eke something ↔ out

phrasal verbphr v

a) SURVIVE eke out a living/existence to manage to live with very little money or food 勉强度日，竭力维持生计

They eke out a miserable existence in cardboard shacks.

他们在纸板棚屋中凄惨度日。

b) LONG TIMEto make a small supply of something such as food or money last longer by carefully using small amounts of it 精打细算地维持；尽量节省使用

How did she manage to eke out the food?

她是怎样想方设法节省食物的呢？

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.

→ eke something ↔ out at eke(1)