What does eked mean?
"Eked" is the past tense and past participle of "eke," a verb that survives almost exclusively in the phrasal form "eke out." It means to make a scarce resource — money, food, supplies — last longer through careful, sparing use, as in "they eked out their provisions until spring." A second sense extends this idea to supplementation: one can eke out an existence or a meager income by adding to it from other sources, and journalists frequently use it for narrow wins that were secured only with great difficulty, as in "she eked out a two-point victory." The word carries strong connotations of hardship, frugality, and marginal sufficiency — whatever has been eked out is never abundant, merely enough. Though literary in flavor, it remains current in both British and American English, particularly in reporting on economics, sport, and survival narratives. Its Old English ancestry connects it to a wider family of words meaning to increase, including "augment."
verb"Eked" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "eke," most commonly used in the phrase "eke out," meaning to make something such as a supply of food or money last longer by using it sparingly, or to supplement an insufficient amount so as to make it barely sufficient.
- (with "out") To make a limited supply of something last longer by careful, sparing use.
- (with "out") To make barely sufficient by adding to or supplementing something inadequate.
- (archaic) Increased or enlarged.
"She eked out her savings through the long winter by taking on odd jobs."
"They eked out their fuel ration by keeping the fire low all week."
"The underdog team eked out a narrow win in the final minutes."
The humble phrase "eked out a living" carries an echo of ancient Germanic roots shared with words like "augment" and even "author" — all tracing back to the idea of increasing.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of eked
"Eke" descends from the Old English verb "ēacian," meaning to increase or augment, which itself derives from Proto-Germanic roots connected to notions of addition. Cognates appear across the Germanic languages, including Old Norse "auka." More distantly, the same Indo-European root (*aug-) that gave us the notion of increase also produced Latin "augēre," whence English borrowed "augment," "author," and "auction." The phrasal usage "eke out" became established by the early modern period and remains the dominant form today.
Related word forms
How eked is actually used
Almost always appears in the phrasal construction "eke out." The verb is somewhat literary in register but common in journalism when describing narrow victories or precarious livelihoods. It typically connotes hardship, frugality, or struggle.
Easily confused with eked
"Eeked" is a common misspelling; "eked" comes from the verb "eke" (one e), not the exclamation "eek."