verb phrase · neutral
eke out a living
/iːk aʊt ə ˈlɪvɪŋ/eke·out·a·LIV·ing
to earn just enough money to survive, usually with difficulty
Examples
“After losing his job, he had to eke out a living by tutoring in the evenings.”
“Many freelance journalists eke out a living by writing for several small outlets.”
“She eked out a living on tips and occasional shifts at cafés.”
Band 8 sentence
“After the factory shut down, he had to eke out a living doing part-time deliveries while he retrained for a new career.”
Collocations
- eke out a living by + V-ing
- eke out a living on + small amount
Word family
Common mistakes
eke a living→eke out a living
make out a living→make a living / eke out a living
eke out living→eke out a living
Say it for a higher band
5get by→6scrape by→7+eke out a living
Synonyms
scrape by
get by
Easily confused
make a living
“She makes a living teaching English online.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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