eke

¹ American  

[eek] / ik /

verb (used with object)

eked, eking

1. to increase; enlarge; lengthen.

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verb phrase

1. eke out

   1. to make (a living) or support (existence) laboriously.

      They managed to eke out a living by farming a small piece of land.

   2. to supplement; add to; stretch.

      to eke out an income with odd jobs.

eke ² American  

[eek] / ik /

adverb

Archaic.

1. also.

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eke ¹ British  

/ iːk /

verb

1. archaic (tr) to increase, enlarge, or lengthen

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eke ² British  

/ iːk /

1. archaic also; moreover

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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

Half-built brick houses sit on once-fertile land, where families eke out meagre livings through small trades or day labour.

From Barron's

Tech stocks paused their recent slide on Tuesday, helping major indexes to eke out minor gains.

From The Wall Street Journal

With Indiana’s attention on Davidson, Kara Dunn and Smith helped the Trojans eke out front after the half.

From Los Angeles Times

Of the $171 billion local ad revenue market, TV broadcasters eke out only a 9.3% share, BIA says.

From The Wall Street Journal

Investors sheltered in shares of utilities and consumer staples, the only S&P 500 sectors to eke out gains.

From The Wall Street Journal