livelihood meaning and examples

2025-09-03

Meaning

  • Livelihood (noun) refers to the means by which someone earns money or resources to support life.
  • It is closely connected to work, income, and the way people sustain themselves.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: noun

  • Countable/uncountable: Usually countable when referring to individual occupations, and uncountable when referring to the concept in general.

  • Typical structures:

    • make/earn a livelihood → to support oneself through work.
    • threaten/destroy someone’s livelihood → to put their means of survival at risk.
    • depend on livelihood from → to rely on something as a source of income.

Common Phrases

  • means of livelihood – a way of earning a living.
  • source of livelihood – the job or resource someone relies on.
  • secure one’s livelihood – to ensure financial stability.
  • lose one’s livelihood – to no longer have a way to support oneself.

Collocations

  • Verb + livelihood: earn a livelihood, make a livelihood, secure a livelihood, lose a livelihood, threaten a livelihood.
  • Adjective + livelihood: decent livelihood, stable livelihood, traditional livelihood, precarious livelihood.
  • Preposition + livelihood: livelihood from farming, livelihood in tourism, livelihood through trade.

Examples

  1. Fishing is the main livelihood for many coastal communities.
  2. His family depends on farming as their means of livelihood.
  3. Many small businesses lost their livelihoods during the economic crisis.
  4. She earns her livelihood as a teacher.
  5. Climate change threatens the livelihood of farmers.
  6. They moved to the city in search of a better livelihood.
  7. Without that shop, he would have no livelihood.
  8. Education can help people secure a stable livelihood.
  • Occupation
  • Employment
  • Job
  • Income
  • Subsistence
  • Source of living