Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

scrape by

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.40 in modern English

Syllables
scrape -by
IPA
17
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To only afford the essentials; to barely sustain oneself.

Intransitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From scrape + by.

Usage

Inflected Forms

scrapes by (present, singular) scraping by (participle, present) scraped by (participle, past) scraped by (past)

Phrases

rough it

Frequently Paired Words

rough it

Synonyms

scratch by scrape along scratch along squeak by squeeze by rub along

Questions

What does scrape by mean?
To only afford the essentials; to barely sustain oneself.
Where does scrape by come from?
From scrape + by.

How to pronounce scrape by

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “scrape by”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “scrape by”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “scrape by” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.