Meaning & use
do for a living
Last updated
Meaning
phraseidiom
To earn money to support yourself, especially by doing a particular job.
Grammar: Often used in questions like 'What do you do for a living?' It is not used with an object.
Patterns
- do something for a living
- what does someone do for a living?
What do you do for a living?
She teaches English for a living.
He fixes computers for a living.
Common combinations
- what do you do for a living?
- When we met, he asked me, 'What do you do for a living?'
- do something for a living
- I write code for a living, but I also enjoy painting.
- make a living
- It's hard to make a living as a musician.
Synonyms and how they differ
- make a living
- This is very similar, but 'make a living' focuses on earning enough money, while 'do for a living' focuses on the activity or job itself.
- work as
- This is used to state a profession, e.g., 'I work as a nurse.' It does not include the idea of earning money for support as directly.
Commonly confused: do for a living or do for?
do for a living vs do for
'Do for' can mean to clean and cook for someone, or to ruin something. 'Do for a living' is a fixed phrase about earning money.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'What ___ you do for a living?'
Choose one answer.
The subject is 'you', so the correct auxiliary verb is 'do'. 'Does' is for third-person singular, and 'are' or 'is' do not fit this question pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “do for a living”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.