eke out
To supplementTo supplement.
» Many people are struggling to eke out a living.
Meaning
2 senses(transitive)To supplement.
The old man eked out his pension by selling vegetables from his garden.
aufbessern, dazuverdienen, hinzuverdienen
дополня́тьdopolnjátʹ
supplement what is thought to be deficient
(transitive)To obtain with difficulty or effort.
Near-synonym: squeeze out
He eked out a living selling vegetables from his garden.
ergattern, erringen, erhaschen
добыва́тьdobyvátʹ
obtain with difficulty
Examples
4 sentencesMany people are struggling to eke out a living.
"Eke out" is a common phrasal verb in English.
During droughts, farmers are barely able to eke out a living.
ruВо время засухи фермеры едва сводят концы с концами. — odexed
My old computer now ekes out a dreary existence in the attic.
Translations
6 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
Origin
From obsolete eke (“to add to, augment; to increase”) + out.From obsolete eke (“to add to, augment; to increase”) + out.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
ekes out, eking out, eked out, eked outSynonyms
2 synonyms- obtain with difficulty:squeeze out
- make by laborious and precarious means:squeeze out
- supplement what is thought to be deficient:fill out
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb