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
Today, Rihanna is living by her own decree.
—
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
Here are their words to live by.
—Amanda Schupak, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Forever Mine will be presented by Windy City Events Management and hosted live by Power 92 radio’s DJ Pharris.
—Doug George, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
One hard-and-fast rule to live by in this case?
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for live by
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
Here are their words to live by.
—Amanda Schupak, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Forever Mine will be presented by Windy City Events Management and hosted live by Power 92 radio’s DJ Pharris.
—Doug George, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
One hard-and-fast rule to live by in this case?
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 26 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for live by
Cite this Entry
“Live by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20by. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
