게 버티다

hold out, endure, get by

버티다 is holding out under pressure — staying in a job, surviving on very little, keeping going. -게 gives the manner, and here it is usually 어떻게 'somehow, how on earth' or a word for difficulty: 어떻게 버티고 있어요 'I'm getting by somehow', 우리다 진짜 힘겹게 버텼어요 'we barely hung on', 직장에서 힘들게 버티면서 'holding on at work through the hard times'.

Register: casual; often about hardship