eke

1 of 2

adverb

ˈēk 

archaic

: also

eke

2 of 2

verb

eked; eking

transitive verb

1

archaic : increase, lengthen

2

: to get with great difficulty

—usually used with out

eke out a living

Synonyms

Verb

• scrape (up or together)
• scrounge
• squeeze
• wrest
• wring

Examples of eke in a Sentence

Verb

eked out a living from the family's small farm

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

At the least, any financial or political cover that Putin can provide enables Kim to ramp up the brinkmanship—alternating threats and conciliatory gestures to eke concessions—that has formed the bedrock of North Korean foreign policy since the days of Kim’s illustrious grandfather. —Charlie Campbell, TIME, 19 June 2024

Technically, that spirit had been forged east of the mountains, where Jackson’s father, an immigrant from Ireland, had worked himself to death trying to eke a living out of a Carolina farm. —Boyce Upholt, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 June 2024

The painting, which came to the sale with an irrevocable bid, hammered at $33 million, just eking over the $30-million low estimate. —Angelica Villa For Artnews, Robb Report, 18 Nov. 2021

But their run in the tournament ended when Florida Atlanta eked them out on their way to the Sweet 16. —Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adverb

Middle English, from Old English ēac; akin to Old High German ouh also, Latin aut or, Greek au again

Verb

Middle English echen, (northern and east Midlands) eken "to increase, extend, add, improve," going back to Old English īcan, gīcan, ȳcan, geȳcan, (Anglian) geēcan "to increase, add to, enhance," weak-verb derivative from Germanic *aukan- "to increase" (class VII strong verb), whence Old English ēacen, ēcen (past participle) "increased, endowed with excellent qualities, mighty," Old Frisian āka "to increase," Old Saxon ōkan "to make pregnant," Old High German zuoouhhan "to add," Old Icelandic auka "to increase, add to, surpass," Gothic aukan "to increase" (intransitive); Germanic *aukan- going back to a present stem from the Indo-European verbal base *h₂eu̯g- "grow, increase," whence also, with other formations, Lithuanian áugu, áugti "to grow," Latin augēō, augēre, perfect auxī "to increase, make greater, heighten"

Note: Regarding the most likely related Indo-European base *h₂u̯eks- see the note at wax entry 3.

First Known Use

Adverb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing eke

• eke out