live off

verb

lived off; living off; lives off

transitive verb

: to use (something or someone) as the main source of what one needs to survive (such as money or food)
… the indigenous … people, who have inhabited the rain forest of Irian Jaya, living off the land, for thousands of years.Eyal Press
… the fish goes into a kind of hibernation, living off its reserves of fat …Mark Carwardine
… she is one of the few Iditarod competitors who have turned professional, living off race winnings.National Wildlife
… a growing subculture of people who have reduced their spending habits and live off consumer waste.Erika Hayasaki
Max lives off his father …Harold Beaver

Examples of live off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web To be clear, the smart thing to do with a payday of that magnitude is to invest it and live off the interest. Bychris Morris, Fortune, 20 Mar. 2024 His daughter was three years old when her mother left with her to live off the grid. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Narcissists will take their parents' belongings, such as a car, without asking, and live off their parents finances well into adulthood. USA TODAY, 23 Jan. 2024 Launched in June 2022 after being approved by the City Council in January, the Community Safety Plan aims to fix concerns raised by people living off of major thoroughfares crossing I-17. Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 4 Jan. 2024 Instead, as is displayed in the pilot, Colter’s traumatic childhood, living off the grid and being raised by a father dealing with mental illness and paranoia, deserves a closer look. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 11 Feb. 2024 Southern sea otters, also known as California sea otters, live along the state’s Central Coast, while their northern counterparts live off of Washington, Alaska and Canada’s British Columbia, as well as the Pacific coasts of Japan and Russia. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Money and commerce are not as old as humanity since Adam and Eve lived off the land, but both go way back together. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 Chased by a fearsome dog catcher, Basil teams-up with a street-wise, Bollywood-obsessed Street Dog forever living off his wits and a feisty holy cow with a lot of attitude. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 9 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'live off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of live off was in 1609

Dictionary Entries Near live off

Cite this Entry

“Live off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20off. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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