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

"All I kept thinking about was how I was going to eke out the money that I'd still got. Then I kept thinking 'I'm not going to get this back, I know I'm not.'"

From BBC

Some lobby groups say laws governing collaboration are vague and should be amended to reflect the reality of people trying to continue to eke out a living while under occupation.

From Reuters

“Our leadership in the world is being eroded by our internal dysfunction. The markets are still betting against our defaulting, and that’s a decent bet. But if we only manage to eke out a short-term extension and the price is onerous budget caps — including on defense — we will be hobbled when Ukraine needs us most and China is building beachheads everywhere.”

From New York Times

When young crabs are seeking shelter from predators, they use their sense of smell to eke out a good hiding place.

From Salon

People are eager to eke out every bit of earnings they can from parked savings.

From Washington Post