live from hand to mouth

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.

“We hear other people use mosquito repellents or burn anti-mosquito incense coils, which we cannot afford as we are just peasant farmers that live from hand to mouth,” she said.

From Seattle Times

"Most of the people were laid off and, because they live from hand to mouth, they couldn't feed themselves, they couldn't pay rent and they couldn't send money to their families. So quite a number migrated from cities back to their rural areas."

From BBC

“We live from hand to mouth, as you can see...there is no wealth here, such as your goods might have brought.”

From Literature

"We have endemic poverty in Africa. Over 80% of our population live from hand to mouth. They go out, they die of Covid. They sit at home, they die of hunger. Then what is better for them to do? It is a bad situation but it gives us all the opportunity to re-set."

From BBC

“Many households live from hand to mouth and they do not have the resources to cope with the lockdowns and quarantines needed to contain the spread of the epidemic.”

From Washington Times