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.
Unless you are competing for a living, do you really care if a 4-foot putt goes in?
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
That would be the sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit percentage gains, continuing a trend of strong corporate profit despite consumer struggles with higher costs of living.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 5, 2026
Days later, sanitation workers cleared the encampment where he’d been living.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026
Rubio also shared a statement on X, saying Soleimani Afshar and her daughter were "green card holders living lavishly in the United States".
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
Summoned by the humans’ celebration, the Afterlife surged and swelled, straining the seam between the living and the dead.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
