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barely succeed
[ˈbɛrli səkˈsid]
verb phrase
mal conseguir / quase não conseguir
1.
to achieve success by the narrowest margin; to succeed with great difficulty
He barely succeeded in passing the exam.
Ele mal conseguiu passar no exame.
2.
to accomplish something despite significant obstacles or challenges
The team barely succeeded in winning the championship.
O time quase não conseguiu vencer o campeonato.
NYC Slang
barely make it / just squeaking by
Synonyms
narrowly succeed
just manage
scrape through
succeed by a narrow margin
barely make it
Antonyms
decisively succeed
easily succeed
completely fail
fail miserably
Regional Variations
General Brazilian
mal conseguir / quase não conseguir
most common usage in Brazil
São Paulo
conseguir por pouco / quase falhar
formal and informal contexts
Portugal
mal conseguir / por pouco conseguir
common in European Portuguese
Related Idioms & Phrases
by the skin of one's teeth
by a hair's breadth
by a narrow margin
pull it off
scrape through
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