live

¹

[ liv ]

verb (used without object)

, lived [livd], liv·ing.

1. to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions:

   all things that live.

2. to continue to have life; remain alive:

   to live to a ripe old age.

3. to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last:

   a book that lives in my memory.

4. to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself:

   to live on one's income.

5. to feed or subsist (usually followed by on or upon ):

   to live on rice and bananas.

6. to dwell or reside (usually followed by in, at, etc.):

   to live in a cottage.

7. to pass life in a specified manner:

   They lived happily ever after.

8. to direct or regulate one's life:

   to live by the golden rule.

9. to experience or enjoy to the full:

   At 40 she was just beginning to live.

10. to cohabit (usually followed by with ).
11. to escape destruction or remain afloat, as a ship or aircraft.

verb (used with object)

, lived [livd], liv·ing.

1. to pass (life):

   to live a life of ease.

2. to practice, represent, or exhibit in one's life:

   to live one's philosophy.

verb phrase

1. to live in accordance with (expectations or an ideal or standard); measure up to:

   He never lived up to his father's vision of him.

2. to live so as to allow (a mistake, disgrace, etc.) to be forgotten or forgiven:

   She'll never live that crucial moment of failure down.

3. to reside at or away from the place of one's employment, especially as a domestic servant:

   Their butler lives in, but the maids live out.

live

²

[ lahyv ]

adjective

, liv·er, liv·est

1. being alive; living; alive:

   It was the little gir's first time seeing live farm animals.

2. of, relating to, or during the life of a living being:

   Water forms about 50 to 80 percent of an animal's live weight.

3. characterized by or indicating the presence of living creatures:

   I stood still and listened to the live sounds of the forest.

4. Informal. (of a person) energetic and quick to speak or act; animated, spirited, or vivacious:

   The club members are a really live bunch.

5. responsive to changing conditions, needs, etc., in an imaginative and proactive way:

   I like this company—their approach is live and fresh.

6. Informal. mentally, emotionally, and physically alive, often in a new way; invigorated, confident, and fully engaged:

   After months of quarantine, I felt live and refreshed being exposed to places outside.

   During pregame practice we were feeling live and ready for anything.

7. made up of actual persons:

   He has several studio albums but rarely performs before a live audience.

8. (of a radio or television program, podcast, etc.) broadcast or released while happening or being performed; not prerecorded or taped:

   I watched a live telecast of the royal wedding.

9. burning or glowing:

   We roasted our marshmallows over live coals in the firepit.

10. being in play, as a baseball or football.
11. (of ammunition)
    1. loaded or unexploded; ready to explode:

       Watch out—that’s a live grenade!

    2. consisting of real bullets or shot, as opposed to rubber bullets or some other charge; explodable:

       Security forces used tear gas and live ammunition to break up the riot.

12. of current interest or importance, as a question or issue; generating much debate or discussion:

    Sexual harassment in the military is still very much a live issue.

13. Also a·live []. electrically charged; carrying an electric current, especially if exposed:

    Crews safely removed the live wire brought down by a falling tree.

    On the subway line, the third rail is live.

14. being highly resonant or reverberant, as an auditorium or concert hall:

    Plants can absorb the echoes in acoustically live spaces like galleries and gymnasiums.

15. having resilience or bounce:

    The basketball was losing air rapidly and was barely live by the end of the game.

16. moving or imparting motion; powered.
17. vivid or bright, as color.
18. still in use, or to be used, as type set up or copy for printing.

adverb

1. (of a radio or television program, podcast, etc.) at the moment of its happening or being performed; not on tape or by prerecording:

   The program was broadcast live from San Francisco.

live

¹

/ lɪv /

verb

1. to show the characteristics of life; be alive
2. to remain alive or in existence
3. to exist in a specified way

   to live poorly

4. usually foll byin or at to reside or dwell

   to live in London

5. often foll by on to continue or last

   the pain still lives in her memory

6. usually foll by by to order one's life (according to a certain philosophy, religion, etc)
7. foll byon, upon, or by to support one's style of life; subsist

   to live by writing

8. foll by with to endure the effects (of a crime, mistake, etc)
9. foll by through to experience and survive

   he lived through the war

10. tr to pass or spend (one's life, etc)
11. to enjoy life to the full

    he knows how to live

12. tr to put into practice in one's daily life; express

    he lives religion every day

13. live and let live
    to refrain from interfering in others' lives; to be tolerant
14. where one lives informal.
    in one's sensitive or defenceless position

live

²

/ laɪv /

adjective

1. prenominal showing the characteristics of life
2. usually prenominal of, relating to, or abounding in life

   the live weight of an animal

3. usually prenominal of current interest; controversial

   a live issue

4. actual

   a real live cowboy

5. informal.
   full of life and energy
6. (of a coal, ember, etc) glowing or burning
7. (esp of a volcano) not extinct
8. loaded or capable of exploding

   a live bomb

9. radio television transmitted or present at the time of performance, rather than being a recording

   a live show

10. of a record
    1. recorded in concert
    2. recorded in one studio take, without overdubs or splicing
11. connected to a source of electric power

    a live circuit

12. (esp of a colour or tone) brilliant or splendid
13. acoustically reverberant

    a live studio

14. sport (of a ball) in play
15. (of rocks, ores, etc) not quarried or mined; native
16. being in a state of motion or transmitting power; positively connected to a driving member
17. printing
    1. (of copy) not yet having been set into type
    2. (of type that has been set) still in use

adverb

1. during, at, or in the form of a live performance

   the show went out live

Other Words From

• live·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of live¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English liven, Old English lifian, libban; cognate with Dutch leven, German leben, Old Norse lifa, Gothic liban

Origin of live²

First recorded in 1535–45; in 1930–35 live ²fordef 8; shortened variant of alive, used attributively

Word History and Origins

Origin of live¹

Old English libban, lifian; related to Old High German libēn, Old Norse lifa

Origin of live²

C16: from on live alive

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. live it up, Informal. to live in an extravagant or wild manner; pursue pleasure:

   He started living it up after he got out of the army.

2. live one, Slang.
   1. a person who spends money readily.
   2. a person easily imposed upon or made the dupe of others.
3. live well, to live comfortably:

   They're not wealthy but they live well.

4. live high off / on the hog. hog ( def 16 ).

More idioms and phrases containing live

• alive (live) and kicking
• as I live and breathe
• close to home (where one lives)
• (live from) day to day
• fat of the land, live off the
• high off the hog, live
• in one's pocket (live in each other's pockets)
• learn to live with
• people who live in glass houses

Example Sentences

"When I was six or seven, January Jones was the coolest living or dead human"

From Salon

Her daughter, who is now aged nine years, has lived in Mali since turning four.

From BBC

But using a different synthetic polymer, one that is commonly used in biomaterial engineering, for the side chains can produce a gel that can mimic living tissue.

From Science Daily

Thousands more live with the terror of struggling to breathe every day.

From Science Daily

Hominins belonging to the species Homo erectus and Paranthropus boisei, the two most common living human species of the Pleistocene Epoch, made the tracks, the researchers said.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• continue
• endure
• get along
• last
• lead
• maintain
• move
• pass
• remain
• survive