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.

Emotionally, financially, her vulnerable heroines live from hand to mouth.

From The Guardian • Jan. 30, 2016

Were it not for long-term contracts in the auto industry, for example, countless auto suppliers would live from hand to mouth, not knowing from one day to the next if they could continue operating.

From Time Magazine Archive

We cannot live from hand to mouth and from month to month in this world of change and turmoil.

From Time Magazine Archive

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

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Accustomed as he was to live from "hand to mouth," he had never troubled himself much about accumulating more than would answer his immediate needs.

From Ben, the Luggage Boy; or, Among the Wharves by Alger, Horatio