- present participle of live.
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.
“AI worries, however, were dwarfed by cost of living concerns, which continue to be at the forefront of consumers’ minds across the population.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Current and prospective students in England take out Plan 5 loans to pay for their tuition fees and living costs.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
That result may be especially important because women account for nearly two-thirds of people living with Alzheimer's disease.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
But he asserted that he was already working with legislative counterparts on how to provide critical services and lower the cost of living.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 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
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