earn a living

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“If I can’t earn a living because the price of gasoline keeps rising, I’ll have to dock the boat,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

If machines can perform most economically valuable work better than humans can, how do people earn a living and support their families?

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

That is enough, they say, for them to earn a living and risk taking cases on a contingency fee basis — meaning, if they lose, they don’t get paid.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 17, 2026

"You're basically invisible. You don't exist. It's like you're living in the shadows. You don't have a bank account, you can't apply for a decent job that you can earn a living with."

From BBC • Jan. 1, 2026

I agreed because I didn’t want to offend them by pushing too hard for what I felt was a nicer way to earn a living.

From "The Bridge Home" by Padma Venkatraman