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

Wilson led the Aces into the playoffs, but in the first round, Las Vegas barely eked out a decisive Game 3 against Seattle. —Sean Gregory, Time, 10 Dec. 2025

However, despite the primary setback, Platner eked out a slightly higher lead on Collins in a general election matchup, 43 percent to 42 percent. —Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2025

Stocks eked out gains Friday and closed the week higher after the Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation gauge added to the case for an interest rate cut next week. —Morgan Chittum,paulina Likos,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 6 Dec. 2025

Green pointed to the close games in which Indiana was able to eke out wins in the fourth quarter. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 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