make a living
idiom
: to earn the money one needs to pay for housing, food, etc.
He made a living by working as a cook.
Examples of make a living in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After working different jobs to make a living, he was hired at a call center, climbed his way to management and then started his own business.
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Michael Rios, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
And then, of course, there’s the question of how or if the people creating all this information can make a living from doing so.
—Gina Chua, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Aside from the nominal cost per stream, the inability to make a living as an artist is largely due to how fragmented the music industry remains.
—Kristin Westcott Grant, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Successfully doing this means not just considering the perspectives of the college educated but the individual who is seeking to make a living through alternative means.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make a living
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Michael Rios, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025
And then, of course, there’s the question of how or if the people creating all this information can make a living from doing so.
—Gina Chua, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Aside from the nominal cost per stream, the inability to make a living as an artist is largely due to how fragmented the music industry remains.
—Kristin Westcott Grant, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Successfully doing this means not just considering the perspectives of the college educated but the individual who is seeking to make a living through alternative means.
—Alex J. Rouhandeh, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for make a living
Cite this Entry
“Make a living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20a%20living. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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