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

His wins allowed his new school to eke out the team title by one point. —ABC News, 2 Apr. 2026

But while workers at the Cameron plant are now redoubling efforts to eke out a few thousand more tons with the existing system, there’s been no decision to expand the plant, my Total tour guides told me. —Tim McDonnell, semafor.com, 31 Mar. 2026

Is there a Kristol-like figure who would be able to prevail over the splits in the Republican Party, to eke out a plurality in the Republican primary and then appeal to people who are not Republicans? —Suzanne Schneider, The New York Review of Books, 25 Mar. 2026

Originally a West End production in 1973, The Rocky Horror Show eked out a brief Broadway stint in 1975, the same year the incalculably influential cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show came out. —Joe Lynch, Billboard, 24 Mar. 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