eke out

British  

verb

1. to make (a supply) last, esp by frugal use

   they eked out what little food was left

2. to support (existence) with difficulty and effort

3. to add to (something insufficient), esp with effort

   to eke out an income with evening work

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eke out Idioms  

1. Supplement, make last, as in The survivors eked out their food and water until they were rescued . [Late 1500s]

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

Stock market volatility can be grueling on your nerves, but it can also create opportunities to eke out some tax savings.

From Barron's

CoreWeave is able to eke out a small operating profit, but this gets wiped out by interest expense.

From Barron's

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

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

The nature of T20 cricket means bat dominates ball, although "skilful bowlers remain skilful bowlers," according to Conrad and batsmen need to clear boundaries rather than eke out long innings.

From Barron's

Related Words

• get by