From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englisheke something ↔ out phrasal verb1 SURVIVE 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 LONG TIMEto 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? → eke→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
eke out a living/existence• Cliff's family worked in the cotton fields to eke out a meager living.• Finally came the bookshop where dear Mr Sneddles tried to eke out a living.• Most of them eke out a living as subsistence farmers.• She continued to eke out a living based on the fading memories of her famous plunge.• Most people still live in the hinterlands of the inhabited islands eking out a living, but poverty abounds.• Again, the choice was between following the work to the factory towns or eking out an existence by labouring.• The river banks were frequently lined with curious onlookers who struggle to eke out an existence in this harsh environment.• I was tired of eking out an existence near poverty level on my meager assistantship.• The elderly eke out a living on pensions averaging from $ 50 to $ 75 monthly. 