live-in
adjective
Also residing at the place of one's employment.
live-in
American
[liv-in]
/ ˈlɪvˌɪn /
adjective
-
Also residing at the place of one's employment.
a live-in maid.
-
living in a cohabitant relationship.
noun
live in
British
/ lɪv /
verb
adjective
-
living in the place at which one works
a live-in maid
-
living with someone else in that person's home
a live-in lover
live in
Idioms
-
Reside in one's place of employment or schooling, as in They wanted a baby-sitter who could live in , or Joe was planning to live in at the college . This expression is used primarily for domestic servants or students. [Late 1800s] Also see live out .
-
live in something . Continue in existence, memory, or some feeling. This sense appears in such phrases as live in the past , meaning “to concentrate on past memories,” or live in hope of , meaning “to continue anticipating that something will happen.” For example, Alice lived in the past; she had no interest in current events , or Jim lived in hope of getting a teaching post . Also see live in sin .
Etymology
Origin of live-in
1950–55; adj., noun use of verb phrase live in ( a place )
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:
The live-in personal assistant to Friends star Matthew Perry has been sentenced to 41 months in prison, capping a multi-year legal saga surrounding the actor's death.
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
He and his live-in girlfriend mingled their finances.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026
But her live-in partner, Adam Little, has been struggling to find work as a factory machine operator since 2023.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
Initially, it had seemed that Johnson was on his own with his unwelcome new live-in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
Samantha Peck, my mother’s kind and beautiful live-in personal assistant, had spent the night in the apartment, behind our locked doors.
From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson
Anti-communist panic remained live in the U.S. through the postwar Forties and into the Fifties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Demetriou said while two videos were later removed, six of 21 posts reported in February were still live in late July.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I have no debt and live in a senior high-rise.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
An estimated 350,000 Haitians live in the United States under the program, with many working in healthcare and construction.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Mater and Pater Lumley had declined Lord Fredrick’s invitation to live in the grand house at Ashton Place but had happily accepted his offer of a small cottage on the grounds.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
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.
