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Showing results for make a living. Search instead for Have a longing.
Synonyms

make a living

Idioms  

  1. Earn enough to support oneself, as in Can he make a living as a freelance trumpeter? This term was first recorded in 1632.

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.

Supplemental Security Income, which serves 7.5 million Americans who are unable to make a living because of severe disabilities or destitution in old age, has never been easy to qualify for.

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2026

We need people to watch our races to be able to make a living out of it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“You can’t make a living doing it,” she told the outlet.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

He said he was no longer able to make a living from his bakery because almost all his customers had fled.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

The fact that he was now an international grandmaster and was eligible to compete for the World Championship made him feel accomplished, but he wondered how he could possibly make a living playing chess.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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.