live with

accept something difficult or unpleasant that you cannot change

B2

What does "live with sth" mean?

To live with something means to accept a difficult or unpleasant situation that you cannot change and continue your life despite it. The key idea is permanence — the thing causing difficulty is not going to go away, so you have no choice but to manage it. It often describes long-term emotional burdens like guilt, regret, or grief, as well as physical conditions or the lasting consequences of past decisions. There is a sense of quiet endurance rather than active resistance — the person has stopped fighting the situation and is finding a way to carry on. The phrase 'I can live with that' is particularly common and almost functions as a fixed expression meaning 'that outcome is acceptable to me, even if it's not ideal'.

Examples

How to use it

live with + noun (situation/feeling/consequence)

The most common pattern — the object is an abstract noun describing something permanent or unchangeable, such as a feeling, condition, or outcome.

She lost her hearing in one ear and has had to learn to live with the silence.

learn to live with + noun/it

This semi-fixed structure emphasises that acceptance takes time and is something gradually achieved rather than immediate.

The injury ended his athletic career, but over the years he learned to live with the disappointment.

have to live with + noun/it

Used to express that there is no alternative — the situation is fixed and unavoidable, so acceptance is the only option.

You made the decision, so now you have to live with the consequences.

can live with + noun/that/it

Used to signal that something is acceptable, even if not perfect — often used to close a discussion or signal reluctant agreement.

The salary is a little lower than I hoped, but I can live with it.

live with the fact that + clause

Used when the difficult thing being accepted is expressed as a full idea rather than a single noun.

He has to live with the fact that his careless words damaged a close friendship.

Common Collocations

live with the painlive with the consequenceslive with the guiltlearn to live with itlive with the fact thatlive with myself

Common Mistakes

Confusing the two senses of 'live with'

Using a person as the object triggers the unrelated residential meaning ('to share a home with someone'). In the tolerance sense, the object should always be a situation, feeling, fact, or abstract noun — not a person.

✗ It's been tough, but I've learned to live with my sister.
✓ It's been tough, but I've learned to live with the uncertainty.
Choosing 'put up with' when 'live with' is more natural

'Put up with' suits ongoing annoyances that could theoretically change, while 'live with' is better for permanent or irreversible situations. Using 'put up with' for something truly unchangeable can sound like you're still expecting a resolution.

✗ The condition is permanent, so she's just putting up with it.
✓ The condition is permanent, so she's just learning to live with it.
Trying to separate the verb and particle

'Live with' is always inseparable — the object must come after 'with', never between 'live' and 'with'.

✗ It's a hard truth, but I've learned to live it with.
✓ It's a hard truth, but I've learned to live with it.

Usage

'Live with' is neutral and suits both spoken and written English. 'I can live with that' is a very common spoken phrase meaning 'that's acceptable to me, even if not perfect' — it's worth learning as a fixed expression.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'live with' always mean something negative?

Almost always, yes — the thing being lived with is typically painful, difficult, or regrettable. However, 'I can live with that' is a slightly softer exception: it means something is acceptable, even if not ideal, rather than deeply painful. Outside of this fixed phrase, the phrasal verb almost always refers to something genuinely difficult.

Can I use 'live with' in the passive, like 'it can be lived with'?

This is technically possible but sounds very unnatural and is rarely used. In practice, the subject is always the person doing the tolerating, and native speakers almost never use a passive form. Stick to active constructions like 'you can live with it' or 'she has to live with it'.

Is 'I can live with that' an idiom? It seems to have a fixed meaning.

It functions very much like a fixed expression in spoken English, meaning 'that is acceptable to me, even if it's not exactly what I wanted'. It's often used to signal the end of a negotiation or discussion. It's worth learning as a ready-made phrase because it's extremely common in everyday conversation.

What does 'I couldn't live with myself' mean? The object seems different here.

This is a special reflexive use where 'myself' refers to your own conscience or moral sense. It means you would feel so guilty or ashamed that you couldn't cope with your own feelings. For example, 'If I hadn't told the truth, I couldn't have lived with myself' means the guilt would have been unbearable.

Can I use 'live with' in the future tense?

Simple future constructions like 'I'll have to live with it' are perfectly natural. However, the future continuous ('will be living with') and future perfect ('will have lived with') sound unnatural or overly formal in this sense and are best avoided.

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