live

verb

\ ˈliv

lived; living

Definition of live

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to be alive : have the life of an animal or plant one of the greatest writers who ever lived

2 : to continue alive lived to a ripe and vigorous old age

3 : to maintain oneself : subsist lived on rice and peas

4a : to occupy a home : dwell living in a shabby room they had always lived in the country

b : to be located or stored the silverware lives here

5 : to attain eternal life though he die, yet shall he live — John 11:25 (Revised Standard Version)

6 : to conduct or pass one's life lived only for his work

7 : to remain in human memory or record the past lives in us all— W. R. Inge

8 : to have a life rich in experience the boy who is mentally alert lives more in a day than a dull boy does in a month — Boy Scout Handbook

9 : cohabit She lived with that actor for over a year.

transitive verb

1 : to pass through or spend the duration of lived their lives alone

2 : act out, practice —often used with out to live out their fantasies

3 : to exhibit vigor, gusto, or enthusiasm in lived life to the fullest

4a : to experience firsthand living a dream

b : to be thoroughly absorbed by or involved with she lives her work

live it up

: to live with gusto and usually fast and loose lived it up with wine and song — Newsweek

live up to

: to act or be in accordance with had no intention of living up to his promise

live with

: to put up with : accept, tolerate had to live with their decision

live

adjective

\ ˈlīv

Definition of live (Entry 2 of 3)

1a : having life : living a live lobster

b : existing in fact or reality : actual spoke to a real live celebrity

2 : exerting force or containing energy: such as

a : afire, glowing live coals

b : connected to electric power

c : charged with explosives and containing shot or a bullet live ammunition also : armed but not exploded a live bomb

d : imparting or driven by power a live axle

e : being in operation a live microphone

3 : abounding with life : vivid

4 : being in a pure native state

5 : of bright vivid color

6 : of continuing or current interest live issues

7a : not yet printed from or plated live type

b : not yet typeset live copy

8a : of or involving a presentation (such as a play or concert) in which both the performers and an audience are physically present a live record album a nightclub with live entertainment

b : broadcast directly at the time of production a live radio program

9 : being in play a live ball

live

adverb

\ ˈlīv

Definition of live (Entry 3 of 3)

: at the actual time of occurrence : during, from, or at a live production the program was broadcast live

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about live

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Examples of live in a Sentence

Verb

We learned about the people who lived during colonial times. I wonder what it was like to live then. She's one of the greatest writers who ever lived. It was one of the largest animals that has ever lived. He lived to the age of 92. He's very sick and he may not live much longer. I hope I live to see the day when you admit you've been wrong about me! I'll remember that day for as long as I live. He lives next door to his parents. We lived in the city.

Adjective

They object to the use of live animals in scientific experiments. a nightclub with live music She was nervous about being interviewed on live radio. The network is providing live coverage of the debate. Use caution when you are working near live electrical wires.

Adverb

The program was shown live. We are broadcasting live from downtown. Here he is—live in concert! The album was recorded live.

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

This is home, after all, for chef Mehdi Brunet-Benkritly, who lives upstairs with his wife, Molly Superfine-Rivera, and their newborn son, Leon. — Kitty Greenwald, WSJ, "The Simplest Recipe for Seared Scallops—Plus a Magic Ingredient," 2 May 2019 At the end of the day, 55% of people in food deserts are less likely to have a good-quality diet over people who live elsewhere. — Jessica Booth, Redbook, "Everything You Need To Know About Food Deserts," 29 Apr. 2019 With four younger siblings, including a 15-year-old brother who lives with cystic fibrosis, Yolanda said a full scholarship would ease the family’s financial stress. — Emily Bloch, Teen Vogue, "New Orleans Senior Antoinette Love Got Into 115 Colleges and $3.7 Million in Scholarship Offers," 26 Apr. 2019 The polling booth in Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat is set up for the sole human inhabitant, a Hindu priest who lives among the lions. — Amrit Dhillon, The Seattle Times, "Poll workers journey to reach India’s most remote voters," 14 Apr. 2019 Customers who live near one of Rent the Runway's brick-and-mortar stores can try on the rental garments to make sure the items fits before renting them. — Annemarie Conte, Woman's Day, "Rent the Runway Kids Is Launching Next Week, and Your Daughters' Clothes Just Got 100% Cooler," 8 Apr. 2019 Here’s what to know about the couple who lived out this terrifying public nightmare. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "Who Are Madeleine McCann's Parents? What to Know About Kate and Gerry McCann," 14 Mar. 2019 The engagement hits close to home for the Duchess of Sussex, who lived in the Canadian city of Toronto, to film the show Suits, before moving to London to live with Prince Harry. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Meghan Markle Stuns in a Green Erdem Coat for a Visit to Canada House with Prince Harry," 11 Mar. 2019 The overwhelming majority of animals raised for food are still raised on factory farms, where 50 billion animals lived and died this year. — Kelsey Piper, Vox, "2018’s big wins — and big losses — for animals," 24 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

There, in a comparison against the Core i9-9900K, using the new 8-core, 16-thread Ryzen (but not at the final shipping frequency), AMD performed a live Cinebench test onstage, and beat Intel’s chip. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel launches 18 9th-gen desktop Core chips, the majority without hyperthreading," 23 Apr. 2019 During the live shows, however, voting will be a little different: On each Sunday from April 21 to May 12, voting will open at the start of the show at 8 p.m. ET and will close during the show's final commercial break. — Heather Finn, Good Housekeeping, "Here's How to Vote for Your Favorite Contestant on 'American Idol'," 14 Apr. 2019 But last week the company unwittingly gave users a front-row seat to a live horror show in an intimate place of worship. — Laura Forman, WSJ, "Facebook Live Has Got to Go," 19 Mar. 2019 Some 150+ artists and artisans sell their work; plus there's live music and craft beer at peak foliage season. — Cassie Shortsleeve, Condé Nast Traveler, "See Vermont Fall Foliage in These 12 Beautiful Places," 2 Oct. 2018 Although Black Friday deals are not yet live, stores are already teasing us with what's to come on the big day. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "What To Expect From Ashley Furniture HomeStore's Black Friday Deals," 27 Aug. 2018 Phantoms brings a slinky darkness to its live stage show, tempered by a delightfully unpretentious bit of stage banter. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "Phantoms & Nicole Millar Have Pure Vibes On Their 'Agenda:' Exclusive," 12 July 2018 There is live music weekly, and a $10 VIP button offers year-round discounts. — Melanie Savage, Courant Community, "Lebanon Farmers Market In Full Swing," 11 July 2018 The same applies to their live shows, no two of which are ever the same. — Ryan Kost, SFChronicle.com, "Kim Gordon, Bill Nace live in the moment as Body/Head," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

Two weeks after her death, the late singer's friends and family hosted a ceremony to celebrate her life and streamed it live on Facebook. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Miley Cyrus Breaks Down While Honoring 'The Voice' Alum Janice Freeman at Her Memorial," 19 Mar. 2019 The shooter, a 24-year-old man from Baltimore, opened fire during a qualifying event that was being live-streamed on Twitch. — Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, "Talk amongst yourselves: 2018’s most-commented stories on Ars," 24 Dec. 2018 Along with the statement, Bush senior's longtime spokesman Jim McGrath also shared that a tribute to the 41st president has gone live on georgehwbush.com, and that relevant funeral information would be posted there as well. — Caroline Hallemann, Town & Country, "All the Details on George H. W. Bush's Funeral," 6 Dec. 2018 EmiratesThe RCA-winning airline's Black Friday sale went live on November 21 and lasts through November 24 at 11:59 p.m. EST—the first 48 hours are online-only, and then the sale opens to all channels, according to Emirates. — Bridget Hallinan, Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Black Friday Flight Deals of 2018," 22 Nov. 2018 Romero is El Salvador’s first saint, and thousands of Salvadorans gathered at that country’s cathedral in the middle of the night to watch the Vatican’s canonization ceremony streamed live. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Oscar Romero, a martyr for social justice and the newest Catholic saint, explained," 15 Oct. 2018 As the agreement was announced at City Hall, cheers erupted outside the Grant Early Education Center near Hollywood, where a handful of teachers were live-streaming the announcement on their phones. — Tawnell D. Hobbs, WSJ, "Los Angeles Teachers, School District Announce Deal to End Weeklong Strike," 22 Jan. 2019 Authorities responded to a report of possible explosives and determined the items were live, according to a Facebook post from the department. — Samantha West, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Oak Creek Police Department disposes of live explosives," 10 June 2018 Photo: AP Facebook’s live-video feature is becoming a viral problem with no apparent antidote. — Laura Forman, WSJ, "Facebook Live Has Got to Go," 19 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'live.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for live

live

verb

English Language Learners Definition of live

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to be alive

: to continue to be alive

: to have a home in a specified place

live

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of live (Entry 2 of 3)

: having life : living or alive

informal : not imaginary : actually existing

: done in front of an audience : of or involving a play, concert, etc., that is performed in front of people

live

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of live (Entry 3 of 3)

: during, from, or at the actual time that something (such as a performance or event) happens

See the full definition for live in the English Language Learners Dictionary

live

verb

\ ˈliv

lived; living

Kids Definition of live

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to be alive Dinosaurs lived long ago.

2 : to continue in life My grandmother lived to the age of 98.

3 : dwell sense 1 They live in Indiana.

4 : to spend life Let them live in peace.

live it up

: to live with great enthusiasm and excitement

live up to

: to be good enough to satisfy expectations

live

adjective

\ ˈlīv

Kids Definition of live (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : having life : alive If the public gets to know we've got a live dinosaur here, they'd be swarming all over the place …— Oliver Butterworth, The Enormous Egg

2 : broadcast at the time of production a live television program

3 : charged with an electric current a live wire

4 : burning usually without flame live coals

5 : not exploded a live bomb