ekes
Stretches with difficulty
Ekes is the third-person singular of eke, a verb meaning to make something last through careful use or to supplement inadequate resources: She ekes out a living selling crafts at the market.
The phrase eke out dominates modern usage—you rarely encounter eke alone.
The word suggests strain and scarcity, stretching what little you have.
Survives with minimal resources
- survivesRemains alive despite hardship
- subsistsMaintains minimal existence
- managesDirects or copes
- makes doManages with insufficient resources
hand-to-mouth · lives on · sustains · treads water · hangs on · scratches out · wrings out · coaxes
Extends or lengthens
- scrimpsSpends with extreme caution
- budgetsPlanned expense limits
- economizesUses resources sparingly
- skimpsProvides insufficiently
conserves · rations · pinches · husbands · sparing · thrifty · penny-pinching · tightfisted
Deficient in quantity
- scantBarely adequate amount
- sparseThinly scattered or distributed
- bareLacking any covering
- paltryContemptibly meager
limited · modicum · minimum · slight · small · insufficient · scanty · just enough
Continues despite hardship
- perseveresContinues despite difficulty
- strugglesDifficult prolonged efforts
- toilsWorks with great effort
- laborsStrenuous physical efforts
grinds · slogs · strains · weathers · withstands · outlasts · holds on · carries on
gets by
Survives with minimal resources
makes do · hand-to-mouth · lives on · sustains · treads water · hangs on · scratches out · wrings out · coaxes · extracts
stretches
Extends or lengthens
- scrimpsSpends with extreme caution
- budgetsPlanned expense limits
- economizesUses resources sparingly
skimps · conserves · rations · pinches · husbands · sparing · thrifty · penny-pinching · tightfisted · shoestring
meager
Deficient in quantity
paltry · limited · modicum · minimum · slight · small · insufficient · scanty · just enough · pittance
endures
Continues despite hardship
- perseveresContinues despite difficulty
- strugglesDifficult prolonged efforts
- toilsWorks with great effort
labors · grinds · slogs · strains · weathers · withstands · outlasts · holds on · carries on · soldiers on
ekesthrives
Succeeds and grows
flourishes · prospers · abounds · luxuriates · overflows