eke out
Britishverb
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to make (a supply) last, esp by frugal use
they eked out what little food was left
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to support (existence) with difficulty and effort
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to add to (something insufficient), esp with effort
to eke out an income with evening work
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Supplement, make last, as in The survivors eked out their food and water until they were rescued . [Late 1500s]
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Get with great difficulty or effort, as in The soil was terrible but they managed to eke out a living by rotating crops . [Early 1800s]
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.
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
Stock market volatility can be grueling on your nerves, but it can also create opportunities to eke out some tax savings.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF looked poised to eke out a small gain for the week.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 27, 2026
Today, bighorn eke out an existence among the russet-tinged barrel cacti, which they sometimes turn to for water in the harsh desert.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026
It had drawn people to him in high school, made him friends, and even helped him eke out a living in Sequim.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
