# eke out

Pronunciation: say "eek OWT" US /ˌik ˈaʊt/, UK /ˌiːk ˈaʊt/

## Phrasal verb

1. To obtain something with difficulty or through hard effort.
   - Simple: To get something with a lot of difficulty or hard work.
   - _Small farmers in the valley struggle to eke out a living from the thin soil._
   - _The incumbent eked out a narrow victory after a weeklong recount._
2. To supplement something, such as a small income or supply, by adding to it from another source.
   - Simple: To add to something, like money or food, when there is not enough of it.
   - _Retired teachers in the town often eke out their pensions by tutoring._
   - _The cook eked out the stew with lentils when unexpected guests arrived._

## Origin

Formed from the obsolete verb eke (“to add to, augment; to increase”) + out.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/eke-out (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).