live off

verb

lived off; living off; lives off

transitive verb

: to use (something or someone) as the main source of what one needs to survive (such as money or food)

… the indigenous … people, who have inhabited the rain forest of Irian Jaya, living off the land, for thousands of years.

—Eyal Press

… the fish goes into a kind of hibernation, living off its reserves of fat …

—Mark Carwardine

… she is one of the few Iditarod competitors who have turned professional, living off race winnings.

—National Wildlife

… a growing subculture of people who have reduced their spending habits and live off consumer waste.

—Erika Hayasaki

Max lives off his father …

—Harold Beaver

Examples of live off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shortly after departing Iraq, Baumgartner went to Afghanistan as a civilian contractor under the State Department, living off base in the Helmand Province. —Brad Pearce, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Feb. 2025

But inside one of the units police discovered the unimaginable: children living alone among garbage, human waste and mold, playing video games and living off food that was dropped off. —Gina Kaufman, USA TODAY, 19 Feb. 2025

White South African farmers are living off of fenced land and goods from their racist ancestors. —Baltimore Sun Editorial Board, Baltimore Sun, 6 Feb. 2025

Those who live off base can qualify for subsidized mortgages. —Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for live off

• cerenkov
• ashraf
• checkoff
• cutoff
• falloff
• handoff
• kickoff
• layoff
• liftoff
• markoff
• markov
• payoff