By cutting costs, the company managed to stay afloat during the economic crisis.

afloat 由前缀 a-（表示"在...状态"）和 float（漂浮）组成，字面意思是"漂浮着的"。这里引申为"（企业）能维持运营、不倒闭"的状态，就像船漂浮在水面上不会沉没一样。