living
Usage
What are other ways to say living?
Living and livelihood (a somewhat more formal word), both refer to what one earns to keep (oneself) alive, but are seldom interchangeable within the same phrase: to earn one's living; to threaten one's livelihood. “To make a living” suggests making just enough to keep alive, and is particularly frequent in the negative: You cannot make a living out of that. “To make a livelihood out of something” suggests rather making a business of it: to make a livelihood out of knitting hats. Maintenance refers usually to what is spent for the living of another: to provide for the maintenance of someone. Maintenance occasionally refers to the allowance itself provided for livelihood: They are entitled to a maintenance from this estate.
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.
Single dad Scott, 36, said he was living "from pay check to pay check".
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
But ask her about her 20s, when she was living in New York City and trying to figure out how she could break into the industry as a comedy writer?
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2026
"We're living in the darkest moment that I've experienced on this planet," the 76-year-old "Pretty Woman" star told an awards ceremony in Oslo for the Vaclav Havel International Prize for Creative Dissent.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
Escalating property-insurance premiums and other living costs are contributing to affordability problems for many state residents.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026
As their horizons broadened, I would tell them about the people living in the Beje, people who never had a visitor, never a piece of mail.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
