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general::
Phrase(s): live by something
1. to live near something. • We live by a lovely park that is filled with children in the summer. • I would love to live by the sea. 2. to survive by doing or using something in particular. (See also live by one’s wits.) • She lives by her own skill and hard work. • We live by the skills that we have—and hard work, of course.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs