Thesaurus results for EKING OUT

eking (out)

verb

present participle of eke (out)

as in scraping (up or together)

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 eking (out)

earning

Verb

Stallone also found work as an usher at a movie theater, earning just $34 a week.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
While De Luca and Abdy had a great run at the box office last year, this year has been littered with myriad misfires including The Bride, The End of Oak Street with no movie earning more than $100M stateside.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of earning

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

ekes (out)

eking (out)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Eking (out).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eking%20%28out%29. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of eking (out)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

adventitious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

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

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes