live up

verb

To fulfil the expectations placed upon one.

“She never lived up to her reputation.”

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Meanings

verblive up (third-person singular simple present lives up, present participle living up, simple past and past participle lived up)

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

  1. idiomaticintransitivewith toTo fulfil the expectations placed upon one.

    She never lived up to her reputation.

    3 more examples

    The holidays didn't live up to the advertiser's claims.

    Seeing A-listers in the aisles makes Frieze seem sexier than most fairs, placing added pressure on galleries to live up to the sponsorship provided by high-end fashion brands and luxury goods.

    2023 October 7, Gregor Muir, “Frieze turns 20”, in FT Weekend (Collecting section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2

    Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the executive arm of the 27-nation European Union, said: “This is Europe’s moment and we must live up to it.”

    2025 March 4, Marc Santora, quoting Ursula von der Leyen, “Ukraine Races to Salvage U.S. Alliance After Trump Halts Aid”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 04 Mar 2025
  2. idiomaticobsoletebusinessTo spend money on one's lifestyle to the exact limit of a specific budget or revenue, leaving nothing for savings.

    'But it is not to be imagined that she lives up to her income. Few people of common prudence will do that; and whatever she saves, she will be able to dispose of.'

    1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XI, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC

Translations

Arabic ارتقى إلى, كان في مستوى
  • ارتقى إلىto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • كان في مستوىto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Czech splnit, naplnit
  • splnitto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • naplnitto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • dostátto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • odpovídatto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Dutch waarmaken
  • waarmakento fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Finnish täyttää odotukset, olla veroinen (jonkin)
  • täyttää odotuksetto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • olla veroinen (jonkin)to fulfil the expectations placed upon one
French être à la hauteur
  • être à la hauteurto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
German gerecht werden, halten
  • gerecht werdento fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • haltento fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Italian soddisfare le aspettative
  • soddisfare le aspettativeto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Latvian attaisnot cerības
  • attaisnot cerībasto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Persian برآورده کردن
  • برآورده کردنto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Polish spełniać oczekiwania, spełnić oczekiwania
  • spełniać oczekiwaniato fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • spełnić oczekiwaniato fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Russian опра́вдывать, оправда́ть
  • опра́вдывать (oprávdyvatʹ)to fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • оправда́ть (opravdátʹ)to fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Spanish estar a la altura (de), dar la talla
  • estar a la altura (de)to fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • dar la tallato fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • hacer honor (a)to fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • vivir segúnto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Swedish leva upp till, göra skäl för
  • leva upp tillto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
  • göra skäl förto fulfil the expectations placed upon one
Cite this entry
APA

live up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/live%20up

MLA

“live up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/live%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “live up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/live%20up.

Source: live up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.