Meaning & use
eked
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“eked” is a form of “eke”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Got or achieved something small or barely enough, only by great effort or by using very little at a time.
Grammar: Usually appears as 'eke out' plus an object: eke out a living. The past tense is 'eked' — one e, not two.
Patterns
- eke out a living
- eke out an existence
- eke out a win
- eke out a victory
She eked out a living by selling vegetables at the market.
The team eked out a narrow win in the final minute.
They eked out enough water to last three more days.
Word forms
| third person singular | ekes |
|---|---|
| past tense | eked |
| past participle | eked |
| -ing form | eking |
Common combinations
- eke out a living
- Many families here eke out a living from fishing.
- eke out an existence
- The settlers eked out an existence on poor soil.
- eke out a victory
- The home side eked out a victory against stronger opponents.
- barely eked out
- He barely eked out enough money to pay the rent.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scrape together
- Focuses on collecting small amounts from different places, while 'eke out' stresses making a little last a long time.
- squeeze out
- Suggests forcing something from a tight situation; 'eke out' is gentler and more often used with time, food, or money.
Word family
- eke verb
- The base form; almost always used in the phrase 'eke out'.
Commonly confused: eked or eek?
eked vs eek
'Eek' is an interjection showing fear or surprise, as in 'Eek! A mouse!' It is not a verb, so 'eeked' is a misspelling of 'eked'.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
'Eked out a living' is the fixed phrase, spelled with one e. Option A misspells it as 'eeked', and option C is missing the article 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “eked”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.