What is the meaning of eke out?

verb

  • Supplement what is thought to be deficient.
    • usage: "He eked out his meager pay by giving private lessons"; "Braque eked out his collages with charcoal"
  • Live from day to day, as with some hardship.
    • usage: "He eked out his years in great poverty"
  • Make by laborious and precarious means.
    • usage: "He eked out a living as a painter"
  • Obtain with difficulty.
    • usage: "He eked out some information from the archives"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). eke out. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/eke_out/definitions/1272394
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "eke out" http://smartdefine.org/eke_out/definitions/1272394 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, eke out, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/eke_out/definitions/1272394>.
MLAWordNet. "eke out" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/eke_out/definitions/1272394>