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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
Wall Street closed Thursday in about the same shape, with the blue-chip Dow managing to eke out a small gain to snap a 10-day losing streak, the longest in 50 years.
—Medora Lee, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
However, the Nasdaq eked out a 0.34% gain thanks to its outsized exposure to large technology stocks.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 15 Dec. 2024
The Jaguars’ 15 wins is three times as many victories as the lowly Jets and Giants combined have eked out so far this season.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 14 Dec. 2024
That was 2010 when Rich Ellerson’s squad defeated SMU in the Armed Forces Bowl to eke out a 7-6 campaign.
—Tom Layberger, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near eke out
Cite this Entry
“Eke out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eke%20out. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
eke out
verbˈēk-
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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