Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense lives, present participle living, past tense, past participle lived
1. verb
If someone lives in a particular place or with a particular person, their home is in that place orwith that person.
She has lived here for 10 years. [VERB adverb/preposition]
She always said I ought to live alone. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Where do you live? [VERB adverb/preposition]
He still lives with his parents. [VERB adverb/preposition]
Synonyms: dwell [formal, literary], board, settle, lodge More Synonyms of live
2. verb
If you say that someone lives in particular circumstances or that they live a particular kind of life, you mean that they are in those circumstances or thatthey have that kind of life.
We lived quite grandly. [VERB adverb/preposition]
We live in an age of rapid technological change. [VERB adverb/preposition]
We can start living a normal life again now. [VERB noun]
...the local support group for people living with HIV and AIDS. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: lead, have, experience, pass More Synonyms of live
3. verb
If you say that someone lives for a particular thing, you mean that it is the most important thing in their life.
He lived for his work. [VERB + for]
4. verb
To live means to be alive. If someone livesto a particular age, they stay alive until they are that age.
He's got a terrible disease and will not live long. [VERB adverb]
A perennial is a plant that lives indefinitely. [VERB adverb]
He lived to be 103. [VERB to-infinitive]
My father died nigh on ten years ago, but he lived to see his first grandson. [VERB to-infinitive]
Matilda was born in northern Italy in 1046 and apparently lived to a ripe old age. [VERB + to]
The blue whale is the largest living thing on the planet. [VERB-ing]
Ian was her only living relative. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: exist, last, prevail, be More Synonyms of live
5. verb [no cont]
If people live by doing a particular activity, they get the money, food, or clothing they need by doing that activity.
...the last indigenous people to live by hunting. [VERB + by]
These crimes were committed largely by professional criminals who lived by crime. [VERB + by]
Synonyms: survive, remain alive, feed yourself, get along More Synonyms of live
6. verb
If you live by a particular rule, belief, or ideal, you behave in the way in which it says you should behave.
They live by the principle that we are here to add what we can to life. [VERB + by]
7. verb [no cont]
If a person or occasion lives in someone's mind or in history, they are remembered for a long time.
The memory of that will live with me for many years to come. [VERBwith noun]
His name will live in history as one of the greatest bowlers of all time. [VERBin noun]
Live on means the same as live1.
Lenin lives on in the minds and hearts of millions of people. [VPin n]
[Also VERBPARTICLE]
8. See also living
9.
See live and breathe sth
10.
See haven't lived
11.
See live in fear
12.
See to live and let live
13.
See live it up
14. to live a lie
15. to live beyond your means
16. to live in sin
Phrasal verbs:
See live down
See live off
See live on
See live on
See live out
See live through
See live together
See live up to
More Synonyms of live
live adjective uses
(laɪv)
1. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
Live animals or plants are alive, rather than being dead or artificial.
...a protest against the company's tests on live animals.
...baskets of live chickens.
2. adjective
A live television or radio programme is one in which an event or performance is broadcast at exactly the same time as it happens, rather than being recorded first.
Murray was a guest on a live radio show.
...we were laughing and gossiping, oblivious to the fact that we were on live TV.
They watch all the live matches.
A broadcast of the speech was heard in San Francisco, but it is not known if thiswas live.
Live is also an adverb.
It was broadcast live in 50 countries.
We'll be going live to Nottingham later in this bulletin.
3. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A live performance is given in front of an audience, rather than being recorded and then broadcast or shown in a film.
The Rainbow has not hosted live music since the end of 1981.
A live audience will pose the questions.
The band was forced to cancel a string of live dates.
Live is also an adverb.
She has been playing live with her new band. [+ with]
4. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A live recording is a recording of a band playing at a concert, rather than in a studio.
This is my favourite live album of all time.
...the first in a series of live recordings of Mozart piano concertos.
5. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A live wire or piece of electrical equipment is directly connected to a source of electricity.
The plug broke, exposing live wires.
He warned others about the live electric cables as they climbed to safety.
6. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Live bullets are made of metal, rather than rubber or plastic, and are intended to kill people rather than injure them.
They trained in the jungle using live ammunition.
7. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
A live bomb or missile is one which has not yet exploded.
A live bomb had earlier been defused.
Synonyms: active, connected, switched on, unexploded More Synonyms of live
8.
See go live
9.
See real live
live in British English1
(lɪv)
verb(mainly intr)
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. (transitive)
to pass or spend (one's life, etc)
11.
to enjoy life to the full
she knows how to live
12. (transitive)
to put into practice in one's daily life; express
he lives religion every day
13. live and let live
14. where one lives
Word origin
Old English libban, lifian; related to Old High German libēn, Old Norse lifa
live in British English2
(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)
a.
recorded in concert
b.
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
a.
(of copy) not yet having been set into type
b.
(of type that has been set) still in use
adverb
18.
during, at, or in the form of a live performance
the show went out live
Word origin
C16: from on livealive
live in American English1
(lɪv)
verb intransitiveWord forms: lived or ˈliving
1.
to be alive; have life
2.
a.
to remain alive
b.
to last; endure
3.
a.
to pass one's life in a specified manner
to live happily
b.
to regulate or conduct one's life
to live by a strict moral code
4.
to enjoy a full and varied life
to really know how to live
5.
a.
to maintain life; support oneself
to live on a pension
b.
to be dependent for a living (with off)
6.
to feed; subsist; have as one's usual food
to live on fruits and nuts
7.
to make one's dwelling; reside
8.
to remain in human memory of
men's good deeds live after them
verb transitive
9.
to practice or carry out in one's life
to live one's faith
10.
to spend; pass
to live a useful life
11.
to act (a role in a play) very convincingly or feelingly
Idioms:
live and let live
live down
live high
live in
live it up
live out
live up to
live well
live with
where one lives
Word origin
ME liven < OE libban (akin to ON lifa, Goth liban, Ger leben) < IE *lib(h)s- < base *leibh-, to live
live in American English2
(laɪv)
adjective
1.
having life; not dead
2.
of the living state or living beings
3.
having positive qualities, as of warmth, vigor, vitality, brightness, brilliance, etc.
a live organization, a live color
4. US
of immediate or present interest
a live issue
5.
a.
still burning or glowing
a live spark
b.
not extinct
a live volcano
6.
not yet burned
said of a match
7.
charged for explosion; unexploded
a live shell
8.
carrying electrical current
a live wire
9.
in the native state; not quarried or mined
live rocks
10.
having resilience or elasticity
a live rubber ball
11.
fresh; pure
said of the air
12.
a.
involving an appearance or performance in person, rather than a filmed or recordedone; transmitted during the actual performance