barely buying

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "barely buying" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where someone is making minimal purchases or is only just managing to buy something, often implying a struggle or limitation in resources. Example: "With my current budget, I'm barely buying enough groceries to last the week."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Barely buying food.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

55 human-written examples

That barely buys lunch these days.

The New York Times

You can barely buy a sandwich.

The Guardian

You can barely buy a blouse that's evening".

The New Yorker

That would barely buy three houses in Westchester County.

The New York Times

"With the money we were given, we could barely buy a kilo of corn.

The New Yorker

All that and three dollars will barely buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

The New York Times - Sports

In Mayfair, you could barely buy a garage for that now.

The Guardian

Though she added, "We can barely buy a Starbucks with the winnings".

The New York Times - Style

I barely buy it myself, which is why my recent attempts to talk more to strangers have been so faltering.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

Even assuming that the member states all cough up, which they have not done in the past, this barely buys a hubcap for the proposed continental fire engine.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "barely buying" to effectively convey a sense of financial struggle or limited purchasing power, adding emotional impact to your writing.

Common error

Avoid using "barely buying" when the situation involves moderate comfort. The phrase is best reserved for situations of genuine financial hardship or significant limitation.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barely buying" functions as a verb phrase indicating a state of minimal purchasing activity due to limited resources. According to Ludwig AI, the phrase is grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "barely buying" is a grammatically correct verb phrase used to describe situations where someone has minimal purchasing power due to limited financial resources. As indicated by Ludwig AI, the phrase is indeed correct, although not very common. It's most frequently found in news and media contexts to convey financial hardship. When writing, be sure to use "barely buying" when describing situations of genuine financial difficulty and consider similar phrases like "just managing to buy" or "hardly able to afford" to add nuance. Remember, the phrase is best suited for neutral registers, focusing on factual representation of a financially strained situation.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

just managing to buy

Emphasizes the difficulty in affording something.

hardly able to afford

Focuses on the lack of financial capacity.

scraping by to purchase

Highlights the effort required to make a purchase.

only just affording

Stresses the narrow margin of affordability.

struggling to buy

Emphasizes the difficulty and effort in purchasing.

barely affording to purchase

Highlights minimal affordability and formal action of purchasing.

finding it hard to buy

Indicates a general difficulty in buying something.

can hardly buy

Expresses the very low possibilities of purchasing.

in extreme poverty and purchasing items

Refers to someone with extreme poverty conditions that purchases items.

living hand to mouth and buying

Highlights conditions where you can barely survive buying food.

FAQs

How can I use "barely buying" in a sentence?

You can use "barely buying" to describe a situation where someone has very limited financial resources for purchasing goods. For example, "They are "barely buying" enough food to survive".

What are some alternatives to "barely buying"?

Alternatives include "just managing to buy", "hardly able to afford", or "scraping by to purchase", depending on the specific nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "barely buying" or should I use another phrase?

"Barely buying" is grammatically correct and understandable, but it's relatively uncommon. Phrases like "can "hardly afford to buy"" or "struggling to buy" might sound more natural to some native English speakers.

What does "barely buying" imply about a person's financial situation?

It implies that the person is experiencing financial hardship and has very little money available to spend on even basic necessities.