eke
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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ekes,
present (3rd person singular)
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eked,
past participle, past
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eking
present participle
verb phrase
adverb
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
ekesimple
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ekessimple
-
have ekedperfect
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has ekedperfect
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am ekingprogressive
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are ekingprogressive
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is ekingprogressive
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have been ekingperfect progressive
-
has been ekingperfect progressive
Past
-
ekedsimple
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had ekedperfect
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was ekingprogressive
-
were ekingprogressive
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had been ekingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of eke1
before 1000; Middle English eken, Old English ēac ( i ) an (intransitive), derivative of ēaca (noun) increase; Middle English echen, Old English ēcan, variant of īecan (transitive) < West Germanic *aukjan; both akin to Old Norse auka, Gothic aukan, Latin augēre, Greek auxánein to increase, amplify
Origin of eke2
before 900; Middle English eek, Old English ēc, ēac; cognate with German auch, Old Norse, Gothic auk
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And especially on circuits like this, it just allows you to eke out that little bit more on the brakes, get that little bit closer to the walls, and it's been a flawless weekend.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Calls for steps to stimulate domestic consumption went largely unanswered as a surge in exports helped it to eke out sufficient growth to meet its official target for the year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
“Euphoria” “Despite grim reviews for its latest season, ‘Euphoria’ will still eke out a nomination because Zendaya can do no wrong.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
While the world number one could not add to the tally, he largely demonstrated the consistency for which is he famed to eke out a solid, if unspectacular 70.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026
He wasn’t going to eke out an existence living in the shadow of death.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Finding a fresh plot twist is the only way it ekes out a draw.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
Once juggling multiple odd jobs, Helal Uddin now ekes out a living running a food cart.
From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026
In the battle of Barbenheimer, Gerwig’s comedy ekes out a victory over “Oppenheimer,” proving that some fights can be finished with no nuclear escalation whatsoever.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2023
Today the 70-year-old struggles with respiratory illness and ekes out a living ferrying people and parcels on his scooter.
From Reuters ● Dec. 16, 2022
Pruitt migrated from Beaumont to Monroe City when the oil boom came and ekes out an existence doing odd jobs in the fields.
From Slave Narratives: A Folk History of Slavery in the United States From Interviews with Former Slaves: Volume XVI, Texas Narratives, Part 3 by United States. Work Projects Administration
A political newcomer, Marx eked out his victory in a three-way race by less than 2,500 votes out of more than 520,000 cast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The millennial sex therapist eked out a narrow win in the Democratic primary election in March and will advance to a runoff with the second-place finisher, sheriff’s deputy Johnny Garcia, on Tuesday.
From Slate ● May 22, 2026
The S&P 500 eked out a 0.1% gain today and the Nasdaq Composite rose 0.2%—small but mighty gains considering both indexes closed at record highs.
From Barron's ● Apr. 27, 2026
U.S. stocks were mixed: The Dow industrials slipped, while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq eked out small gains, led by software stocks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026
Each winter the waters withdrew, leaving behind a thick new layer of mud so black and fertile that two crops grew in Egypt while other lands eked out one.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
He was ultimately the only plausible option for voters worried that Hong’s controversies risked blowing the general election and ended up eking it out by less than half a percentage point.
From Slate ● Aug. 12, 2026
Self-healing grids: During heat waves, artificial intelligence would reroute power for maximum efficiency, eking out extra performance to avoid blackouts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Staff at Softstar Shoes in Oregon have discovered a newfound enthusiasm for eking out resources and growing profits.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Hoan worked from the same slab of concrete for a decade, eking out a modest living hawking colourful bouquets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
The gear will just weigh us down, and we at least need to try to find them before eking out a life inside caves and eating lake vines.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
