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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 20 The infamous Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar match at WrestleMania 20, widely regarded as one of the worst in WrestleMania history, lived down to its negative hype. — Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025 Reynolds had a place there but also lived down the street, in a two-story house at 14 rue Hallé with a big enough backyard to accommodate Brancusi sculptures, a gang of cats, and nightly gatherings of Surrealists. — Karen Chernick, ARTnews.com, 14 Mar. 2025 Tori Spelling can’t live down this embarrassing wardrobe blunder. — Escher Walcott, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025 Oscar is still living down #OscarsSoWhite, so Janelle Monáe, who’d had a supporting role in Harriet, opens with a lively song about all the films that didn’t get nominated and dings the Academy for not having a more diverse slate of acting nominees. — Bill Wyman, Vulture, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for live down

Word History

First Known Use

1842, in the meaning defined above

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

Rhymes for live down

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Browse Nearby Words

lived-in
live down
live for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Live down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20down. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

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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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