make a living
IdiomsExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The long shutdown put some fishermen out of work and led others to turn to catching crabs or other fish to make a living.
From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026
Many of the “ritual entrepreneurs” he profiles are people who make a living by tailoring practice to the individual tastes involved.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
He found his way to Ramallah, where he opened a successful downtown falafel restaurant to make a living, and above all feed his family still in Gaza.
From Barron's • May 9, 2026
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
There were enough chump gamblers that hung around John Hughes’ for a good gambler to make a living off them; chumps that worked, usually.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
