live | meaning of live in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English | LDOCE
live
live
1
/
lɪv
/
●●●
S1
W1
verb
1
in a place/home
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition
]
LIVE SOMEWHERE
if you live in a place, you have your home there
live in/at/near etc
They lived in Holland for ten years.
He lives just across the street from me.
We live only a few miles from the coast.
A rather odd family came to
live next door to
us.
As soon as I saw the place, I knew I didn’t want to
live there
.
Does Paul still
live here
?
We’re still looking for
somewhere to live
.
They’ve finally found
a place to live
.
live with
My grandmother came to live with us when I was ten.
Most seventeen-year-olds still
live at home
(=
live with their parents
)
.
I’m quite happy
living alone
.
The house has 3,600 square feet of
living space
(=
the areas of a house you live in
)
.
live rough
British English
(=
live outside because of having no home
)
I ran away from home and lived rough for nine months.
2
plant/animal
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition
]
LIVE SOMEWHERE
a plant or animal that lives in a particular place grows there or has its home there
live in/on etc
These particular birds live on only one island in the Pacific.
3
at a particular time
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition
]
LIVING/ALIVE
if you live at a particular time, you are alive then
live before/in/at
He lived in the eighteenth century.
She lived at a time when women were not expected to work.
Gladstone lived during a period of great social change.
the best/greatest etc that/who ever lived
(=
the best, greatest etc who has been alive at any time
)
He’s probably the best journalist who ever lived.
4
be/stay alive
[
intransitive
]
SURVIVE
to be alive or be able to stay alive
Without light, plants couldn’t live.
He is extremely ill and not expected to live.
The baby only lived a few hours.
People on average are
living
much
longer
than before.
I’ll never forget this
for as long as
I
live
.
live to (be) 80/90 etc/live to the age of 80/90 etc
My grandmother lived to 85.
She lived to the age of 79.
have two weeks/six months etc to live
He knows he’s only got a few months to live.
He did not
live to see
(=
live long enough to see
)
the realization of his dream.
5
way of life
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive
]
LIFE
to have a particular type of life, or live in a particular way
live in peace/poverty etc
The people in this country just want to live in peace.
People should not live in fear of crime.
We live in hope that a cure will be found.
live peacefully/quietly/happily etc
The two communities live peacefully alongside each other.
She thought that she would get married and
live happily ever after
(=
like in a children’s story
)
.
Some people like to live dangerously.
Most elderly people prefer to live independently if they can.
They earn enough money to
live well
(=
have plenty of food, clothes etc
)
.
I just want to
live
my
life
in my own way.
He’s not well enough to
live a normal life
.
live a quiet/active/healthy etc life
She lives a very busy life.
He had chosen to
live the life of
a monk.
She’s now in Hollywood
living a life of luxury
.
live by
I have always tried to live by my faith
(=
according to my religion
)
.
We struggle on,
living from day to day
(=
trying to find enough money each day to buy food etc
)
.
He was tired of
living out of a suitcase
(=
spending a lot of time travelling
)
.
6
earn a living
[
intransitive
]
the way that someone lives is the way that they earn money to buy food etc
Fishing is the way their families have lived for generations.
live by doing something
They live by hunting and killing deer.
7
exciting life
[
intransitive
]
EXCITED
to have an exciting life
She wanted to get out and live a little.
We’re beginning to live at last!
8
imagine something
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition
]
IMAGINE
to imagine that things are happening to you
live in
He lives in a fantasy world.
live through
She lived through her children’s lives.
You must stop
living in the past
(=
imagining that things from the past are still happening
)
.
9
be kept somewhere
[
intransitive always + adverb/preposition
]
British English
informal
KEEP/STORE
the place where something lives is the place where it is kept
Where do these cups live?
Those big dishes live in the cupboard next to the fridge.
10
still exist/have influence
[
intransitive
]
EFFECT/INFLUENCE
if an idea lives, it continues to exist and influence people
Democracy still lives!
His name will
live forever
.
That day will always
live in
my
memory
.
11
→
living quarters
12
→
living expenses
13
→
living arrangements
14
→
live it up
15
→
live by your wits
16
→
live a lie
17
→
be living on borrowed time
18
→
live in sin
19
→
live and breathe something
20
→
you live and learn
21
→
live and let live
23
→
somebody will live to regret it
25
→
live life to the full
26
→
live high on the hog
27
→
live from hand to mouth
28
→
live the dream
THESAURUS
live
to have your home somewhere
He lives with his parents.
Where do you live?
Do you like living in Tokyo?
Jo lives next to a busy road.
Judy lives in that nice house on the corner.
How do you like living in the city again after so many years away from it?
In 1905 Russell was living at 4 Ralston Street.
be from/come from
use this when talking about the country, city, or area where you usually live
My name’s Sharon and I’m from Harlow.
The man is believed to be from somewhere in the north of England.
‘Where are you from?’ ‘I’m from Japan.’
The winner came from Australia.
inhabit
if a group of people or animals inhabit an area, they live there – used especially in written descriptions
The island is mainly inhabited by sheep.
Some tribes still inhabit the more remote mountains and jungles of the country.
reside
formal
to live in a particular country, city etc
She now resides in the US.
Miss Badu grew up in Dallas but now resides in Brooklyn.
At that time there were many American writers residing in Paris.
Miss Tonelli, how exactly did you come to reside at your current address?
The government bureau has prepared a booklet for US citizens residing abroad.
grow up
to live somewhere when you are a child or teenager
This is the neighborhood where my father grew up.
I grew up on a farm in South Africa.
