# take the bread out of someone's mouth

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-the-bread-out-of-someones-mouth
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To deprive someone of the means of living.

## Examples

- Closing this shop will take the bread out of our mouths.
- If the company moves all its production overseas, it will effectively take the bread out of the mouths of local workers.
- By aggressively undercutting his competitors' prices, the merchant sought to drive them out of business and take the bread out of their families' mouths.

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