scrape by
phrasal verb
scraped by; scraping by; scrapes by
1
: to live with barely enough money : to be able to buy only the things most needed
Money was tight, but we somehow managed to scrape by.
2
: to succeed at doing something but just barely
He didn't study for the exam and just barely scraped by.
Examples of scrape by in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Social media platforms are heavily scraped by bots and bad actors looking to compile detailed profiles.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
The hospitality corporations fighting us are not scraping by.
—Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
Juggling school work and a side job as a young single mother, Kelly Cook barely scraped by before rising to executive positions at DSW, Kmart and Pier 1 Imports, and helming the popular American bridal chain this April.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 June 2025
Be wary of sharing health details on social media or in public forums, as these can be scraped by data brokers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
The hospitality corporations fighting us are not scraping by.
—Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2025
Juggling school work and a side job as a young single mother, Kelly Cook barely scraped by before rising to executive positions at DSW, Kmart and Pier 1 Imports, and helming the popular American bridal chain this April.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 June 2025
Be wary of sharing health details on social media or in public forums, as these can be scraped by data brokers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scrape by
Cite this Entry
“Scrape by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrape%20by. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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