earn a living
Make ends meet
To earn a living is to make enough money to support oneself through work: She earns a living as a freelance translator.
The phrase emphasizes sustenance over wealth—covering necessities rather than getting rich.
Someone who earns an honest living does so through legitimate means, often with a note of dignity or pride in ordinary work.
- paycheckCompensation for labor
- incomeRegular monetary receipts
- salaryFixed periodic employment payment
- wagesPayment for work
- professionTrained occupational field
make ends meet · tip · gig economy · freelance work · vocation · breadwinner · remuneration · pay the bills · job · subsistence farming · honest work · occupation · daily bread · put food on the table · career · bartering · compensation · employment