Definition

Verb (transitive) 1. To gather or collect (something, especially money or resources) with difficulty or effort over time: This verb describes the slow, often challenging process of accumulating a small or barely sufficient amount of something, typically from limited or meager sources.

Usage

The verb "scrape up" is used to emphasize the difficulty and gradual effort involved in collecting a resource. It often implies that the final amount is just enough to meet a basic need or requirement. It is commonly followed by nouns like "money," "cash," "funds," "a living," or "support."

Examples

• Verb:
  • We need to scrape up enough cash for the train tickets.
  • He managed to scrape up a few volunteers for the clean-up event.
  • They are trying to scrape up the final payment for their car.

Advanced Usage

• "to scrape together": This is a very common synonym with identical meaning and usage.
  • She scraped together her savings to buy the guitar.
• The phrase often carries a connotation of financial struggle or making do with very little.

Variants and Related Words

• Scrape (verb): Can mean to manage to obtain or achieve something with difficulty.
  • The team just scraped a victory in the final seconds.
• Scrimp and save (idiom): To be extremely frugal over time to save money, closely related in meaning to "scrape up."

Synonyms

• Muster: To gather or assemble (especially courage, support, or strength).
• Cobble together: To assemble or put together something roughly or hastily from available parts or resources.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Scrape by/through: To just barely manage to succeed or survive, often financially.
  • With that low salary, they can only just scrape by.

Related Idioms

• Make ends meet: To have just enough money to pay for one's basic necessities. This idiom describes the state of financial survival that often requires one to "scrape up" resources.
  • They work two jobs just to make ends meet.

Verb

1. gather (money or other resources) together over time
   • She had scraped together enough money for college
   • they scratched a meager living