Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hand-to-mouth Ever since then, the Ekdals have lived hand-to-mouth, bolstered by Håkon’s charity. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 14 Sep. 2025 At the center of the story is a jazz musician called Y, a bohemian, artsy type who is fed up with his hand-to-mouth existence and so agrees to a lucrative commission, writing an upbeat song to inspire national pride in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks that took place on October 7, 2023. Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2025 Compounded by the launch of the first Movistar Plus+ series in 2017, and the later arrival of other global streamers, Spain has finally emerged from its hand-to-mouth past. John Hopewell, Variety, 16 June 2025 Even the champions predominantly lived hand-to-mouth. Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 11 June 2025 That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025 Both dropped out of college and essentially lived hand-to-mouth in order to pursue their musical dreams. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025 Worse, the company is living hand-to-mouth because of the minuscule revenues, large negative earnings, and high cash outflow. John S. Tobey, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024 The brand recommends using them in tandem with NRTs to satiate the hand-to-mouth habit of vaping. Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-to-mouth
Adjective
  • Details are sparse on the exact location and timeline for the new luxury hotel and restaurant, which will boast amenities such as a state-of-the-art fitness center, spa and a rooftop infinity pool with panoramic views of the Nashville skyline.
    Mackensy Lunsford, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Its compact design is convenient for small-apartment dwellers and college students living in dorms where storage space is sparse.
    Shalwah Evans, PEOPLE, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Details remain scarce, but Netflix says that players will have to undergo physical and mental challenges in order to receive clues, with characters like the aforementioned Mustard, Professor Plum and others all represented.
    Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
  • And don’t forget to keep filling the DesGully Window Bird Feeder all winter long—birds come to rely on that food source, especially when the weather’s cold and the food is scarce.
    Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • My adolescent cells floated away from poor me and traded places with his.
    Betty Gilpin, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Women disproportionately suffer chronic disease, on average spend 25% more time in poor health than men, and, on average, experience the final 12 to 14 years of their lives in frail health.
    Maria Shriver, Time, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Hand-to-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-to-mouth. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.

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