live by

phrasal verb

lived by; living by; lives by

1

: to agree with and follow (something, such as a set of beliefs)

He tried to live by his faith.

a principle I try to live by

2

: to survive by (doing something)

They were an ancient people who lived by hunting and gathering.

Examples of live by in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The survivors managed to live by jumping out of the balloon when the fire first began, officials said. —Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 22 June 2025

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) says licence applications open 1 August 2025 and that the full regime should be live by year‑end, pending secondary legislation on disclosure templates. —Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 19 June 2025

The parade will be followed by a concert and fireworks, and will be streamed live by The Hill starting at 6 p.m. Here are five things to know. —Miriam Waldvogel, The Hill, 14 June 2025

It’s played live by a Misfits cover band as a guy tries to slam-dance while wearing a banana costume. —Vahaken Mouradian, National Review, 12 June 2025

Rhymes for live by

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify