live
- 01 A1 Beginner
v.to be alive and have life.
v.to have life; to be in a state of biological existence.
Simple“Some species of desert plants can live for over a hundred years.”
In context“Biologists are still discovering organisms that live in extreme conditions near volcanic vents on the ocean floor.”
- 02 A1 Beginner
v.to have your permanent home in a particular place.
v.to reside or inhabit a specific location permanently or for a significant duration.
Simple“I live in a small apartment near the city centre.”
In context“After years of moving between different cities, she finally decided to live in a quiet coastal village.”
PitfallI am living in London since three years. I have lived in London for three years.Use the present perfect with 'for' or 'since' to describe a period of time starting in the past and continuing now.
- 03 A2 Elementary
adj.broadcast on TV, radio, or the internet at the same time it is happening.
adj.broadcast in real time; not pre-recorded.
Simple“The news reporter is giving a live update from the scene of the accident.”
In context“The network decided to air a live broadcast of the debate to ensure viewers received the information without any editorial delays.”
- 04 A2 Elementary
adj.performing in front of an audience rather than on a recording.
adj.performed in person before an audience; relating to a performance that is not a studio recording.
Simple“I prefer listening to live music because the atmosphere is much better.”
In context“The band's live performance was far more energetic than their polished studio albums had suggested.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.connected to a source of electricity and dangerous to touch.
adj.electrically charged or energized; capable of delivering a shock if contacted.
Simple“Be careful not to touch that live wire while you are fixing the lamp.”
In context“The electrician used a voltage tester to confirm whether the circuit was still live before beginning the repairs.”
- 06 B1 Intermediate
adj.using real people instead of drawings or computer images.
adj.featuring human actors rather than being animated or computer-generated.
Simple“The studio is making a live-action version of the classic cartoon.”
In context“Critics debated whether the live-action remake could capture the whimsical charm of the original hand-drawn animation.”
- 07 B1 Intermediate
adv.at the same time as an event is happening.
adv.in a live manner; during the actual occurrence of an event.
Simple“The match is being shown live on Channel 4 tonight.”
In context“The space agency streamed the rocket launch live to millions of viewers across the globe.”
Synonymsin real time
Usage live coverage · live music · live blog
From Middle English lefe, lifen, libbe, libben, live, luvien, lyven, from Old English libban, lifian (“to live; be alive”), from Proto-West Germanic libbjan, from Proto-Germanic libjaną (“to live”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick”). Cognates Cognate with Yola live (“to live”), North Frisian laawe, lawe, lewe, lewi, lewwe, lääwe (“to live”), Saterland Frisian lieuwje, líeuwje (“to live”), West Frisian libje (“to live”), Alemannic German lëëbe (“to live”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno lem (“to live”), Dutch leeven, leven (“to live”), German leben (“to live”), German Low German lęven (“to live”), Limburgish leve, léëve (“to live”), Luxembourgish liewen (“to live”), Vilamovian łaowa (“to live”), Yiddish לעבן (lebn, “to live”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål leve (“to live”), Faroese liva (“to live”), Icelandic lifa (“to live”), Norwegian Nynorsk leva, leve, liva (“to live”), Swedish leva (“to live”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (liban, “to live”); also Latin lippus (“half-sighted, myopic”), Greek λίπος (lípos, “fat, tallow”), Lithuanian lipti (“to stick”), Bulgarian лепя́ (lepjá, “to glue, paste, stick; to plaster, smear”), Czech lepit (“to glue, stick”), Macedonian лепи (lepi, “to glue, stick”), Polish lepić (“to mold; to glue, paste; to stick”), Russian лепи́ть (lepítʹ, “to fashion, sculpt, shape”), Serbo-Croatian лепити, лије́пити, lépiti, lijépiti (“to glue, paste; to stick”), Slovak lepiť (“to stick”), Slovene lepiti (“to stick”), Ukrainian ліпити (lipyty, “to mould, shape”), Sanskrit लिप् (lip, “to anoint, smear; to defile, soil, taint”), रिप् (rip, “deceit, fraud; injury; enemy, traitor”).
An apheretic form of alive.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.