keep the wolf from the door

Meaning

This idiom means to have or earn just enough money to afford basic necessities like food, rent, and heating, and to avoid starvation or extreme poverty. It has a casual, descriptive tone and is often used when talking about scraping by.

Examples

• He took a second job at night just to keep the wolf from the door.

  He took a second job at night just to keep the wolf from the door.

• With rising prices, her pension is barely enough to keep the wolf from the door.

  With rising prices, her pension is barely enough to keep the wolf from the door.

• They aren't rich, but they earn enough to keep the wolf from the door.

  They aren't rich, but they earn enough to keep the wolf from the door.

• During the winter, many families struggle to keep the wolf from the door.

  During the winter, many families struggle to keep the wolf from the door.

• My freelance gig doesn't pay much, but it keeps the wolf from the door.

  My freelance gig doesn't pay much, but it keeps the wolf from the door.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ I work hard to keep the dog from the door.

  ✓ I work hard to keep the wolf from the door.

  Idioms are fixed; you cannot replace 'wolf' with 'dog' or any other animal.

• ✗ She keeps the wolf out of the door.

  ✓ She keeps the wolf from the door.

  The preposition is strictly 'from', not 'out of' or 'away from'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• His part-time job pays very little, but at least it helps ___.

  💡 afford basic food and rent

  Show answer

  keep the wolf from the door

• They had to borrow money just to ___ during the winter months.

  💡 prevent extreme poverty

  Show answer

  keep the wolf from the door