earn a living
idiom
: to earn the money needed for food, clothing, etc.
She's just trying to earn a living.
Examples of earn a living in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In my own country, from 1995 to 2013 USAID trained 28,000 former combatants with skills and tools to farm land and otherwise earn a living, helping to reintegrate these civilians back into society, lifting the economy in a Southern Philippines still torn by war.
—
Butch Meily, Fortune, 7 July 2025
The peasants followed out of a need to earn a living, but they were frequently corrupted by the ideals of luxury and idleness exemplified by the rich, further driving them into poverty.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025
This is especially urgent as broad exemptions to copyright are being proposed in several jurisdictions, threatening the ability of artists and creators to earn a living, and, by extension, generate jobs.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Being turned out of homes, while male relatives, with the ability to earn a living, are comfortably situated.
—Kim Campbell, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn a living
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Butch Meily, Fortune, 7 July 2025
The peasants followed out of a need to earn a living, but they were frequently corrupted by the ideals of luxury and idleness exemplified by the rich, further driving them into poverty.
—Ben Woollard, JSTOR Daily, 18 June 2025
This is especially urgent as broad exemptions to copyright are being proposed in several jurisdictions, threatening the ability of artists and creators to earn a living, and, by extension, generate jobs.
—Michael Sheldrick, Forbes.com, 25 May 2025
Being turned out of homes, while male relatives, with the ability to earn a living, are comfortably situated.
—Kim Campbell, Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for earn a living
Cite this Entry
“Earn a living.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/earn%20a%20living. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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