“Live hand to mouth” describes a financial situation where a person or household has just enough income or resources to cover immediate, essential expenses, with no surplus or ability to save for the future. It implies a constant struggle to meet basic needs and a lack of financial stability.
Sample Sentences:
- Despite working long hours, she still struggled to make ends meet and had to live hand to mouth.
- The sudden loss of his job left him with no savings, forcing him to live hand to mouth until he found new employment.
- Growing up in a low-income household, they had no choice but to live hand to mouth, relying on government assistance for basic needs.
- The high cost of living in the city meant that many residents had to live hand to mouth, constantly struggling to cover rent and bills.
- The family’s financial mismanagement led them to live hand to mouth, with their income barely covering essential expenses.
- The lack of job opportunities in the area meant that most residents had to live hand to mouth, accepting low-paying jobs to survive.
- The economic downturn forced many businesses to lay off employees, leaving them to live hand to mouth until they could find new employment.
- The elderly couple’s meager pension meant they had to live hand to mouth, prioritizing essential expenses like medication and food.
- The rising inflation made it difficult for people on fixed incomes to make ends meet and forced them to live hand to mouth.
- Despite their hard work, the farmers struggled to sell their crops at fair prices, leaving them to live hand to mouth throughout the year.
- Synonyms:
- Survive paycheck to paycheck
- Barely make ends meet
- Scrape by
- Exist on limited means
- Live from one paycheck to another
- Subsist
- Struggle financially
- Have no savings
- Be financially vulnerable
- Be in a precarious financial situation
- Antonyms:
- Financially secure
- Prosperous
- Well-off
- Affluent
- Comfortable
- Related words:
- Poverty
- Scarcity
- Struggle
- Insufficiency
- Financial instability
- Phrasal verbs:
- Live hand to mouth
- Get by
- Make do
- Scrimp and save
- Pinch pennies
- Idioms:
- Barely scrape through
- Living on the edge
- Robbing Peter to pay Paul
- Count every penny
- Stretch a dollar
In conclusion, “live hand to mouth” describes a financial situation where individuals or households have just enough income or resources to cover immediate needs, with no surplus or ability to save for the future. It is synonymous with terms like “survive paycheck to paycheck,” “scrape by,” or “struggle financially.” The antonyms for living hand to mouth include words like “financially secure” or “prosperous.” Related words highlight concepts related to poverty, scarcity, struggle, and financial instability. Phrasal verbs and idioms provide additional ways to express the state of living hand to mouth or the challenges associated with it. Overall, this article provides a comprehensive explanation of the definition of “live hand to mouth” along with its various synonyms, antonyms, related words, phrasal verbs, and idioms.