eke

eke (ēk)

transitive verb eked, ek′·ing

Now Dial. to make larger or longer; increase

Etymology: ME eken, to increase < OE eacan & eacian: see wax

eke out

to add to so as to make sufficient; supplement to eke out an income with a second job
to manage to make (a living) with difficulty
to use (a supply) frugally

eke (ēk)

adverb

Archaic also

Etymology: ME < OE eac, akin to Ger auch < IE base *au-, again, on the other hand > L aut, Gr au, on the other hand

Particle object:

existence: The average applicant to the Hardship Fund is now forced to eke out an existence on just £ 57 per week.
living: Around 3,500 families eke out a living from growing tea here, high in the hills of western Uganda.
lead: From there he managed to eke out a small lead, as his two pursuers swapped places.
livelihood: Somehow ostriches, foxes, sheep and the guanaco, a relative of the llama, eke out a livelihood.
win: Shabana mixed patches of brilliance with spells of lapsed concentration, but it was enough to eke out a win.
bit: Eke out every bit of illumination by fitting translucent, instead of opaque, shades.

Modifying Another Word

now: Orphans from the genocide are now eking out a living from the land alongside the increasing number of children orphaned through HIV/AIDS.
still: Nomadic tribes still eke out a living from the surrounding deserts.
somehow: Bedouins are a nomadic people who somehow eke a living from moving around the desert, from oasis to wadi.
then: Pensioners are forced to retire and then eke out a miserable living.

Object

living: Bedouins are a nomadic people who somehow eke a living from moving around the desert, from oasis to wadi.

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