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

Four seasons is a long time to live off potential, and this franchise no longer has that kind of time, and those roster spots to waste. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 16 June 2026

One group drove 20 hours, living off sandwiches to save money. —ABC News, 16 June 2026

The cult wants to live off the land and not rely on any technology in the apocalypse, and believes the Cordyceps brain infection was a punishment from God for the world’s sins. —Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

We are retired and living off both our savings, but most of it is hers. —Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for live off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff