live-inadj.n.
/ˈlɪvɪn/, U.S. /ˈlɪvɪn/ colloquial.
A. adj.
1.
a. Of domestic staff, an employee, etc.: resident, living at the place of work (contrasted with live-out adj.). Cf. to live in at live v.1 Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabiting a type of place > [adjective] > dwelling on premises
live-in1934
living-in1955
sleep-in1961
1934 Boston Globe 5 Dec. 27/5 (advt.) Female Help Wanted... General maids, live in; helpers, home nights.
1937 Evening Times (Vineland, New Jersey) 29 Oct. 6/4 There is usually a call for qualified ‘live-in’ domestics.
1944 Clearfield (Pa.) Progress 14 June 7/5 Any farmer wishing to take one or two youths as ‘live-in’ help.
1955 ‘C. H. Rolph’ Women of Streets 148 Worked for four months as live-in domestic.
1970 Daily Tel. 9 Jan. (Colour Suppl.) 19/1 In 1920..the House at Maiden Bradley was run with the help of 26 live-in staff.
1971 H. Waugh Shadow Guest ii. 10 We had a live-in couple to cook and caretake and a live-out woman to clean.
1989 T. Parker Place called Bird iii. 42 I went to work..at a home for old people as what you'd call a sort of live-in general hand.
2001 C. Luke Globalization & Women in Academia ii. vii. 156 Two single women saw live-in parents and live-in help as built-in social support systems.
b. Designating an unmarried person living with a sexual or romantic partner. Also: designating a relationship in which unmarried partners live together.
ΚΠ
1967 Chicago Tribune 14 Feb. ii. 1/5 Julie has just shed her live-in boy friend.
1983 Family Relations 32 471/1 Her former live-in boyfriend, the father of her two children.
1996 Woman's Day (Sydney) 3 June 27/1 He's been in a live-in relationship with Lisa for some time.
2006 New Statesman 31 July 32/2 As her longstanding live-in partner, he is the father of their four children.
2. Of clothing: comfortable or practical enough for continuous or regular wear.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > for specific purpose > other
morningc1620
tropical1774
underground1827
lingeriea1865
summer weight1866
winter weight1871
knockabout1880
dog robber1898
Ascot1907
day length1932
live-in1944
1944 Plain Speaker (Hazleton, Penn.) 25 Feb. 10/6 (advt.) N.Y.S. Cottons will see you through... All spring, and all summer—they're live-in fabrics which you can launder dozens of times and each time have them turn out nice and new.
1984 Sears, Roebuck Catal. Spring–Summer 103 This jumpsuit is..destined to be your ‘live-in’ item for spring and summer.
1986 Sunday Express Mag. 11 May 45/3 This is that kind of ‘live-in’ dress that everyone loves. Comfortable..but capable of looking very chic too.
3. That enables or involves living on site, residential; spec. designating a property which incorporates living accommodation alongside working space.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > [adjective] > habitable
biglyc1400
habitablea1425
tenantable1542
inhabitable1601
liveable1814
occupiable1814
occupable1853
live-in1955
1955 Jrnl. Educ. Sociol. 28 381 The fortnight-long live-in workshop..apparently was markedly more efficient than its commuter counterpart.
1968 Times 28 June 22/8 (advt.) American painter needs live-in Studio in London for four weeks from July 8.
2000 Wall St. Jrnl. 1 Jan. 20/3 In a generation's time, much more schooling will be done over the Internet, at lower cost than today's live-in colleges.
4. Of or relating to the action of deliberately living in as a form of protest. Cf. -in suffix3.
ΚΠ
1966 Maclean's 18 June 1 The ‘live-in’ principles used by civil rights workers in the southern United States.
1985 Los Angeles Times 19 Apr. i. 25/4 Many speakers praised the live-in protesters for their courage and likened them to civil rights and anti-war demonstrators of the 1960s.
2006 M. J. Bednar L'Enfant's Legacy v. 118 Across from the White House there were live-in protests, long-lasting vigils, and demonstrations involving large signs.
B. n.
1. A person who lives in; spec. a domestic employee who is resident in an employer's house. Cf. to live in at live v.1 Phrasal verbs 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > inhabitant by type of accommodation > [noun] > inmate of institution
live-in1974
1937 Manch. Guardian 1 Sept. 2/3 (advt.) Daily Maid (or live in) Wanted urgently..Prestwich.
1944 Morning Herald (Uniontown, Penn.) 5 May 1/4 Farmers of Fayette county who plan to use high school boys and girls as ‘live-ins’ during the summer are urged to file applications promptly with the Emergency Farm Labor office.
1947 Extension Service Rev. 83/2 Based on a sound program of supervision and selection, good ‘live-in’ help was provided for the general and dairy farms of New England... Surveys show how much farmers liked these live-ins.
1957 Washington Post 1 July a8/1 About 70 per cent of the openings for full-time maids..are for ‘live-ins’.
1965 Lowell (Mass.) Sun 31 Aug. 1/5 The growers themselves have hired 1700 [harvesters] with some 2100, including 500 ‘live-ins’ sought from the division of employment security.
1974 T. Kenrick Two for Price of One vii. 71 We have about twenty live-ins and the rest come up to see the shrink a couple of times a week.
2007 G. Mundlak in T. Spijkerboer & S. Van Walsum Women & Immigration Law vii. 132 The intertwining features of gender, class and alienage make live-ins exceptionally vulnerable in the labour market.
2. A form of protest consisting of deliberately living in a place. Also: a person participating in a live-in. rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > demonstration > types of demonstration or protest
counterprotest1595
student demonstration1856
lie-in1867
rent strike1881
hunger strike1889
march1908
protest march1914
occupation1920
lie-down1936
sit-down1936
sit-in1936
freedom march1947
vigil1956
freedom walk1957
swim-in1960
freedom ride1961
sitting in1961
sleep-out1961
fish-in1964
live-in1964
stall-in1964
sleep-in1965
Long March1967
love-in1967
talk-in1967
write-in1967
die-in1970
dirty protest1979
blanket protest1982
society > authority > lack of subjection > rebelliousness > militancy > [noun] > militant person > protester or demonstrator > types of protester or demonstrator
counterprotester1863
hunger-marcher1908
peace marcher1918
sit-downer1936
sit-inner1936
protest marcher1947
sitter1960
freedom rider1961
sit-in1961
sitter-in1961
live-in1964
protest singer1966
1964 Correspondent Autumn 65 The sit-in and all its permutations—kneel-ins, live-ins, wade-ins, learn-ins, read-ins—were first taken as a major challenge to what might be called the ‘territorial’ sense of private property.
1966 Jet 17 Feb. 15 (caption) Bedding down for the night, Negro, white live-ins sprawl on cots, mattresses.
1968 F. B. Barbour Black Power Revolt 201 The agents of these concepts..spent immeasurable energy and time in freedom rides, sit-ins, live-ins, and marches.
3. Chiefly U.S. A live-in partner, a cohabitee.
ΘΚΠ
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabitant > type of inhabitant generally > [noun] > one who co-inhabits > outside marriage
domestic partner1815
bide-in1916
bidie-in1916
cohabiter1942
shack-job1946
cohabitee1955
shack-up1969
live-in1977
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > types of marriage custom or practice > [noun] > cohabitation > one who
star boarder1875
tallyman1876
tallywoman1890
bide-in1916
bidie-in1916
cohabiter1942
shack-job1946
cohabitee1955
shack-up1969
live-in1977
1977 Guardian Weekly 6 Mar. 19/2 She devotes her time to writing, pottery, Ben, her live-in (American for permanent boyfriend).., friends, cats and plants.
1987 H. Murphy Murder takes Partner xiii. 115 Neither Reuben nor Cynthia could tell whether they were simply friends or if Francisca was a ‘live-in’.
2005 Herald-Times (Bloomington, Indiana) 2 Sept. c7/3 I'm not some young ‘chiquita’. I'm a mature woman in my 50s. My live-in, ‘Eli’, and I have been together for six years.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1934