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live

live

293 1.0
Full of life and energy
  • adjective
  • /lɪv/
: vivo
  • During our visit to the farm, we saw many live animals, including cows and sheep grazing peacefully.
  • live births
  • live vaccine
  • live poultry

Now probiotics actually contain live bacteria, OK.

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Examples

  • So do you have any live people?

  • Our trailer stood in a patch of live oaks, with gray moss hanging down.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • And still not a single conversation with a real live person.

  • Of women with at least one live birth, 14% had lost a child.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The engineers use live cells taken directly from the patient's body part to be replaced.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We've got a live one.

  • At one stage, I had a double cage with a live chicken and a stuffed rabbit.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Four of the patients had a history of contact with live chickens or visiting a live poultry market.

    Academic text (2013)
  • The rate for white mothers was 37.0 per 10,000 live births compared to 91.0 for black mothers.

    Academic text (1994)
  • The magician amazed the audience with a trick involving a live rabbit that appeared from a hat.

Synonyms

alive
vslive
∞ 1.0

Still present and not dead

emphasizes being full of life and active energy rather than simple existence
living
vslive
765 1.0

Still existing or active now, not dead

focuses on being full of life and energy rather than simple ongoing existence

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

Not alive or working, for example a battery with no power

27 3.4

Not moving and showing no signs of people or animals

Idioms

39 4.2

To have the life you always wanted after hard work

to live a lie
  • Informal
26 7.2

To hide the truth about yourself by pretending something else is true

19 7.4

Lead a life full of risk and excitement by doing dangerous things

17 4.8

To be very excited about something and always make it a main part of life

To have a happy, full life and treat others well

10 8.4

A couple who live together and have sex without being married, often seen as wrong by some people

6 8.0

Not knowing things most people know

6 7.2

To depend completely on a belief or rule

5 7.5

A shout showing support and wishing the king a long life

3 8.2

Have a very comfortable life with lots of money

To be less known or important because someone else is more famous

People who use violence are likely to die violently

To live very simply and avoid extra comforts

To stay constantly in someone's thoughts and annoy them

the live one
  • Informal
8.6

A person who makes others laugh and enjoy themselves

Compounds

real live
  • Informal
56 3.9

Present in person and not imaginary

31 1.6

Music played in front of people, not from a recording

live birth
  • Specialized
11 3.5

A baby born showing any sign of life

7 3.4

A person or animal that is not dead

6 6.0

A large tree with green leaves all year that grows in the southern United States

live wire
  • Specialized
6 4.1

A wire that is carrying electric current and is dangerous to touch

live wire
  • Informal
3 4.6

A person who is very lively and full of energy

2 2.3

Musicians play jazz music for people at a place not from a recording

California live oak
  • Specialized
1 8.2

An evergreen oak tree with small, thick, spiny dark green leaves that grows on the coast of California

live steam
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Steam at full pressure from a boiler used to run engines or machines

An evergreen tree from the southern United States with wide, spreading branches and very hard wood

coast live oak
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A short bushy evergreen tree that grows along the west coast of North America with small thick spiny leaves

1 7.8

A small brightly colored fish that gives birth to young that can swim when born

live axle
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A bar under a vehicle that sends engine power to the wheels

1 8.3

A medium-sized evergreen oak tree with leathery spiny-edged leaves that grows in dry canyons in southwestern US and northwestern Mexico

1 9.6

A small hardy plant with thick leaves that forms low clusters and small purple and white flowers

live load
  • Specialized
1 6.1

A weight on a structure that changes, like people or vehicles

live-and-die
  • Australian
9.9

A small bush from the tropics whose leaves fold when touched and that has sharp thorns

interior live oak
  • Specialized
9.3

An evergreen tree with thick leaves that grows in dry hills of western North America

A music show you go to in person

A medicine taken by mouth that contains three weakened live polio viruses to protect against polio

How Alive

vigorous
78 4.1
healthy
800 1.0
live
293 1.0
dying
242 2.4
dead
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

live positive
liver comparative
livest superlative

Etymology

Live comes from an old English word life meaning 'life'. So to call someone or something live is to say it is full of 'life' and energy, which is why we use live for people or groups who seem energetic.