hand to mouth
/hænd tə maʊθ/
adjective
- Having or providing only enough money or resources to survive, with nothing left for savings or extras.
- Many families live a hand-to-mouth existence, spending their entire paycheck on rent and food.
- After losing his job, he was forced into a hand-to-mouth lifestyle with no safety net.
- The charity helps people who are in a hand-to-mouth situation and cannot afford basic necessities.
Synonyms
Antonyms
adverb
- In a way that involves using all available resources immediately to survive, without planning for the future.
- The struggling artist lived hand-to-mouth, spending every dollar on supplies and rent.
- Without a steady income, she exists hand-to-mouth, never knowing if she can pay next month's bills.
- They have been living hand-to-mouth since the factory closed down.