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

The Stars eked out a seven-game win against the Colorado Avalanche to advance out of the first round, then took down the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets in six games in Round 2 before falling to the Oilers for a second-straight year. —Carol Schram, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025

In Week 6, the Roughnecks eked out a close 21-20 win over Memphis, surviving a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from the Showboats. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025

Comcast spun off the assets in a bid to focus NBC on broadcast and streaming, while giving the rest of its media assets a chance to eke out a new existence. —Brian Steinberg, Variety, 6 May 2025

After dropping Game 1 5-2 against Nebraska, the Volunteers won Game 2 3-2 and then eked out a close 1-0 victory in Game 3. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 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