as in sparse
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
survived on a hand-to-mouth income that came from any odd job that he could find
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of hand-to-mouth
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
Teach your children how to avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.
—Steffini Stalos, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2024
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
Based on the real fundamentals, the stock price would be in the low, single digits - just a fraction of its current price.
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
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
Teach your children how to avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.
—Steffini Stalos, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2024
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
Based on the real fundamentals, the stock price would be in the low, single digits - just a fraction of its current price.
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
-
The production must be sparse, so the vocal isn’t overpowered.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2025
-
Reversing these trends is difficult, especially since data is sparse on species declines, which is key to getting them legal protections.—
Katarina Zimmer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
9 May 2025
Adjective
-
These alliances are particularly beneficial for smaller organizations that stand to gain from pooled resources or those in regions where talent is scarce but demand for specialized staff is high.—
Randy Wong,
Forbes.com,
14 May 2025
-
Ahead of Pink Elephant, the Montreal collective known for its insistent politics and uplifting lyricism was scarce and guarded in its direct communications.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
13 May 2025
Adjective
-
The product was released in 2023 to a poor reception, and discontinued before the company began winding down operations in February.—
Tom Huddleston Jr.,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
-
The original doesn’t go that deeply into it, but this poor girl was essentially forced to be a teen mom at this time in her life when all of her friends would be graduating high school and dating and thinking about their futures.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-to-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-to-mouth. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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