The phrase "makes a killing" often refers to making a large amount of money or achieving great success. However, there are several antonyms, or opposite phrases, that convey the opposite meaning. One such phrase is "struggles to make ends meet," which implies a difficulty in making enough money to cover basic expenses. Another antonym could be "is barely scraping by," which suggests that the person is just barely managing to survive financially. Additionally, a phrase like "barely breaking even" could be used to describe a situation where someone is not making a big profit, but is simply covering their costs.