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

Former President Joe Biden carried the state by more than 7 points in 2020, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton eked out a win in New Hampshire by less than half a percentage point in 2016. —Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025

That would be Jarrett Bell, who has New York eking out a 17-16 win to avoid a 0-7 start under Aaron Glenn. —Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 19 Oct. 2025

Still, Texas managed to eke out a 16-13 win thanks to a Mason Shipley field goal in overtime. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2025

After dominating the Vancouver Canucks last Saturday but only eking out a win, the Oilers have been the second-best team on the ice in each of their last three outings. —Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 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