live-in
Americanadjective
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Also residing at the place of one's employment.
a live-in maid.
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living in a cohabitant relationship.
noun
verb
adjective
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living in the place at which one works
a live-in maid
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living with someone else in that person's home
a live-in lover
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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 .
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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.
He and his live-in girlfriend mingled their finances.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 18, 2026
Today, Rob requires round-the-clock live-in care, but he is able to take part in hobbies such as going to the gym, hanging out with his dog Denzel, and going to the pub with his friends.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2026
Yes, he has a 24-hour live-in nurse, he says in a new interview, to make sure he takes his medicines on time.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
George Koenig owned a home-care agency, which charged families for hourly or live-in care, for two decades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 4, 2025
In order to root him on, she had taken a rare afternoon off from her live-in job at the judge’s house in Laurelhurst.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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.
