English Reference
Idiom idiom

live in sin


To cohabit as if husband and wife without being married.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

They live in sin because they do not want to get married.

CONTEXTUAL

Although their parents were traditional, the couple decided to live in sin while they saved money for a house.

COMPLEX

Despite the social disapproval of their small village, the young couple chose to live in sin rather than conform to the rigid expectations of the church.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    die the way one lived

    To die because of or after doing something characteristic of oneself, especially something that one enjoyed doing.

  2. 02

    live a lie

    To conceal something about oneself, without the knowledge of which others cannot know one's true character or perspective.

  3. 03

    live and die by

    Be completely reliant upon.

  4. 04

    live and let live

    To be tolerant; to enjoy the pleasures and opportunities which life offers and to allow others to do the same.

  5. 05

    live beyond one's means

    Have a lifestyle where one's spending regularly exceeds one's income.

  6. 06

    live down

    To cause others to forget about something embarrassing that happened to oneself.

  7. 07

    live in the past

    To dwell on and ruminate about past events.

  8. 08

    live in the shadow of

    To be overshadowed one's entire life, especially by a relative or predecessor.

Last updated August 10, 2026