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
Vaughan found Bonnie a retirement home to ensure she could live out her life in the right conditions but says she lost all the money she'd spent on the horse.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Logistics aside, you’ve worked hard, and you should enjoy your retirement years and live out some of those dreams.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026
“We get to walk out and live out what we learn from the championship run,” Close said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
“They were seeking the treasure of their Personal Legend, without wanting actually to live out the Personal Legend.”
From "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho
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.
