as in sparse
less plentiful than what is normal, necessary, or desirable
survived on a hand-to-mouth income that came from any odd job that he could find
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Recent Examples of hand-to-mouth
At the center of the story is a jazz musician called Y, a bohemian, artsy type who is fed up with his hand-to-mouth existence and so agrees to a lucrative commission, writing an upbeat song to inspire national pride in the wake of the Hamas terror attacks that took place on October 7, 2023.
—
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Compounded by the launch of the first Movistar Plus+ series in 2017, and the later arrival of other global streamers, Spain has finally emerged from its hand-to-mouth past.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 June 2025
Even the champions predominantly lived hand-to-mouth.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 11 June 2025
That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Both dropped out of college and essentially lived hand-to-mouth in order to pursue their musical dreams.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Worse, the company is living hand-to-mouth because of the minuscule revenues, large negative earnings, and high cash outflow.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
The brand recommends using them in tandem with NRTs to satiate the hand-to-mouth habit of vaping.
—Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Teach your children how to avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.
—Steffini Stalos, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2024
Damon Wise, Deadline, 8 July 2025
Compounded by the launch of the first Movistar Plus+ series in 2017, and the later arrival of other global streamers, Spain has finally emerged from its hand-to-mouth past.
—John Hopewell, Variety, 16 June 2025
Even the champions predominantly lived hand-to-mouth.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 11 June 2025
That ecstatic communal experience is a glorious moment of freedom for oppressed people, most of them living hand-to-mouth in an environment of hatred and exploitation.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2025
Both dropped out of college and essentially lived hand-to-mouth in order to pursue their musical dreams.
—Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Jan. 2025
Worse, the company is living hand-to-mouth because of the minuscule revenues, large negative earnings, and high cash outflow.
—John S. Tobey, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
The brand recommends using them in tandem with NRTs to satiate the hand-to-mouth habit of vaping.
—Lina Abascal, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2024
Teach your children how to avoid hand-to-mouth behaviors.
—Steffini Stalos, Verywell Health, 3 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hand-to-mouth
Adjective
-
Berrios, Cracraft and Dubose were sparse contributors last season because of injuries and the fact Malik Washington emerged as Miami’s slot receiver and primary returner.—
Omar Kelly
July 11,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
-
At a tournament where much of the focus has been on sparse attendances, Madrid have got bigger crowds than anyone, drawing an average of 67,247.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
But for most people real human attention is scarce.—
Paul Bloom,
New Yorker,
14 July 2025
-
Longevity Delivers More Than Health These stories prove what’s possible, even when resources are scarce.—
Sylvana Quader Sinha,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Adjective
-
Some other discounts may seem impressive on the surface, but have consistently poor ratings or only a few sizes in stock.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
11 July 2025
-
In Miami’s poorer communities, such as Allapattah and Liberty City, a helicopter inspection suggested extensive roof damage to homes, businesses and churches.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hand-to-mouth.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hand-to-mouth. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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