eke out
verb
eked out; eking out; ekes out
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 story follows Yuta, an undocumented Filipino immigrant eking out an existence on the fringes of Japanese society.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Creators Christy Karacas, Stephen Warbrick, and Ben Gruber eke out delightful character work along the way, like when Jared, bruised by the warden’s disdain for his pitches to improve the prison, takes over for an episode by pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s after the warden hits his head.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
They were given scant information, but what Mitchell-Gutzmer eked out of a woman who answered the phone offered some hope.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory, while Washington, despite its lack of formal ties with Taiwan, is the island’s strongest partner and has vowed to help Taiwan keep its formal allies, seen as necessary for the island to eke out a legitimate space on the global stage.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for eke out
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Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 Mar. 2026
Creators Christy Karacas, Stephen Warbrick, and Ben Gruber eke out delightful character work along the way, like when Jared, bruised by the warden’s disdain for his pitches to improve the prison, takes over for an episode by pulling a Weekend at Bernie’s after the warden hits his head.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
They were given scant information, but what Mitchell-Gutzmer eked out of a woman who answered the phone offered some hope.
—USA Today, 8 Mar. 2026
Beijing considers Taiwan to be Chinese territory, while Washington, despite its lack of formal ties with Taiwan, is the island’s strongest partner and has vowed to help Taiwan keep its formal allies, seen as necessary for the island to eke out a legitimate space on the global stage.
—ABC News, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for eke out
Cite this Entry
“Eke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eke%20out. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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