eke out

verb

eked out; eking out; ekes out
Synonyms of eke outnext

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
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.
But the future president managed to eke out a second-place finish in the state, and subsequently swept a wave of Super Tuesday victories the following month. — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 9 Aug. 2026 Abdul El-Sayed, a rabble-rousing populist and former public health official, just barely eked out a primary victory Tuesday in Michigan over a centrist rival who was the pick of Washington Democrats to keep a must-hold Senate seat. — Philip Elliott, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 Losses for the first half of 2026 could top $5 billion, although some analysts think SpaceX could show strong growth in the second half of the year and even eke out a profit. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 Aug. 2026 The ensemble eking out hope in the Terrordome includes Angela McBride (Suzette Llewellyn), a mother of two who goes on a violent rampage of justice-seeking after a gut-wrenching loss. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for eke out

Word History

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of eke out was in 1596

Rhymes for eke out

See All Rhymes for eke out

Browse Nearby Words

ekename
eke out
EKG
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Eke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eke%20out. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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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

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Nglish: Translation of eke out for Spanish Speakers

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