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 era of shrinking airline seats and oversold flights, eking out even an extra inch of space in an ultra-crammed economy cabin can feel like a major win. —Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 June 2026

Fans can only hope there might be some way to eke out a happy ending in the notoriously stressful show. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 1 June 2026

My Aztecs eked out a crazy win over Air Force last night coming back from an 8-1 deficit. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026

Stock futures are lower this morning after all three major averages eked out gains yesterday. —Alex Harring, CNBC, 28 May 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