1 A2 neutral
To have your home or permanent residence in a particular place.
"They've lived in Tokyo for over fifteen years."
“
We lived in a house on Privet Drive.
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
inseparable
live in
A2 neutral inseparable intransitive
To reside permanently in a place, or to work and sleep at the same place of employment.
In plain English
To have your home somewhere, or to sleep at the place where you work.
What does "live in" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 neutral
To live at the place where you work, typically as a domestic employee or carer.
"The family hired a live-in housekeeper who had her own room on the top floor."
inseparable
3 B1 informal
To cohabit with a romantic partner without being married (often as compound adjective 'live-in').
"Her live-in boyfriend helps pay the rent."
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
Transparent — to be inside a place as your place of living.
Actually means
To have your home somewhere, or to sleep at the place where you work.
Usage tip
As a simple residence verb, it is fully transparent. The 'live-in' compound adjective (e.g. 'live-in nanny', 'live-in boyfriend') is very common in British and American English to describe someone who resides at a workplace or partner's home.
Words that pair with "live in"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
apartment house city country nanny carer
How to conjugate "live in"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
live in
I/you/we/they
3rd person
lives in
he/she/it
Past simple
lived in
yesterday
Past participle
lived in
have + pp
-ing form
living in
continuous
Hear "live in" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "live in" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Other ways to say "live in"
Swap in when you want variety — tap a linked one to explore it.
be based in be resident in dwell in inhabit reside in
Keep exploring
Jump to every phrasal verb built on the same verb, particle, or level.