live down

verb

lived down; living down; lives down

transitive verb

: to live so as to wipe out the memory or effects of
made a mistake and couldn't live it down

Examples of live down in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Biden won’t live down his error in passing up a pre-Super Bowl interview on CBS. Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Mar. 2024 Washington will again live down to its calling as First in War, First in Peace, and Last in the National League. Dan Schlossberg, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 The mother of four children and grandmother to 15 lived down the street from where she was found and had gone to the gas station for cigarettes the evening before her body was found. Jake Allen, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Feb. 2024 Holstein and her family evacuated their home but got stuck in the mud, staying overnight at a friend’s house who lived down the hill. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2024 Kelly Ripa is recalling a family Met Gala moment that Mark Consuelos is still trying to live down. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 2 May 2023 The producers and editors did the building for them, giving each a type (naïf, himbo, rock god, firebrand), which the cast members then spent years trying to live up to — or live down. New York Times, 26 Mar. 2021 Over all, the film conveys the sense of a continent that derives its enduring self-image from the distant glories and enduring flame of Bach’s music, and also of the horrific history that Europeans looking to sustain that self-image must own up to and live down. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2021 Michigan State won’t live down last week’s double-overtime home loss to Indiana for a long time. Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 25 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'live down.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of live down was in 1842

Dictionary Entries Near live down

Cite this Entry

“Live down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20down. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

live down

verb
: to live so as to wipe out the memory of
live down a mistake
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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