- 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.
People living near coasts, rivers and lakes ramp up fishing, depleting stocks rapidly until controls are enacted in some locations, along with increased farming for seaweed.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
Jeanette Epps, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, Zoomed into my living room from 250 miles above Earth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
And in a just world, that’s where this would have started and ended: Cramer living in the boundaries of his fun, space-loving subculture, meditating in the Martian desert landscapes of Sedona, not hurting anyone.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
The actors confirmed their separation in a joint statement to People, revealing that they had already been living apart for “a while.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Another pile of garbage bags sits in front of the sink, doing nothing to hide the yellowed linoleum flooring that’s cracked and peeling where it meets the worn brown carpeting of the living room.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
