to scrape by

10 5.1

To manage to live with very little money

phrasal verb
/skreɪp baɪ/

: arreglárselas

How come 2 of 3 say they are just scraping by or in the red financially?
barely scrape by
just scraping by
scraping by financially

I was a football player, and I just tried to scrape by.

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Examples

People are barely scraping by!

Fiction book (2002)
Many are not, and they may watch their families scrape by and be treated badly by the world for being a sort of have not.

DoctorRamani
And it's people who are trying to scrape by and who who really need the money.
Without a job, I can only just scrape by.

Jester (2024)
And when it comes to dreams... we had to keep scraping by.

In the Heights (2021)
A man gets tired of scraping by.

Cold Ones (2007)
I spent my whole life in poverty, my whole life just scraping by.

Fiction book (1993)
But for now, Ms. Cheon says her family has to scrape by.

Blog text (10)
After my divorce, I scraped by with babysitting gigs and odd jobs.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)
After losing his job, he struggled to scrape by on savings alone.

Synonyms

to survive

vsto scrape by

425 2.7

Manage to live on very little money

adds the idea of barely making a living rather than general survival

to get by

vsto scrape by

121 3.1

Manage to live with little money or help

is narrower, highlighting barely making a living with little money

to make ends meet

vsto scrape by

Informal

56 3.5

To live on a small amount of money

is broader, not only balancing money but surviving with very little

to squeak by

vsto scrape by

Informal

4 7.2

Manage to succeed or continue with only a small amount

is used especially for barely making a living rather than any success

to rub along

vsto scrape by

1 7.5

To manage to live with little money

is closer to barely making a living rather than general coping

to squeeze by

vsto scrape by

Informal

1 5.8

Live with only enough money for basic needs

focuses more on making a living barely rather than single tasks

to scrape along

vsto scrape by

6.9

Live with difficulty because you have little money

is the same idea but emphasizes just barely managing

to scratch by

vsto scrape by

6.9

To manage to live with very little money

is similar but stresses living barely rather than merely surviving

to scratch along

vsto scrape by

7.8

Manage to live with very little money

focuses more on barely making a living rather than general coping

Antonyms

to thrive

241 3.2

To grow well and be successful

to flourish

116 4.1

To grow strongly and be healthy or successful

How Comfortable

to manage

∞ 3.2

to get by

121 3.1

to scrape by

10 5.1

struggle

466 3.2

Surface Forms

scrape by infinitive

scraped by past

scraped by past participle

scraping by present participle

scrapes by third person singular

Morphology

scrape + by

The verb 'scrape' can mean to gather or eke out small amounts (as in 'scrape together'), and 'by' suggests getting through or passing along, so the general sense of managing with little is partially inferable from the parts. However, the precise nuance of 'just barely managing to survive' is a metaphorical extension and relies on a phrasal verb construction that B1 learners may not reliably predict, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Scrape by gives the picture of someone using a spoon to scrape the last bits of food or coins from a bowl. You have just enough to survive, so the phrase means 'to manage with very little'.