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
When Jem locates his brother, Ray has been living off the grid for 20 years, having fled the family nest.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2025
Ray is living off-the-grid in the woods when Bean’s character tracks him down, trying desperately to convince him to return to civilization.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
The Riverfront Times reported that McCormick lived off disability checks and picked up odd jobs at the Amoco gas station, where he was last seen alive.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, this thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the paranoid Bob Ferguson, a former member of the revolutionary group French 75, who lives off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
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Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 2 Oct. 2025
Ray is living off-the-grid in the woods when Bean’s character tracks him down, trying desperately to convince him to return to civilization.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
The Riverfront Times reported that McCormick lived off disability checks and picked up odd jobs at the Amoco gas station, where he was last seen alive.
—Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, this thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the paranoid Bob Ferguson, a former member of the revolutionary group French 75, who lives off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti).
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live off
Cite this Entry
“Live off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20off. Accessed 4 Oct. 2025.
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