earn a living
idiom
: to earn the money needed for food, clothing, etc.
She's just trying to earn a living.
Examples of earn a living in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In England and France, with the rise of pamphlets and papers that spoke expressly to a middle class audience, criticism became a decent way to earn a living for anyone who knew a bit about painting and could string a few words together.
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Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Giuditta Brozzetti founded this atelier inside a deconsecrated church in the 1920s in order to help local women earn a living by weaving textiles.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
The number of places in the world where someone can earn a living making serious-minded fine art has shrunk drastically—now the number of places where people go to prison for rigorous creative action is rising at an alarming speed.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
No one should be trying to hurt someone’s way to earn a living, and certainly not about ancillary people that have nothing to do with our friend group.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn a living
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Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
Giuditta Brozzetti founded this atelier inside a deconsecrated church in the 1920s in order to help local women earn a living by weaving textiles.
—Laura Itzkowitz, Travel + Leisure, 16 Dec. 2025
The number of places in the world where someone can earn a living making serious-minded fine art has shrunk drastically—now the number of places where people go to prison for rigorous creative action is rising at an alarming speed.
—Diedrich Diederichsen, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
No one should be trying to hurt someone’s way to earn a living, and certainly not about ancillary people that have nothing to do with our friend group.
—Kate Aurthur, Variety, 21 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn a living
Cite this Entry
“Earn a living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earn%20a%20living. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025.
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