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

President Donald Trump eked out a narrow win to achieve his most significant legislative victory since returning to the White House with the Senate giving a thumbs up July 1 to his sweeping mega-bill. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 2 July 2025

The measure eked out a victory in the Senate, but only after Vice President JD Vance stepped in to cast a tiebreaking vote after three Republican senators—Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine—broke ranks and voted it down. —Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025

Republicans eked out a key procedural win late Saturday, with just two GOP senators — Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky — voting against a motion to advance the bill. —Erin Doherty, CNBC, 30 June 2025

Bitdefender clearly won the latter, but Norton eked out a win in the former. —Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 30 June 2025

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