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Glite Dictionary
⏳ To make last longer ➕ Also; in addition
to eke

to eke

15 8.4
To make food or money last longer by using it carefully
  • verb
  • /ik/
translation icon : hacer durar
  • The pioneers eked out a living not thanks to but in spite of national developmental projects.
  • eke out a living

And then that contour shade is just eking out that little bit of depth on that outside corner.

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Examples

  • With a rising demand for gold, the people have increasingly turned to mining to eke out a better living in this area.

  • The poor economy has killed the family's hopes of being able to eke out a reasonable living.

    Academic text (1997)

  • If we could find work, then we as kids worked so we could eke out a living.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Cyn, you know what it takes just to eke out enough time to be with your kids every day.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The villagers till their small plots of land to eke out an existence.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Back in my university days in Japan, I eked out a living teaching English conversation part-time.

    Blog text (22)

  • We'd stock up on groceries, and you know, the next week or two we'd somehow eke out a living.

  • Had found two dockside idlers who eked out a living helping to unload.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • The ref calls it a goal and Montreal ekes out a win with Detroit nipping at their heels.

    Goalie (2019)

  • Many families have to eke out their budgets to cover rising living costs.

Synonyms

to prolong
vsto eke
96 3.9

To make something last longer

uses careful, difficult small efforts to stretch limited resources
to drag out
vsto eke
  • Informal
23 5.1

Make something last longer than needed, causing boredom or frustration

lengthen by careful, limited efforts to conserve rather than waste time
to eke out
vsto eke
11 7.5

To get or make a small amount of something last with great difficulty

focuses on extending use by careful, small efforts rather than obtaining goods

Phrasal Verbs

to eke out
11 7.5

To get or make a small amount of something last with great difficulty

How Long

to sustain
102 4.0
to prolong
96 3.9
to eke
15 8.4
to ration
34 5.1
to scrimp
8 7.4
to make do
49 3.7

Surface Forms

eke infinitive
eked past
eked past participle
eking present participle
ekes third person singular

Etymology

Eke as a verb comes from the Old English eacan, which meant 'to increase'. So to eke something out is to make it last longer by using it slowly and carefully.