live
gb/lˈaɪv/ us/lˈaɪv/
A1
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A1
state
1
to be alive
To have life and not be dead.
Usage pattern:
[someone] lives
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'live' (verb) with 'life' (noun) or 'alive' (adjective).
Synonyms
exist (More general, can refer to non-living things as well.)
Antonyms
die (Direct opposite; to stop being alive.)
Collocations
live a long life
|live in peace
|live happily
Themes
daily life
|biology
|core_vocabulary
|health
Examples
- Both of my grandparents still live in the countryside.
- Some animals can live for over a hundred years.
- He lived through two world wars.
Learner examples
- I live in a big city.
- Fish live in water.
- My parents live near the school.
Verb
A1
action
2
to reside somewhere
To stay and have your home in a place.
Usage pattern:
[someone] lives [somewhere]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes omit prepositions, e.g., 'I live Paris' instead of 'I live in Paris'.
Synonyms
reside (More formal; often used in official contexts.)
Antonyms
visit (To go to a place temporarily, not to live there.)
Collocations
live abroad
|live in the city
|live next door
Themes
daily life
|geography
|housing
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She lives in London with her family.
- They lived in Japan for five years.
- Where do you live now?
Learner examples
- I live in Paris.
- My aunt lives near the beach.
- We live on the third floor.
adjective
A2
property
3
broadcast or happening now
Happening now, not recorded before.
Common mistake:
Confusing 'live' (adjective) with 'life' (noun) or 'alive' (adjective). Also pronouncing it like 'give'.
Synonyms
real-time (Technical term; not commonly used for performances.)
Antonyms
recorded (Prepared earlier and not happening at the moment.)
Collocations
live broadcast
|live concert
|live coverage
Themes
media
|technology
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The match will be shown live on television.
- This is a live recording from the concert last night.
- We are going live to our reporter in the field.
Learner examples
- We watched a live football game.
- The singer gave a live show.
- This is a live TV program.
Verb
B1
action
4
to experience life in a certain manner
To have a way of life or do things in a certain way.
Usage pattern:
[someone] lives [adverb/adjective/phrase]
Synonyms
lead (a life) (Often used with 'life' to describe lifestyle.)
Antonyms
suffer (In contrast to living well or happily.)
Collocations
live happily
|live simply
|live dangerously
Themes
daily life
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They try to live sustainably.
- He lived modestly despite his wealth.
- She lives her life to the fullest.
Learner examples
- I want to live happily.
- They live very quietly.
- We live in a healthy way.
adjective
A2
property
5
having life or energy
Alive or full of energy/power.
Synonyms
alive ('Alive' is more common for people and animals; 'live' is often used before nouns.)
Antonyms
dead (Without life or energy.)
Collocations
live animals
|live wires
|live insects
Themes
biology
|health
|body
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There were live fish swimming in the tank.
- Be careful—this is a live electrical wire.
- The lab uses live bacteria for testing.
Learner examples
- The zoo has many live animals.
- A live wire can hurt you.
- I saw a live snake.
Grammar
Dictionary form
live
IPA
GB/lˈaɪv/
US/lˈaɪv/
Syllables & stress
live (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (live)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: live
Verb
- Base: live
- 3rd Person Singular: lives
- Present Participle: living
- Past: lived
Word family
Expressions
live it up
3/lˈɪv ˈɪt ˈʌp/
idiom
informal
enjoy oneself extravagantly
To enjoy life by spending money and doing fun things.
Examples
- They went to Las Vegas to live it up.
- After winning the lottery, he really lived it up.
live on
1/lˈɪv ˈɔn/
phrasal verb
survive using something for support
To have enough food/money from something to survive.
Examples
- They had to live on bread and water for days.
- She lives on a small pension.
live up to
2/lˈɪv ˈʌp tə/
phrasal verb
meet expectations or standards
To be as good as people hoped or expected.
Examples
- The movie didn’t live up to my expectations.
- She lived up to her reputation as a great leader.
long live [someone/something]
5/lˈɔŋ lˈɪv sˈoʊmˈoʊnsəmˈɛθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
literary
wish someone/something a long life
Used to say you hope someone or something will have a long life or continue for a long time.
Examples
- Long live the king!
- Long live our friendship!
live and learn
4/lˈɪv ˈænd lˈɚn/
idiom
gain knowledge from experience or mistakes
Used when you learn something new from an experience, often after making a mistake.
Examples
- I didn’t know you could eat that plant—live and learn!
- I didn’t know that would happen—well, you live and learn.
- Well, live and learn; I never thought he could speak Italian.
- He forgot his passport, but you live and learn.