to stay afloat
16
4.1
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
mantenerse a flote
- Jose and Mohamed are just two of many small business owners striving to stay afloat in West Harlem.
- struggling to stay afloat
Like, yeah, I think the point that you're trying to make with those examples is basically like just the sheer importance of making sure your ships stay afloat.
- Like, yeah, I think the point that you're trying to make with those examples is basically like just the sheer importance of making sure your ships stay afloat.
- Because now the burden of earning money to stay afloat is being placed upon people who are less able to shoulder that burden.
- And with companies in China selling at a dollar per Watt, Solyndra just couldn't couldn't stay afloat.
- But there's always segment of the society like my father that go, get along to go along and try to stay afloat.
- We've been in a pandemic or panoramic and life has been lifing and hitting all of us, right, including people like myself who's just trying to stay afloat.
Examples
-
Nonprofits often rely on grants to stay afloat when fundraising efforts fall short.
-
I did anything that I could to make sure that I could stay focused and stay afloat in my business to make that goal happen.
-
It's a model that has helped some businesses stay afloat in these tough times, but does it benefit you?
Blog text (11) -
I just want a loan to help me stay afloat through this mess.
Blog text (10) -
If businesses manage to stay afloat by satisfying customers, then the market worked.
Blog text (9) -
Every day is a struggle to stay afloat, and it takes a toll on them and their kids.
Blog text (12) -
A few schools have had to close because they couldn't stay afloat financially.
Academic text (2007) -
Many startups struggle to stay afloat during their first year of operation.
-
Despite the economic downturn, the bakery managed to stay afloat thanks to loyal customers.
Synonyms
8
4.7
To avoid serious money problems during hard times
1
4.1
Manage to avoid money problems and pay bills
1
5.1
To keep enough money to pay bills and not owe money
To have enough money to keep going and avoid failure
To manage to survive when you have money problems
Antonyms
How Well
241
3.2
88
3.7
- Informal
16
4.1
121
3.1
10
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The MWE meaning is a direct compositional extension of 'stay' (to remain) + 'afloat' (floating / not sinking); a learner who knows both constituents can readily infer 'remain not sunk' and thus 'keep going or solvent' in difficult conditions. The not-sinking → not-failing metaphor is common in many languages and follows a straightforward semantic mapping, so the expression is immediately understandable to B1 learners who know the words.
Etymology
Stay afloat comes from the image of a small boat that must stay afloat and not sink. So, when someone says they 'stay afloat' it means they 'keep going' or 'survive', often when money is tight.