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.
Moody outspent Nixon by more than double to barely eke out a majority.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
It even managed to eke out a small operating profit in the second quarter—a stark contrast to its biggest rival OpenAI, whose losses deepened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
He and the rest have been left to try eke out a living doing "any kind of work, like an Uber driver," he said, standing outside the factory gates.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But enthusiasm for some of the predicted nominees isn’t at its zenith: “Despite grim reviews for its latest season, ‘Euphoria’ will still eke out a nomination because Zendaya can do no wrong,” grouses Kristen Baldwin.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 2026
I shift my hips, trying to eke out more space for myself.
From "You Bring the Distant Near" by Mitali Perkins
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
