Etimology
From Middle English lyven, libben, from Old English lifian, libban (“to live; be alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“leave, cling, linger”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian líeuwje (“to live”), West Frisian libje (“to live”), Dutch leven (“to live”), German Low German leven, lęven (“to live”), German leben (“to live”), Swedish leva (“to live”), Icelandic lifa (“to live”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (liban, “to live”).
verb
live (third-person singular simple present lives, present participle living, simple past and past participle lived)
(intransitive) To be alive; to have life.
(intransitive) To have permanent residence somewhere, to inhabit, to reside.
(intransitive) To survive; to persevere; to continue.
(intransitive) To endure in memory; to escape oblivion.
(intransitive, hyperbolic) To cope.
(intransitive) To pass life in a specified manner.
(transitive) To spend, as one's life; to pass; to maintain; to continue in, constantly or habitually.
(transitive) To act habitually in conformity with; to practice; to exemplify in one's way of life.
(transitive, obsolete) To live as; to live being.
(intransitive) To outlast danger; to float (said of a ship, boat, etc).
(intransitive, followed by on, upon, or by) To maintain or support one's existence; to provide for oneself; to feed; to subsist.
(intransitive, informal) To make the most of life; to experience a full, rich life.
Examples
He's not expected to live for more than a few months.
I live at 2a Acacia Avenue. He lives in LA, but he's staying here over the summer.
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.
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.
I washed your gravy boat. Where does it live?
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 dieHad surely added praise to praise.
Her memory lives in that song.
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.
You'll just have to live with it! I can't live in a world without you.
It is difficult to live in poverty. And they lived happily ever after.
To live an idle or a useful life.
Many people write their romances, others live them; Honore de Balzac did both.
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.
But poverty’s scourge is fiercest below $1.25 : people below that level live lives that are poor, nasty, brutish and short.
to live the Gospel
Change happens from the inside out and this great resource can show you how to live the habits that build personal and professional effectiveness.
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.”
at leaſt admit vs libertie,Euen as thou hopſt to be eternized,By liuing Aſias mightie Emperour.
No ship could live in such a storm.
a strong mast that lived upon the sea
It is hard to live on the minimum wage. They lived on stale bread. Man shall not live by bread alone.
I'm sick of spending every day studying at home: I want to go out there and live!
Related words
synonyms
(to have permanent residence somewhere): dwell; See also Thesaurus:reside
(to survive): go on, last, remain; See also Thesaurus:persist
Etimology
An aphetic form of alive.
adjective
live (comparative more live, superlative most live)
(only used attributively) Having life; that is alive.
Being in existence; actual.
Having active properties; being energized.
Operational; in actual use rather than in testing etc.
Taken from a living animal.
(engineering) Imparting power; having motion.
(sports) Still in active play.
(card games) Of a card: not yet dealt or played.
(broadcasting) Being broadcast ("on the air"), as it happens.
(of a performance or speech) In person.
(entertainment, performing) Recorded from a performance in front of an audience.
live, unexploded (of firearms or explosives)
Of an environment where sound is recorded: having noticeable reverberation.
(circuitry) Electrically charged or energized, usually indicating that the item may cause electrocution if touched.
(poker) Being a bet which can be raised by the bettor, usually in reference to a blind or straddle.
(film) Featuring humans; not animated, in the phrases “live actors” or “live action”.
Being in a state of ignition; burning.
(obsolete) Vivid; bright.
(slang)
(linguistics) Of a syllable in languages such as Thai and Burmese: resonating, not ending abruptly.
Examples
The post office will not ship live animals.
He is a live example of the consequences of excessive drinking.
Because the vaccinia virus is live, it is important to follow care instructions for the vaccination site.
Antonym: dead
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.
live feathers
the live spindle of a lathe
a live, or driving, axle
a live ball
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.
The station presented a live news program every evening.
Are we live?
This nightclub has a live band on weekends.
a live album
The air force practices dropping live bombs on the uninhabited island.
A good experiment is to have a friend stand in a fixed position in a moderately live room and talk in a clear voice.
It sounds like the instruments were recorded in a fairly live room with reverb added.
Use caution when working near live wires.
Tommy's blind was live, so he was given the option to raise.
a live coal; live embers
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.
the live carnation
a live man, or orator
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.
The party was live, and the music was jammin. All over the beach people in colorful swimsuits were moving to the beat.
Antonym: dead
Related words
synonyms
(having life): living, alive; see also Thesaurus:alive
(being in existence): real
(electrically charged): hot
(in person): in person, in the flesh
antonyms
(antonym(s) of "having life"): dead
(antonym(s) of "capable of causing harm"): blank, dummy
(antonym(s) of "electrically charged"): neutral, dead
(antonym(s) of "as it happens"): recorded, prerecorded
(antonym(s) of "in person"): broadcast
(antonym(s) of "featuring humans"): animated
adverb
live (comparative more live, superlative most live)
Of an event, as it happens; in real time; direct.
Of making a performance or speech, in person.
Examples
The concert was broadcast live by radio.
He'll be appearing live at the auditorium.