barely meet

USAGE SUMMARY

"barely meet" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when you want to indicate that something happened, but it only just happened or was only just enough. For example, "I had to work extra hours to barely meet the deadline."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Wiki

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

34 human-written examples

As a result, some Senate districts upstate barely meet the population requirement, while some districts downstate nearly exceed the requirement.

The New York Times

Vasile Dina, the vice mayor of Valea Danului, said he could barely meet the demand for new housing permits.

The New York Times

He says there's not much we can do right now because our combined incomes barely meet our frugal living expenses and college debt payments.

The New York Times

The watch became known as the Presidents' watch and was so popular that the Swiss manufacturer churned them out by the thousands and could barely meet demand.

The New York Times

One worry is that by opening the floodgates of advertising, the less scrupulous among them could prey on individuals who barely meet the accredited investor threshold.

The New York Times

That would barely meet 1% of China's energy needs now, let alone in 2020.In this section What are brands for?

The Economist

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

26 human-written examples

By contrast, McCain had barely met Palin.

The New York Times

Already, my "real" friends include people I've barely met.

The New York Times

He is barely meeting the payments on his rig.

The New York Times

It played host to Lindsay Lohan, who Greene claims he's barely met.

The New York Times

Still, Judge Gannett suggested that prosecutors had, perhaps purposefully, barely met the probable cause standard.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "barely meet" when you want to emphasize that a requirement or standard was only just achieved, often implying that there is little room for error or further reduction.

Common error

Avoid using "barely meet" when the achievement significantly exceeds the requirement. This phrase is most effective when the margin of success is slim.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "barely meet" functions as a verb phrase, typically indicating that a standard, requirement, or expectation is fulfilled by the smallest possible margin. It describes a situation where something is achieved, but with very little to spare, as confirmed by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Science

30%

Wiki

10%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

3%

Reference

2%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "barely meet" is a common and grammatically sound verb phrase used to describe situations where a requirement or expectation is only just fulfilled. Ludwig AI confirms its validity. It's most often used in News & Media and Science contexts to convey a sense of minimal compliance, as can be seen through the many examples. When employing this phrase, remember that it communicates a narrow margin of success, and consider alternatives like "scarcely fulfill" or "narrowly satisfy" to fine-tune your intended meaning.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

scarcely fulfill

Indicates fulfillment is achieved but to a very small extent; similar to "barely meet" but emphasizes the difficulty.

narrowly satisfy

Focuses on satisfying a specific need or requirement, highlighting the small margin by which it is achieved.

just manage to reach

Implies effort was involved in achieving the outcome, and success was not guaranteed.

hardly attain

Emphasizes difficulty in reaching a goal or standard, suggesting the outcome was almost out of reach.

only just achieve

Like "barely meet", this suggests something was achieved but with minimal success.

scrape by

Suggests managing to survive or succeed but with great difficulty and little to spare.

fall just within

This alternative is more useful when something almost didn't pass a condition.

marginally comply

Emphasizes compliance with a rule or standard but only to the smallest degree necessary.

almost fail to meet

Highlights the near failure to achieve a requirement or expectation.

come close to not meeting

Stresses the proximity to failing to meet a certain standard or condition.

FAQs

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

You can use "barely meet" to indicate that something just barely fulfills a requirement or expectation. For example, "Their sales figures "barely meet" the quarterly target".

What can I say instead of "barely meet"?

You can use alternatives like "scarcely fulfill", "narrowly satisfy", or "just manage to reach" depending on the context.

Which is correct, "barely meet" or "barely meets"?

The correct form depends on the subject. Use "barely meet" with plural subjects (e.g., "They barely meet the criteria"), and "barely meets" with singular subjects (e.g., "He barely meets the criteria").

What's the difference between "barely meet" and "almost fail to meet"?

"Barely meet" implies success, even if by a small margin. "Almost fail to meet" suggests a near miss, indicating a high risk of not achieving the requirement.