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hand-to-mouth

American

[hand-tuh-mouth] / ˈhænd təˈmaʊθ /

adjective

offering or providing the barest livelihood, sustenance, or support; meager; precarious.

a hand-to-mouth existence.

hand-to-mouth British

adjective

with barely enough money or food to satisfy immediate needs

a hand-to-mouth existence

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of hand-to-mouth

First recorded in 1500–10

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.

Likewise, Lisa Kibutu, a Kenya Fashion Council board member, says many jobs involving mitumba are "hand-to-mouth" roles that do not allow for growth and social mobility.

From BBC • May 23, 2026

The challenges of hand-to-mouth were not at all theoretical.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 21, 2025

I have always lived hand-to-mouth, and live in a very small mountain town.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 21, 2025

Named zeug after the German word for “stuff,” the utensil is a mediator for the intimacy of the hand-to-mouth gesture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2024

Still, as you may see, this was only hand-to-mouth reading.

From The Library and Society Reprints of Papers and Addresses by Bostwick, Arthur Elmore

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