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

Watney ekes out an existence by eating potatoes sowed in Martian soil fertilized by his own feces. —Big Think, 19 Feb. 2026

Wall Street is coming off a muted session, with the major averages eking out small gains. —Sean Conlon,pia Singh, CNBC, 17 Feb. 2026

As the world outside begins to resemble the full-moon mating frenzy of the opalescent squid, crack open Sylvia Townsend Warner’s 1948 novel about nuns eking out an existence in a 14th-century convent and one night of celibacy might not seem so bad. —Air Mail, 14 Feb. 2026

The race leaders after the last turn of the last lap — Gio Ruggiero and Christian Eckes, specifically — all tried to go to the high side in last few feet of racetrack, and Smith took advantage and eked out the victory on the inside. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 14 Feb. 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