hand-to-mouth existence
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.
Locked down for two months in crumbling apartments in a mob-infiltrated town north of Naples, their hand-to-mouth existence has grown even more precarious with no work, no food and no hope.
From Washington Times • May 2, 2020
Almost 25 years after the end of the war, Bosnian citizens are trapped in a hand-to-mouth existence, with some 23% estimated to be living at or below the absolute poverty line.
From The Guardian • May 29, 2019
The military seemed like the only way out of a hand-to-mouth existence, so Harris enlisted in the branch that seemed least dangerous.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 10, 2019
This hand-to-mouth existence continued for eight years until eventually Mr Guray got his first big break.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2013
Billy had failed to get regular employment; so she saw much of him, and they lived a prosperous and happy hand-to-mouth existence in the tiny cottage they rented.
From The Valley of the Moon by London, Jack
