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Showing results for make a living. Search instead for Have a longing.
Synonyms

make a living

Idioms  

  1. Earn enough to support oneself, as in Can he make a living as a freelance trumpeter? This term was first recorded in 1632.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Supplemental Security Income, which serves 7.5 million Americans who are unable to make a living because of severe disabilities or destitution in old age, has never been easy to qualify for.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

The highest gas prices in the country are making it tougher for some gig drivers to make a living.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026

"They've got to make a living as well. It's part of their life now, this sort of thing, so I think it's good," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

We need people to watch our races to be able to make a living out of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“Christ, Francie, a feller is got to make a living and it comes slow in this business—a penny at a time.”

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.