live off
verb
lived off; living off; lives off
: 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
Eyal Press… the fish goes into a kind of hibernation, living off its reserves of fat …—Mark Carwardine
Mark Carwardine… she is one of the few Iditarod competitors who have turned professional, living off race winnings.—National Wildlife
National Wildlife… a growing subculture of people who have reduced their spending habits and live off consumer waste.—Erika Hayasaki
Erika HayasakiMax lives off his father …—Harold Beaver
Harold BeaverExamples of live off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Finding housing in Sacramento is difficult for those such as the Whites, who can’t work and live off a monthly disability check of less than $1,000.
—Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
In San Francisco, Sam Dogen faithfully saved his finance-job paychecks for 13 years before retiring in 2012 to live off passive investment income.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 7 May 2024
In total, researchers found 81 different species living off the Sussex coast, including eels, sharks and fish.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024
This near-total shutdown left students who live off campus scrambling for their next meals and employees wondering when they'll be allowed to continue their work or research.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 1 May 2024
Administrators have asked students who live off campus not to go there.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
Gilligan briefly received rental assistance but now lives off his new job as director of development with Lived Experience Advisers, a local homelessness advocacy group.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Michelle McDonough, 49, works part time at a tobacco shop in Maine and lives off Social Security disability payments.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
If society ever collapses because of nuclear war, survivors can live off of the resilient seaweed that gets left behind, a new study says.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
Theresa Clift, Sacramento Bee, 9 May 2024
In San Francisco, Sam Dogen faithfully saved his finance-job paychecks for 13 years before retiring in 2012 to live off passive investment income.
—Amy X. Wang, New York Times, 7 May 2024
In total, researchers found 81 different species living off the Sussex coast, including eels, sharks and fish.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 2 May 2024
This near-total shutdown left students who live off campus scrambling for their next meals and employees wondering when they'll be allowed to continue their work or research.
—David K. Li, NBC News, 1 May 2024
Administrators have asked students who live off campus not to go there.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2024
Gilligan briefly received rental assistance but now lives off his new job as director of development with Lived Experience Advisers, a local homelessness advocacy group.
—Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2024
Michelle McDonough, 49, works part time at a tobacco shop in Maine and lives off Social Security disability payments.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
If society ever collapses because of nuclear war, survivors can live off of the resilient seaweed that gets left behind, a new study says.
—Julia Gomez, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'live off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near live off
Cite this Entry
“Live off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20off. Accessed 16 May. 2024.
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