earn a living — to work in order to make money to support oneself or one's family
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: to work in order to make money to support oneself or one's family
Pronunciation (IPA): /ɜːrn ə ˈlɪvɪŋ/
Example Sentences
- My cat thinks he earns a living by looking cute and knocking things off tables.
- She had to earn a living while studying for her master's degree.
- In the old days, people earned a living with their hands, now we earn it with our keyboards.
earn a living
NOUN[/ɜːrn ə ˈlɪvɪŋ/]
to work in order to make money to support oneself or one's family
He works double shifts at the diner to earn a living for his family.
Burning the midnight oil, learning to earn a living!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The phrase 'earn a living' combines two Old English elements: 'earn' derives from Old English 'earnian', meaning 'to work' or 'to labor', and 'living' from the gerund form of 'live', denoting 'subsistence' or 'livelihood'. Together, the phrase emerged to express the concept of working to sustain oneself.
Breakdown
earn (Old English earnian, 'to work') + a (indefinite article) + living (gerund of 'live', 'means of subsistence'). The construction uses 'living' as a noun meaning 'livelihood' or 'income needed to survive'.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat thinks he earns a living by looking cute and knocking things off tables.”
“She had to earn a living while studying for her master's degree.”
“In the old days, people earned a living with their hands, now we earn it with our keyboards.”
“Many artists find it challenging to earn a living from their creative work alone.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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