Synonyms

live down

British

/ lɪv /

verb

(tr, adverb) to withstand the effects of (a crime, mistake, etc) by waiting until others forget or forgive it

"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

live down Idioms

Overcome or reduce the shame of a mistake, misdeed, or the like. It is often put in the negative, as in I'm afraid I'll never live down that tactless remark I made. [Mid-1800s]

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.

“Transitory” went from a party line to a punchline, one the Fed is still trying to live down.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

“There are those coming from the Northeast that want to live down here and those in South Florida who want to finally live by the water,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

My in-laws live down in Long Beach, so after breakfast we might take the dogs down to Long Beach.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

The neighborhood looked a bit iffy, so they texted and asked, since I live down here, if I would take a look.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

"Do you live down on Long Island, too?" she inquired.

From " The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald

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

live down

verb

Example Sentences

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