eking

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   Making a small supply of something last longer by using it very carefully; usually in the phrase eking out.

   Grammar: -ing form of eke; used with out and an object: eking out the savings.

   Patterns

   • eking out something
   • eking something out

   She was eking out her savings until the new job began.

   We are eking out the last of the flour with potatoes.

   He kept eking out the batteries by turning off the lights.

2. 2verbtransitive

   Managing to earn or achieve something with great difficulty or only a little at a time.

   Grammar: Often found in eking out a living: the object is what you barely manage to achieve.

   Patterns

   • eking out a living
   • eking out a victory

   Many farmers were eking out a living from poor soil.

   The team was eking out a narrow win in the last minutes.

   She spent years eking out a career as a freelance writer.

Word forms

Common combinations

eking out a living

He was eking out a living by selling vegetables.

eking out an existence

They were eking out an existence on the edge of the desert.

eking out a win

The home side were eking out a win with a late goal.

eking out savings

We are eking out our savings as long as we can.

Synonyms and how they differ

stretching

Stretching is the general, everyday way of saying you make a supply last, while eking out stresses scarcity and effort.

scraping by

Scraping by is informal and focuses on barely surviving rather than the careful use of a limited supply.

rationing

Rationing means deliberately limiting how much is used, but eking out also covers adding extras to make a supply go further.

Opposites

Word family

eke verb

to make a supply last or gain with difficulty

eked verb

past form of eke

eke out phrasal verb

to stretch a small supply or gain something with effort

Commonly confused: eking or eking?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “eking”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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