ekes (out)

verb

present tense third-person singular of eke (out)
as in earns
to get with great difficulty eked out a living from the family's small farm

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ekes (out)
earns
Verb
  • Defensive Player of the Week Josiah Griffin, a senior defensive back, intercepts a pass with 90 seconds left and returns it 45 yards for the deciding TD as Waubonsie Valley earns its first win of season with a 28-21 victory over Palatine.
    — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Further, the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express earns 3% cash back* on transit, including rideshares, taxis, parking, tolls, buses or trains.
    — Dan Avery,Lily Wolfson, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of earns
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

eke (out)
ekes (out)
eking (out)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ekes (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ekes%20%28out%29. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All