living
n. countablen. the money you earn from your job to pay for things like food and rent. You use this when talking about how you survive and support yourself.
n. the means of maintaining life or earning a livelihood. Often used in the context of financial self-sufficiency or professional occupation.
She makes a good living as a graphic designer.
After years of working for others, he finally started his own business to earn a living on his own terms.
The transition from traditional agriculture to industrial labor forced many families to find a new way of making a living in the rapidly expanding urban centers.
From Middle English livynge, libbyng, livinde, livand, livende, libbinde, libbende, from Old English lifiġende, lifiende, libbende, from Proto-West Germanic libbjandī, from Proto-Germanic libjandz (“living”), present participle of Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”), equivalent to live + -ing. Cognate with West Frisian libbend (“living”), Dutch levend (“living”), German lebend (“living”), Swedish levande (“living”), Icelandic lifandi (“living”).
From Middle English livynge, libbynge, equivalent to live + -ing. Cognate with Middle Dutch levinge, (whence Dutch leving (“way of life, living”)), Middle Low German lēvinge (“living”).
Commonly used in the fixed phrase 'make a living' or 'earn a living'.
She earns her live as a doctorShe earns her living as a doctorLearners often confuse the noun 'living' with the verb or adjective 'live'.
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don't call me sir, I work for a living
Used by senior enlisted military personnel to indicate that they are not commissioned officers.
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knock the living daylights out of
To beat or strike someone.
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living death
A condition of suffering, solitude, or impairment so extreme as to deprive one's existence of all happiness and meaning.