eke out

verb

eked out; eking out; ekes out

transitive verb

1

: to make up for the deficiencies of : supplement

eked out his income by getting a second job

2

: to make (a supply) last by economy

Examples of eke out in a Sentence

eked out a living from the family's small farm

Recent Examples on the Web

In the first matchup, the Tide went into Athens and eked out a 24-21 win. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026

The 34-year-old lives in the Khair Khana neighborhood of Afghanistan’s capital Kabul with her three children and her husband, who ekes out a living as a street vendor. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026

In this grimy waking nightmare, twins Baxter (Storrie) and April (German actor Lilly Krug) barely eke out a living doing a variety of sketchy jobs, some more criminal than others. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026

The pair eke out a life in a crowded displacement camp, with Ragha navigating puberty without safety, privacy and her mother, while her father faces hard choices to ensure their survival. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for eke out

• roundabout
• runabout
• sauerkraut
• thereabout
• turnabout
• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout

Kids Definition

eke out

verb

ˈēk-

1

a

: supplement entry 2

eked out their small income by working for neighbors

b

: to make (a supply) last by careful use

2

: to get with great difficulty

eked out a living from the poor soil of the family's farm