ekes out
Stretches to suffice
Ekes out means to make something last or stretch further through careful, often strained effort: She eked out her savings for months.
It also means to barely manage to obtain or achieve something: He eked out a living selling crafts at the market.
Both senses suggest scarcity and struggle—getting by with just enough.
- scrimpSpend very sparingly
- pinch penniesSpend as little as possible
- get bySurvive with minimal resources
- scrape bySurvive with minimal resources
- marginalBarely adequate
survive · subsistence · living wage · poverty · make do · minimal · economize · scarce · persevere · stretch · stretch a dollar · penny-pinching · counting pennies · frugal · manage · makeshift · meager · make ends meet
abundance vs scarcity
ekes outthrives
Succeeds and grows
flourishes · prospers · lives large · abounds · blooms