live by
phrasal verb
lived by; living by; lives by
1
: to agree with and follow (something, such as a set of beliefs)
He tried to live by his faith.
a principle I try to live by
2
: to survive by (doing something)
They were an ancient people who lived by hunting and gathering.
Examples of live by in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike many other contemporary writers, such as Tolstoy or Turgenev, who were well off, Dostoyevsky lived by his writing and struggled throughout his life to earn enough money.
—
Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
But with the ex-president becoming the first post-World War Two French leader to be sent to prison, the historic event was covered live by all of France’s main broadcasters, news channels and news websites.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Mamdani's brand of economic populism, which focuses on lowering the city's astronomical cost of living by advocating for the government to prioritize helping the lower and middle classes over the wealthy, has generated buzz and excitement.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Those without internet access can listen to the call live by dialing (833) 470-1428 and then entering the passcode, 549176.
—Jon Walker, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live by
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Karl Ove Knausgaard, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2025
But with the ex-president becoming the first post-World War Two French leader to be sent to prison, the historic event was covered live by all of France’s main broadcasters, news channels and news websites.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Mamdani's brand of economic populism, which focuses on lowering the city's astronomical cost of living by advocating for the government to prioritize helping the lower and middle classes over the wealthy, has generated buzz and excitement.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Oct. 2025
Those without internet access can listen to the call live by dialing (833) 470-1428 and then entering the passcode, 549176.
—Jon Walker, Arkansas Online, 15 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live by
Cite this Entry
“Live by.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20by. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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