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

Statham stars as a retired assassin living off the coast of Scotland who has to get back to work while trying to stop the agency that used to pay him and protecting a young girl named Jessie (Bodhi Rae Breathnach). —Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2026

For the souvenir merchants of Assisi, who make their living off religious tourists and pilgrims who flock to the picturesque town, a monthlong event is welcome. —Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2026

Sunday’s win will help USA Hockey turn the page on having to continually live off that 1980 story. —Pierre Lebrun, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026

Holden paid herself $2,500 from the business in 2025, and has been living off her remaining personal savings and her husband’s income as an assistant director at Princeton University. —Ashton Jackson, CNBC, 21 Feb. 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