to live off
77
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /lɪv ɔf/
:
vivir de
- After losing his job, he started living off the support of his family.
- live off someone
- live off the government
- live off the land
It's just get that number, live off the interest.
- It's just get that number, live off the interest.
- And so you have to be able to live off the land.
- Basic skills of knowing how to hide, how to live off the land, all the basic stuff.
- Or you can tighten your belt and do the best you can to live off that one income stream for now.
- Is it possible, practical, or realistic to live off of the land in an urban environment?
Examples
-
I've been stranded up here four days, living off granola and creek water.
-
And so you have to be able to live off the land.
-
So we could live off of our fat for the winter.
-
What are you gonna live off?
-
But now I'm finding that it's really hard to live off one job.
-
Is it possible, practical, or realistic to live off of the land in an urban environment?
-
What I soon learned was that a body can mainly live off goats, their milk, and cheese.
Fiction book (1997) -
He was found wandering in the hills, living off roots and insects.
-
I was a strict vegetarian, living off nuts, berries, and salads.
Fiction book (1999) -
She has been living off her savings while looking for a new job.
Synonyms
309
1.0
Need help or support from something to live
61
3.2
To survive by using a certain food or money
Antonyms
How Dependent
- Informal
6
7.5
- Informal
5
8.6
77
3.9
602
1.0
121
3.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
live + off
The meaning is directly derivable from 'live' (to subsist) plus 'off' (indicating source or separation), so 'live off someone' naturally means to subsist by using that person's resources. This verb + preposition pattern expressing dependence or source is cross-linguistically common and thus should be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.
Etymology
Live off comes from the simple image of someone getting what they need from something, like a family who live off a farm or a person who lives off their savings. The word off shows where the food or money comes from, so the phrase means 'to depend on' someone or something for 'money or food needed to live'.