live on something
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
to have just enough money for basic needs
Literally: reside on a thing
Register: neutral
Examples
She has to live on a small pension.
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Everyday learner phrase (CEFR C1); level cross-referenced from published learner lists. Definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-08-01; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “live on something” mean?
to have just enough money for basic needs Literally: reside on a thing
Is “live on something” formal or informal?
live on something is generally neutral.