Verb
put food on the table (third-person singular simple present puts food on the table, present participle putting food on the table, simple past and past participle put food on the table)
(idiomatic) To provide enough money to cover basic necessities.
Synonyms: put bread on the table; see also Thesaurus:make a living
I started doing radio commercials for Kmart when I was 4. They had to splice all my consonants together because I couldnt talk very well. But these jobs helped my mother and me put food on the table. It took the two of us working. Christina Applegate
No family should have to depend on the labor of its children to put food on the table and no person should be forced to work in captivity. Hilda Solis
Some parents struggle to put food on the table. And plenty of women aren't getting the pay they deserve. While I don't expect the government to solve all these problems, I do want leaders who care about these things and do what they can to help. Chrissy Teigen
Unlike the traditional athlete, I've got to do more than just engage in my sport to put food on the table. When I'm done running, it's straight to the office. Dean Karnazes
I've learned to sell my music, I've learned to direct, I've written screenplays... All of this fulfilled my artistic needs but also put food on the table. Robby Benson
It's really not that hard to put food on the table if that's what you decide to do. Jeannette Walls