idiom · informal
keep one's head above water
UK/kiːp wʌnz hɛd əˈbʌv ˈwɔːtə/US/kiːp wʌnz hɛd əˈbʌv ˈwɔːtər/keep one's HEAD a·BOVE WA·ter
to manage just well enough to survive, especially financially
Examples
“She works two jobs to keep her head above water.”
“During the crisis many families struggled to keep their heads above water.”
“The small company barely kept its head above water after losing its main client.”
Band 8 sentence
“Even after the subsidy ended, the family managed to keep their heads above water by cutting non-essential expenses and doing freelance work.”
Collocations
- keep one's head above water financially
- struggle to keep one's head above water
Word family
Common mistakes
keep head above water→keep one's head above water
keep my head over water→keep my head above water
Say it for a higher band
5get by→6stay afloat→7+keep one's head above water
Synonyms
get by
stay afloat
Easily confused
stay afloat
“Small shops are struggling to stay afloat after the rent increases.”
get by
“I can get by with a part-time job while studying.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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