live

present singular third person lives · participle present living · participle past lived · past lived

1. intransitiveTo be alive; to have life.

   He's not expected to live for more than a few months.

2. intransitiveTo have permanent residence somewhere, to inhabit, to reside.

   I live at 2a Acacia Avenue.  At that time I'd been living in a camper for about six months.

   2 more examples

   Athelstan Arundel walked home all the way, foaming and raging. No omnibus, cab, or conveyance ever built could contain a young man in such a rage. His mother lived at Pembridge Square, which is four good measured miles from Lincoln's Inn.

   1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate […], New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, […], →OCLC, page 16

   It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

   Synonyms: range

   1. informalintransitive(of an object) to have its proper place; to normally be stored.

      I washed your gravy boat. Where does it live?

      Synonyms: range

3. intransitiveTo survive; to persevere; to continue.

   When Lazarus left his charnel-cave, ⁠And home to Mary’s house return’d, […] ‘Where wert thou, brother, those four days?’ ⁠There lives no record of reply, ⁠Which telling what it is to die Had surely added praise to praise.

   1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XXXI”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 50

   Synonyms: go on

4. intransitiveTo endure in memory; to escape oblivion.

   Her memory lives in that song.

   1 more example

   He has now overseen three straight victories since taking over from Claudio Ranieri and this latest win, against one of the best teams in Europe, will live long in the memory for every Leicester supporter.

   2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian

5. excessiveintransitiveTo cope.

   You'll just have to live with it!  I can't live in a world without you.

6. intransitiveTo pass life in a specified manner.

   It is difficult to live in poverty.   And they lived happily ever after.

7. transitiveTo spend, as one's life; to pass; to maintain; to continue in, constantly or habitually.

   To live an idle or a useful life.

   3 more examples

   Many people write their romances, others live them; Honore de Balzac did both.

   1921, Juanita Helm Floyd, Women in the Life of Balzac

   By 1980, South Korea had overtaken its northern neighbour, and was well on its way to being one of the Asian tigers – high-performing economies, with democratic movements ultimately winning power in the 1990s. The withdrawal of most Soviet aid in 1991, with the fall of the Soviet empire, pushed North Korea further down. Kim Il-sung had held a genuine place on North Korean people's affections. His son was regarded as a shadowy playboy, with rumours circulating over the years that he imported Russian and Chinese prostitutes, and lived a life of profligacy and excess.

   2011 December 19, Kerry Brown, “Kim Jong-il obituary”, in The Guardian

   But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 (the average of the 15 poorest countries’ own poverty lines, measured in 2005 dollars and adjusted for differences in purchasing power): people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty, brutish and short.

   2013 June 1, “Towards the end of poverty”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 11

8. transitiveTo act habitually in conformity with; to practice; to exemplify in one's way of life.

   to live the Gospel

   1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC

   3 more examples

   The key to our freedom then, isn't begging for tolerance, but living our full rights.

   1971, Bart Moncq, Body Politic, number 1, page 8

   Change happens from the inside out and this great resource can show you how to live the habits that build personal and professional effectiveness.

   2006, Laura Cardone, Motivation at Work, →ISBN

   In short, he argues, in the modern era, “The only way to build a brand is to live that brand. You have to live the values and the mission, then let the customer decide.”

   2016 March 24, Jon Henley, “The aggressive, outrageous, infuriating (and ingenious) rise of BrewDog”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

9. obsoletetransitiveTo live as; to live being.

   at leaſt admit vs libertie, Euen as thou hopſt to be eternized, By liuing Aſias mightie Emperour.

   c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii

10. ambitransitiveTo outlast danger; (of a ship or boat) to float.

    No ship could live in such a storm.

    3 more examples

    That rockslide trapped me in a cave, and I was trapped for three days, but I lived.

    (in a video game) I don't know how I lived that, I should've died like 8 times.

    a strong mast that lived upon the sea

    c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]

11. intransitiveupon; or by; upon; or byTo maintain or support one's existence; to provide for oneself; to feed; to subsist.

    It is hard to live on the minimum wage.   They lived on stale bread.   Man shall not live by bread alone.

12. informalintransitiveTo make the most of life; to experience a full, rich life.

    I'm sick of spending every day studying at home: I want to go out there and live!

13. figurativelyintransitiveTo spend a great deal of time in a particular place.

    She lives on the Internet.

comparative more live · superlative most live

1. attributiveHaving life; that is alive.

   The post office will not ship live animals.

   Synonyms: living

2. Being in existence; actual.

   He is a live example of the consequences of excessive drinking.

   Synonyms: real

3. Having active properties; being energized.

   Because the vaccinia virus is live, it is important to follow care instructions for the vaccination site.

4. Operational; in actual use rather than in testing etc.
   1. computingOf an object or value: that may potentially be used in the future execution of a program.

      An object in the heap is live if its address is held in a root, or there is a pointer to it held in another live heap node.

      1996, Richard Jones, Rafael Lins, Garbage Collection, →ISBN, page 4

      Antonyms: dead

5. Taken from a living animal.

   live feathers

6. engineeringImparting power; having motion.

   a live, or driving, axle

   1 more example

   the live spindle of a lathe

7. hobbiesStill in active play.

   a live ball

8. card gamesOf a card: not yet dealt or played.

   As a beginner, when you are in a hand, you should practice counting your outs, or those live cards left in the deck that can improve your hand.

   2005, Alison M. Pendergast, Play Winning Poker in No Time, page 57

9. broadcastingBeing broadcast ("on the air"), as it happens.

   Are we live?

   1 more example

   The station presented a live news program every evening.

10. In person.

    This nightclub has a live band on weekends.

    Synonyms: in person, in the flesh

11. performingentertainmentRecorded from a performance in front of an audience.

    a live album

12. Able to fire or explode (of firearms or explosives).

    The air force practices dropping live bombs on the uninhabited island.

13. Of an environment where sound is recorded: having noticeable reverberation.

    It sounds like the instruments were recorded in a fairly live room with reverb added.

    2016, Jason Corey, Audio Production and Critical Listening: Technical Ear Training, page 136

    1 more example

    A good experiment is to have a friend stand in a fixed position in a moderately live room and talk in a clear voice.

    2002, John Eargle, Chris Foreman, Audio Engineering for Sound Reinforcement, page 21

14. circuitryElectrically charged or energized, usually with a risk of causing electrocution if touched.

    Use caution when working near live wires.

    Synonyms: hot

15. card gamesBeing a bet which can be raised by the bettor, usually in reference to a blind or straddle.

    Tommy's blind was live, so he was given the option to raise.

16. broadcastingFeaturing humans; not animated, in the phrases "live actors" or "live action".
17. Being in a state of ignition; burning.

    a live coal; live embers

    1 more example

    Call it a dead language if you want to—it looks to me like those Latinites were the live boys when it came to putting a whole lot of meaning into just two or three words.

    1916 March 25, Irvin S. Cobb, “"Unaccustomed as I am—"”, in Saturday Evening Post

18. obsoleteVivid; bright.

    the live carnation

    a. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC

19. datedslangEnergetic, attentive, active.

    a live man, or orator

    1 more example

    Now then, Bill, I've recommended to the troop that they take you in, and the fellows have all voted in favor of you. These scouts are a live bunch and they all expect you to make good.

    1915, “In the Scout Cave”, in Boys' Life, volume 5, number 3, page 23

20. slangOutstanding, top-notch, exhilarating.

    The party was live, and the music was jammin. All over the beach people in colorful swimsuits were moving to the beat.

    1998, Kimberly S. Phillips, Purpose Lies Within, Messenger Publishing, →ISBN, page 119

21. human sciencesOf a syllable in languages such as Thai and Burmese: resonating, not ending abruptly.

    Antonyms: dead

comparative more live · superlative most live

1. Of an event, as it happens; in real time; direct.

   The concert was broadcast live by radio.

2. Of making a performance or speech, in person.

   He'll be appearing live at the auditorium.