ekeeke /iːk/ verb 
Word Origin Examples
They eke out a miserable existence in cardboard shacks.2to make a small supply of something such as food or money last longer by carefully using small amounts of it: How did she manage to eke out the food?
Word OriginWORD ORIGINeke
Verb TableOrigin:
Old English iecan, ecan ‘to increase’VERB TABLE
eke
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | eke |
| he, she, it | ekes | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | eked |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have eked |
| he, she, it | has eked | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had eked |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will eke |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have eked |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am eking |
| he, she, it | is eking | |
| you, we, they | are eking | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was eking |
| you, we, they | were eking | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been eking |
| he, she, it | has been eking | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been eking |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be eking |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been eking |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- Again, the choice was between following the work to the factory towns or eking out an existence by labouring.
- But I restrained the impulse, for it is as well to eke out such tokens of our goodwill as we possess.
- Few had any special skills; they worked as casual laborers, eking out a marginal existence, often reduced to begging.
- Finally came the bookshop where dear Mr Sneddles tried to eke out a living.
- I was tired of eking out an existence near poverty level on my meager assistantship.
- Most of them eke out a living as subsistence farmers.
- Most people still live in the hinterlands of the inhabited islands eking out a living, but poverty abounds.
- She continued to eke out a living based on the fading memories of her famous plunge.
Longman Language Activatorwhen a supply of something continues to be enough► last
Collocations if a supply of something lasts for a particular period of time, there continues to be enough of it for someone to use until the end of that period: last (somebody) two weeks/three days etc: · He knew they only had enough food to last another three days.· $400 won't last you long in Chicago.
► make something last to use a supply of something carefully so that it is not all used quickly: · I sent my sister $500, with some advice on how to make it last.make something last longer/a long time etc: · You can add ice or additional mixer to alcoholic drinks make them last longer.· One group delayed spending the grant in order to make its funds last as long as possible.· She only had a small amount of food left, and knew she'd have to make it last the week.
► eke out to make a small amount of something such as food or money last longer, by carefully using only very small amounts of it -- used especially in literature: eke out something: · Dealers are mixing the drug with heroin and cocaine to eke out their supplies.· She lived on a shoestring during these years, eking out the pennies as best she could. eke something out: · I'm not ashamed to eke food out.
to make something last longer► prolong to make something such as a feeling, process or activity last longer: · He asked her another question just to prolong the conversation.· Users turn to the drug in the belief that it prolongs and enhances sex.· It seems he's eager to prolong his trial for as long as possible.· A heart transplant might prolong his life for a few years.
► extend to add extra time to something that had a limit on the amount of time it could last: · I'll have to ask the bank to extend the repayment time on my loan.· TV coverage of the match had to be extended when it went into extra time.· These cleaning devices are meant to extend the life of your cassettes.extend something to February/next year etc: · The current contract expires in December, but will be extended to February 2004.
► drag out to make a boring or unpleasant activity or piece of work last much longer than necessary, especially because you gain some advantage by doing this: drag something out: · There was really no need to drag the meeting out that long.drag out something: · The protests could actually drag out the proceedings.
► spin out British informal to deliberately make an activity last longer than necessary especially so that it fills the time available: spin something out: · Well, the lawyers always spin it out, don't they -- that's how they make their money!spin out something: · We were paid by the hour, so I spun out the work for as long as I could.
► eke out to make your money or food last as long as possible by spending or using it carefully: eke out something: · I pictured her trying to eke out her money to last to the end of the month.eke something out: · We watered down the wine so as to eke it out for the remainder of the evening.eke out a living/existence: · She eked out a miserable living as a washer woman.
to continue to live a normal life even though you have very little money► survive · When I look at how much we spend on food, I wonder how unemployed people are able to survive.survive on £100 a week/a small income etc · It's really difficult to survive on £120 a week in London.· I don't know how they expect me to survive on my salary.
► get by to have enough money to buy the things you need to live: · We don't have a lot of money to spend on luxuries, but we get by.get by on $5 a day/a small income etc: · When I was at college I used to be able to get by on $20 a week.
► live on if someone lives on a particular amount of money, this is all the money that they have to buy everything that they need: · How much do you need to live on?· $35,000 a year sounds like a lot of money, but it's scarcely enough to live on in New York.
► make ends meet if it is difficult for you to make ends meet , it is difficult for you to pay for the things that you need in order to live: · Old people on pensions are finding it hard to make ends meet.· My mother had to work 12 hours a day in a factory just to make ends meet.
► keep your head above water to have just enough money to pay your debts or to avoid closing your business: · I'm just a pensioner, trying to keep my head above water.· Schools throughout the county are struggling to keep their heads above water.
► subsist on formal if someone subsists on a very small amount of money or a very small amount of food, this is all they have to live on: · They subsist on eggs and beans most of the time.subsist on a dollar a day/a small income etc: · The workers are expected to subsist on a dollar a day.
► eke out a living/an existence to get just enough food or money to live on by doing a particular kind of work: · She eked out a living by selling firewood.· Farmers eked out a primitive existence on the dry, stony land.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► scrape out/scratch out/eke out a living
Phrases (=to barely earn enough money to live)· The farmers in these drought-stricken areas are barely able to scratch out a living.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB► out· But I restrained the impulse, for it is as well to eke out such tokens of our goodwill as we possess.· I was tired of eking out an existence near poverty level on my meager assistantship.· Most people still live in the hinterlands of the inhabited islands eking out a living, but poverty abounds.· Few had any special skills; they worked as casual laborers, eking out a marginal existence, often reduced to begging.· Finally came the bookshop where dear Mr Sneddles tried to eke out a living.· She continued to eke out a living based on the fading memories of her famous plunge.· I pictured her trying to eke out her money - for I was sure there was not much.· Sip your drink, don't gulp it. Eke out the little pleasures.
NOUN► existence· The river banks were frequently lined with curious onlookers who struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.· I was tired of eking out an existence near poverty level on my meager assistantship.· Again, the choice was between following the work to the factory towns or eking out an existence by labouring.· Few had any special skills; they worked as casual laborers, eking out a marginal existence, often reduced to begging.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► eke out a living/existence
eke something ↔ out phrasal verb1 eke out a living/existence to manage to live with very little money or food: - Cliff's family worked in the cotton fields to eke out a meager living.
- Again, the choice was between following the work to the factory towns or eking out an existence by labouring.
- Finally came the bookshop where dear Mr Sneddles tried to eke out a living.
- I was tired of eking out an existence near poverty level on my meager assistantship.
- Most of them eke out a living as subsistence farmers.
- Most people still live in the hinterlands of the inhabited islands eking out a living, but poverty abounds.
- She continued to eke out a living based on the fading memories of her famous plunge.
- The elderly eke out a living on pensions averaging from $ 50 to $ 75 monthly.
- The river banks were frequently lined with curious onlookers who struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.
They eke out a miserable existence in cardboard shacks.2to make a small supply of something such as food or money last longer by carefully using small amounts of it: How did she manage to eke out the food?