Dictionary.com
definitions

live-out

[liv-out]
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR live-out ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

residing away from the place of one's employment: a live-out cook.

Origin of live-out

First recorded in 1965–70; by analogy with live-in

live

1
[liv]

verb (used without object), lived [livd] /lɪvd/, liv·ing.

to have life, as an organism; be alive; be capable of vital functions: all things that live.
to continue to have life; remain alive: to live to a ripe old age.
to continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last: a book that lives in my memory.
to maintain or support one's existence; provide for oneself: to live on one's income.
to feed or subsist (usually followed by on or upon): to live on rice and bananas.
to dwell or reside (usually followed by in, at, etc.): to live in a cottage.
to pass life in a specified manner: They lived happily ever after.
to direct or regulate one's life: to live by the golden rule.
to experience or enjoy to the full: At 40 she was just beginning to live.
to cohabit (usually followed by with).
to escape destruction or remain afloat, as a ship or aircraft.

verb (used with object), lived [livd] /lɪvd/, liv·ing.

to pass (life): to live a life of ease.
to practice, represent, or exhibit in one's life: to live one's philosophy.

Verb Phrases

live down, to live so as to allow (a mistake, disgrace, etc.) to be forgotten or forgiven: She'll never live that crucial moment of failure down.
live in/out, to reside at or away from the place of one's employment, especially as a domestic servant: Their butler lives in, but the maids live out.
live up to, to live in accordance with (expectations or an ideal or standard); measure up to: He never lived up to his father's vision of him.

Idioms

    live high off/on the hog. hog(def 16).
    live it up, Informal. to live in an extravagant or wild manner; pursue pleasure: He started living it up after he got out of the army.
    live well, to live comfortably: They're not wealthy but they live well.

Origin of live

1
before 900; Middle English liven, Old English lifian, libban; cognate with Dutch leven, German leben, Old Norse lifa, Gothic liban
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for live out

handle, withstand, last, recover, remain, bear, keep, live, weather, exist, endure, sustain, subsist, suffer, brave, undergo, feel, tolerate, experience, face
British Dictionary definitions for live out

live out

verb

(intr, adverb) (of an employee, as in a hospital or hotel) to dwell away from one's place of employment

live

1

verb (mainly intr)

to show the characteristics of life; be alive
to remain alive or in existence
to exist in a specified wayto live poorly
(usually foll by in or at) to reside or dwellto live in London
(often foll by on) to continue or lastthe pain still lives in her memory
(usually foll by by) to order one's life (according to a certain philosophy, religion, etc)
(foll by on, upon, or by) to support one's style of life; subsistto live by writing
(foll by with) to endure the effects (of a crime, mistake, etc)
(foll by through) to experience and survivehe lived through the war
(tr) to pass or spend (one's life, etc)
to enjoy life to the fullhe knows how to live
(tr) to put into practice in one's daily life; expresshe lives religion every day
live and let live to refrain from interfering in others' lives; to be tolerant
where one lives US informal in one's sensitive or defenceless position
See also live down, live in, live out, live together, live up, live with

Word Origin for live

Old English libban, lifian; related to Old High German libēn, Old Norse lifa

live

2

adjective

(prenominal) showing the characteristics of life
(usually prenominal) of, relating to, or abounding in lifethe live weight of an animal
(usually prenominal) of current interest; controversiala live issue
actuala real live cowboy
informal full of life and energy
(of a coal, ember, etc) glowing or burning
(esp of a volcano) not extinct
loaded or capable of explodinga live bomb
radio television transmitted or present at the time of performance, rather than being a recordinga live show
(of a record)
  1. recorded in concert
  2. recorded in one studio take, without overdubs or splicing
connected to a source of electric powera live circuit
(esp of a colour or tone) brilliant or splendid
acoustically reverberanta live studio
sport (of a ball) in play
(of rocks, ores, etc) not quarried or mined; native
being in a state of motion or transmitting power; positively connected to a driving member
printing
  1. (of copy) not yet having been set into type
  2. (of type that has been set) still in use

adverb

during, at, or in the form of a live performancethe show went out live

Word Origin for live

C16: from on live alive
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
Word Origin and History for live out

live

v.

Old English lifian (Anglian), libban (West Saxon) "to be, to live, have life; to experience," also "to supply oneself with food, to pass life (in some condition)," from Proto-Germanic *liben (cf. Old Norse lifa "to live, remain," Old Frisian libba, German leben, Gothic liban "to live"), from PIE root *leip- "to remain, continue" (cf. Greek liparein "to persist, persevere;" see leave). Meaning "to make a residence, dwell" is from c.1200. Related: Lived; living.

According to the Dutch Prouerbe ... Leuen ende laetan leuen, To liue and to let others liue. [Malynes, 1622]

To live it up "live gaily and extravagantly" is from 1903. To live up to "act in accordance with" is 1690s, from earlier live up "live on a high (moral or mental) level" (1680s). To live (something) down "outwear (some slander or embarrassment)" is from 1842. To live with "cohabit as husband and wife" is attested from 1749; sense of "to put up with" is attested from 1937. Expression live and learn is attested from c.1620.

live

adj.

1540s, "having life," later (1610s) "burning, glowing," a shortening of alive (q.v.). Sense of "containing unspent energy or power" (live ammunition, etc.) is from 1799. Meaning "in-person" (of performance) is first attested 1934. Live wire is attested from 1890; figurative sense of "active person" is from 1903.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
live out in Medicine

live

[līv]

adj.

Having life; alive.
Capable of replicating in a host's cells.
Containing living microorganisms or viruses capable of replicating in a host's cells.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Idioms and Phrases with live out

live out

1

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]

2

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.

3

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.

live

In addition to the idioms beginning with live

  • live and learn
  • live and let live
  • live by one's wits
  • live dangerously
  • live down
  • live for the moment
  • live from day to day
  • live from hand to mouth
  • live happily ever after
  • live high off the hog
  • live in
  • live in each other's pockets
  • live in sin
  • live it up
  • live like a king
  • live on
  • live on borrowed time
  • live on the edge
  • live out
  • live through
  • live together
  • live up to
  • live wire
  • live with

also see:

  • alive (live) and kicking
  • as I live and breathe
  • close to home (where one lives)
  • (live from) day to day
  • fat of the land, live off the
  • high off the hog, live
  • in one's pocket (live in each other's pockets)
  • learn to live with
  • people who live in glass houses
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.