Word.ws English Dictionary

live

/ˈlɪv/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

General South African/ˈlaːv/

live verb: to be alive; to have life.

Verb

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

  1. (intransitive) To be alive; to have life.
    • He's not expected to live for more than a few months.
  2. (intransitive) To 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.
    • 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
    Synonyms:
    range
    1. (informal, intransitive) (of an object) to have its proper place; to normally be stored.
      • I washed your gravy boat. Where does it live?
  3. (intransitive) To 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. (intransitive) To endure in memory; to escape oblivion.
    • 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.2017 March 14, Stuart James, “Leicester stun Sevilla to reach last eight after Kasper Schmeichel save”, in the Guardian
  5. (excessive, intransitive) To cope.
    • You'll just have to live with it! I can't live in a world without you.
  6. (intransitive) To pass life in a specified manner.
    • It is difficult to live in poverty. And they lived happily ever after.
  7. (transitive) To spend, as one's life; to pass; to maintain; to continue in, constantly or habitually.
    • To live an idle or a useful life.
    • Many people write their romances, others live them; Honore de Balzac did both.1921, Juanita Helm Floyd, Women in the Life of Balzac
  8. (transitive) To act habitually in conformity with; to practice; to exemplify in one's way of life.
    • to live the Gospel1563 March 30 (Gregorian calendar), John Foxe, Actes and Monuments of These Latter and Perillous Dayes, […], London: […] Iohn Day, […], →OCLC
    • 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
  9. (obsolete, transitive) To 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...
  10. (ambitransitive) To outlast danger; (of a ship or boat) to float.
    • That rockslide trapped me in a cave, and I was trapped for three days, but I lived.
    • No ship could live in such a storm.
  11. (intransitive, upon, or by) To 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. (informal, intransitive) To 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. (figuratively, intransitive) To spend a great deal of time in a particular place.
    • She lives on the Internet.

Adjective

live (comparative more live, superlative most live)

  1. (attributive) Having 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. Of 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
  5. Taken from a living animal.
    • live feathers
  6. Imparting power; having motion.
    • the live spindle of a lathe
    • a live, or driving, axle
  7. Still in active play.
    • a live ball
  8. Of 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. Being broadcast (“on the air”), as it happens.
    • The station presented a live news program every evening.
    • Are we live?
  10. In person.
    • This nightclub has a live band on weekends.
  11. (performing) Recorded 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.
Show 9 more meaningsShow fewer meanings
  1. Of an environment where sound is recorded: having noticeable reverberation.
    • 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
    • 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
  2. (circuitry) Electrically charged or energized, usually with a risk of causing electrocution if touched.
    • Use caution when working near live wires.
    Synonyms:
    hot
  3. Being 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.
  4. Featuring humans; not animated, in the phrases “live actors” or “live action”.
  5. Being in a state of ignition; burning.
    • 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.1916 March 25, Irvin S. Cobb, “"Unaccustomed as I am—"”, in Saturday Evening Post
  6. (obsolete) Vivid; bright.
    • the live carnationa. 1749 (date written), James Thomson, “Spring”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC
  7. (dated, slang) Energetic, attentive, active.
    • 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.1915, “In the Scout Cave”, in Boys' Life, volume 5, number 3, page 23
  8. (slang) Outstanding, 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
  9. Of a syllable in languages such as Thai and Burmese: resonating, not ending abruptly.
    Antonyms:
    dead

Adverb

live (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.

live meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

live in Hindi

have permanent residence
रहना rahnā, निवास करना nivās karnā, बसना basnā
be alive
जीना jīnā, जीवित jīvit
survive, persevere, continue
जीना jīnā
having life
जीवित jīvit, सजीव sajīv, जीवंत jīvant

live in Tamil

be alive
வாழ் vāḻ, உயிர்வாழ் uyirvāḻ
survive, persevere, continue
பிழை piḻai
outlast (danger), float (of a ship, boat)
தாக்குப்பிடி tākkuppiṭi
(broadcasting) seen or heard from a broadcast, as it happens
நேரடி nēraṭi

live in Marathi

to live, to stay
राहणे rāhṇe
to live, be alive, exist, survive
जगणे jagaṇe

live in Urdu

have permanent residence
رَہْنا rahnā, بَسْنا basnā
be alive
جِینا jīnā
having life
زندہ zinda
(broadcasting) seen or heard from a broadcast, as it happens
براہِ راست barāh-e-rāst
More languagesFewer languages
live in Bengali
থাকা thaka, বাঁচা bãca
live in Telugu
నివసించు nivasiñcu
live in Malayalam
ജീവിക്കുക jīvikkuka, താമസിക്കുക tāmasikkuka, അതിജീവിക്കുക atijīvikkuka, ജീവനുള്ള jīvanuḷḷa
live in Kannada
ಬದುಕು baduku
live in Punjabi
ਜਿਊਣਾ jiūṇā, ਰਹਿਣਾ rahiṇā, وسنا vassṇā
live in Gujarati
જીવવું jīvvũ, રહેવું rahevũ
live in Odia
ବଞ୍ଚିବା bañcibā, ଜୀଇବା jiibā, ତିଷ୍ଠିବା tiṣṭhibā, ବଢ଼ିବା baṛhibā
live in Sanskrit
क्षेति kṣeti, वसति vasati, जीवति jī́vati
live in Sinhala
ජීවත් වෙනවා jīwat wenawā
live in Assamese
থাকা thaka, জীয়া zia, থাক thak
live in Nepali
जिउनु jiunu
live in Pashto
ژوند کول žwənd kawəl, اوسېدل osedə́l
live in Tagalog
manirahan, mabuhay
live in Arabic
سَكَنَ sakana, عَاشَ ʕāša, أَقَامَ ʔaqāma, حَيِيَ ḥayiya
live in Malay
tinggal, duduk, semayam, langsung
live in Indonesian
tinggal, langsung, hidup
live in Persian
زِنْدَگِی کَرْدَن zindagī kardan, زِنْدِگی کَرْدَن zendegi kardan, زنده zende, زِنْدَه گِی کَرْدَن zinda gī kardan
live in Thai
อยู่ yùu, อาศัย aa-sǎi, มีชีวิต mii-chii-wít, สด sòt
live in Vietnamese
ở, sống, trực tiếp
live in Myanmar
နေ ne, ရှင် hrang, အသက်ရှင် a.sakhrang

Examples of live in a sentence

  • (in a video game) I don't know how I lived that, I should've died like 8 times.
  • 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:
  • 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.2016 March 24, Jon Henley, “The aggressive, outrageous, infuriating (and ingenious) rise of BrewDog”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

All 40 example sentences with live

Synonyms of live

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Antonyms

All synonyms and antonyms of live

Forms of live

Verb
third-person singular presentlives
present participleliving
past participlelived
pastlived
Adjective
comparativemore live
superlativemost live
Adverb
comparativemore live
superlativemost live

Past tense of live: lived

Origin of live

From Middle English lefe, lifen, libbe, libben, live, luvien, lyven, from Old English libban, lifian (“to live; be alive”), from Proto-West Germanic *libbjan, from Proto-Germanic *libjaną (“to live”), from Proto-Indo-European *leyp- (“to stick”). Cognates Cognate with Yola live (“to live”), North Frisian laawe, lawe, lewe, lewi, lewwe, lääwe (“to live”), Saterland Frisian lieuwje, líeuwje (“to live”), West Frisian libje (“to live”), Alemannic German läbe (“to live”), Cimbrian and Mòcheno lem (“to live”), Dutch leeven, leven (“to live”), German leben (“to live”), German Low German lęven (“to live”), Limburgish leve, léëve (“to live”), Luxembourgish liewen (“to live”), Vilamovian łaowa (“to live”), Yiddish לעבן (lebn, “to live”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål leve (“to live”), Faroese liva (“to live”), Icelandic lifa (“to live”), Norwegian Nynorsk leva, leve, liva (“to live”), Swedish leva (“to live”), Gothic 𐌻𐌹𐌱𐌰𐌽 (liban, “to live”); also Latin lippus (“half-sighted, myopic”), Greek λίπος (lípos, “fat, tallow”), Lithuanian lipti (“to stick”), Bulgarian лепя́ (lepjá, “to glue, paste, stick; to plaster, smear”), Czech lepit (“to glue, stick”), Macedonian лепи (lepi, “to glue, stick”)...

An apheretic form of alive.

Words formed from live

Phrases with live

115 more phrasesFewer phrases

Words that rhyme with live

5 more rhymesFewer rhymes

Questions about live

What does live mean?
Live means to be alive; to have life.
What is live in Hindi?
Live in Hindi is रहना (rahnā), निवास करना (nivās karnā), बसना (basnā). See Live meaning in Hindi.
How do you use live in a sentence?
(in a video game) I don't know how I lived that, I should've died like 8 times.
What part of speech is live?
Live can be a verb, an adjective or an adverb.
How do you pronounce live?
Live is pronounced /ˈlɪv/.
What is the past tense of live?
The past tense of live is lived.

Words near live in the dictionary

  1. Livadeia
  2. Livarot
  3. LiVARpool
  4. Livas
  5. Livases
  6. live
  7. live a lie
  8. live a little
  9. live action
  10. live actor
  11. live actors

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: live (page history and authors); जगणे (Marathi) (page history and authors); থাকা (Bengali) (page history and authors); وسنا (Punjabi) (page history and authors); જીવવું (Gujarati) (page history and authors); ଜୀଇବା (Odia) (page history and authors); জীয়া (Assamese) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-us-live-verb.ogg.

Cite this entry: “live.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/live. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.