live-out
adjective
residing away from the place of one's employment.
live-out
American
[liv-out]
/ ˈlɪvˌaʊt /
adjective
live out
British
/ lɪv /
verb
live out
Idioms
-
Complete or survive the end of a period of time, as in Grandpa wants to live out his days in a warmer climate . [First half of 1500s]
-
Reside away from one's place of employment, as in She's a fine housekeeper, but insists on living out . This expression is used primarily for domestic help. [Mid-1800s] Also see live in , def. 1.
-
live out of . Lead a lifestyle characterized by a particular item. This phrase appears in such idioms as live out of a suitcase , meaning “to travel so much that one has no time to unpack one's belongings,” or live out of cans , meaning “to eat only canned food for lack of other foods or time to prepare them.” For example, Traveling for months on end, he got very tired of living out of a suitcase , or We had neither gas nor electricity for a week and had to live out of cans .
Etymology
Origin of live-out
First recorded in 1965–70; by analogy with live-in
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.
See Examples For:
I was working in a small German town as a live-out governess to a rich family.
From Salon ● Feb. 7, 2016
In Boston an average live-out nanny makes $35,000 to $40,000 a year plus benefits, about what the city's entry-level teachers make.
From Time Magazine Archive
“It changed a lot of people, because we live out in a rural community that’s pretty friendly,” he said.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Egyed moved to Grimes County from Houston eight years ago with the aim of “trying to live out a nice, peaceful rural life.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
The couple had hoped to live out their final years together in the tranquillity of the Andalusian countryside.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
But aside that, I really hope that things get easier for the average person… Living in California, it’s pretty hard to live out here.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026
She could see why people used to live out in nature, even if there weren’t any party towers or mansions.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
