eke out
[verb]
Synonyms: be sparing with, economize on, husband, stretch out

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

eke something ↔ out phrasal verb (see also eke)

1. eke out a living/existence to manage to live with very little money or food:
They eke out a miserable existence in cardboard shacks.

2. to make a small supply of something such as food or money last longer by carefully using small amounts of it:
How did she manage to eke out the food?

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

eke out
to earn one's living with difficulty
My uncle was unable to eke out a living on the farm so he sold it.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

eke out
v.
1. To fill out or add a little to; increase a little.
Mr. Jones eked out a country teacher's small salary by hunting and trapping in the winter.
The modest meal was eked out with bread and milk.
2. To get (little) by hard work; to earn with difficulty.
Fred eked out a bare living by farming on a rocky hillside.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲