live down

make people forget about something embarrassing you did

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What does "live sth down" mean?

To live something down means to do or say something so embarrassing that people around you keep remembering it — and 'living it down' is the slow process of making them forget. The phrase is overwhelmingly used in negative constructions: when someone says they will 'never live it down', they mean the embarrassment will follow them indefinitely, no matter how much time passes. It typically describes public or social blunders — a cringeworthy speech, a spectacular failure, an awkward moment witnessed by others — rather than private regrets. The subject is always the person who is embarrassed, not the people who witnessed the event. Occasional positive uses like 'she finally lived it down' are valid but far less common, and usually need a time marker to sound natural.

Examples

How to use it

never live + it/this/that + down

The dominant pattern — almost a fixed idiom. Negative constructions with 'never' are by far the most natural use of this phrasal verb.

He forgot the lyrics in front of the entire audience and will never live it down.

live + pronoun object + down

The object (almost always 'it') is placed between the verb and particle — this separated form is strongly preferred over keeping the phrase together.

She made such an awkward joke at the conference that she could never live it down.

never be able to live + it + down

A common modal construction that emphasises the ongoing impossibility of escaping the embarrassment.

If he shows up wearing that to the office party, he won't be able to live it down.

live down + the embarrassment/mistake/incident

Full noun phrase objects after the particle are grammatically correct but feel slightly more deliberate or formal than the pronoun form.

It took her years to live down the embarrassment of that disastrous presentation.

live + it + down + eventually / after years

Positive uses (where someone does succeed) require a time marker to sound natural — without one, the sentence feels incomplete.

The gaffe was all over the internet, but she lived it down eventually.

Common Collocations

never live it downlive down the embarrassmentlive down the mistakelive down the incidentlive down the shamenever be able to live it down

Common Mistakes

Using it without negation

'He will live it down' sounds strange on its own because the phrase is almost always used negatively. Either add 'never', or include a time marker like 'eventually' or 'one day' if you mean the person succeeds.

✗ Don't worry — you will live it down.
✓ Don't worry — you'll live it down eventually.
Omitting the object 'it'

This phrasal verb always requires an object; it cannot be used without one. 'It' is by far the most natural choice and is considered almost obligatory in typical usage.

✗ He tripped on stage and will never live down.
✓ He tripped on stage and will never live it down.
Confusing 'live down' with 'live with'

'Live down' is about escaping public embarrassment — you want other people to forget. 'Live with' means privately accepting something difficult or regrettable, and doesn't involve others' memories.

✗ She made a terrible decision and has had to live it down ever since.
✓ She made a terrible decision and has had to live with it ever since. / The embarrassing photo went viral and she's never been able to live it down.

Usage

This phrasal verb is used in both British and American English with no significant regional difference. It is most natural in informal spoken contexts and storytelling, and nearly always appears in the separated form with 'it' as the object.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use 'live it down' in the present continuous, like 'he is living it down'?

This sounds unnatural and is best avoided. 'Live down' doesn't work well with continuous tenses because it describes a slow, ongoing state rather than an action happening at a specific moment. Stick to constructions like 'will never live it down', 'has never lived it down', or 'won't be able to live it down'.

What's the difference between 'never live it down' and 'never let someone live it down'?

These are two related but different constructions. 'Never live it down' describes the embarrassed person's inability to escape the memory. 'Never let someone live it down' describes a third party — a friend, colleague, or the public — who keeps reminding the person of the embarrassing moment and refuses to let them forget it.

Can 'live it down' be used in the passive?

No — passive constructions with 'live down' sound awkward and are almost never used. The subject should always be the person who is embarrassed, using an active construction: 'She will never live it down', not anything passive.

Does 'live down' always involve something embarrassing, or can it refer to other negative things?

It is closely associated with embarrassment, humiliation, or public shame — things like social blunders, professional failures, or awkward moments that others witnessed. It doesn't typically describe private guilt or moral wrongdoing; for those situations, 'live with' would be the more natural choice.

Is 'live down' more common in British or American English?

It's used naturally in both British and American English with no significant regional difference in meaning or frequency. You'll encounter it in both contexts, particularly in casual conversation, storytelling, and commentary about public figures.

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