stephen, is half of our people live paycheck to paycheck.
- You can have that high paying job and still be living paycheck to paycheck.
- That is a shocking amount of people who make very high salaries who still live paycheck to paycheck.
- But then I feel like there's some people who, you know, maybe are in a sort of a survival mode, paycheck to paycheck, living in fear.
- You, you are you know whenever I see people who live paycheck to paycheck, they don't have any reserves or money and then they're afraid to take a risk.
- People who live paycheck to paycheck, whose jobs require them to turn up to work in person, just can't get by without transportation.
- For example, for people who are living paycheck to paycheck and who haven't found a new job.
Examples
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In fact, 77 percent of all Americans live paycheck to paycheck at least some of the time.
Blog text (10) -
I know what it's like to struggle from paycheck to paycheck.
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Yes, even people making over six figures are living paycheck to paycheck much more today than last year.
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The reality is most of us live paycheck to paycheck.
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I was living paycheck to paycheck.
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More than half of us are living paycheck to paycheck with no safety net.
Blog text (1) -
Other people my age live paycheck to paycheck.
Academic text (2009) -
If you are currently living paycheck to paycheck, you are extremely vulnerable.
Blog text (9) -
According to one survey, 42 percent of all American workers are living paycheck to paycheck.
Blog text (12) -
Why are 77 percent of all Americans living paycheck to paycheck at least part of the time?
Blog text (1)
Synonyms
2
6.3
Living with only enough money for day to day needs and no savings
A person who has little money and cannot buy basic things
Antonyms
How Financially Secure
520
2.5
107
2.9
- US
11
5.5
∞
1.0
20
6.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositionally built from 'paycheck' + 'to' + 'paycheck' and can be read as ‘from one paycheck to the next,’ which directly implies relying on each salary payment with little or no savings. This succession-of-paychecks logic is readily inferable and has clear parallels in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will typically understand the meaning.
Etymology
The phrase paycheck to paycheck comes from a clear image: a person spends one paycheck until it is gone and then waits for the next paycheck to pay bills. That's why it means 'having little or no savings' and 'relying on each paycheck to cover expenses'.