Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - living

~1 adj 1 alive now  (one of the greatest living composers) 2 living proof if someone is living proof of a particular fact, they are a good example of how true it is  (I'm living proof that you don't need a college degree to be successful.) 3 in living memory for as long as anyone can remember  (the worst storm in living memory) 4 in/within living memory a long time ago but within the lives of people who are still alive  (the worst recession in living memory) 5 living things anything that lives, such as plants, animals or people 6 living language a language that is still spoken today ~2 n 1 C usually singular the way that you earn money or the money that you earn  (It's not a great job, but it's a living. | do sth for a living (=as your job))  (So what do you do for a living? | earn/make a living)  (It's hard to make a decent living as a musician. | scrape/scratch a living (=get just enough to eat or live))  (- see life) 2 the living all the people who are alive as opposed to dead people 3 the way in which someone lives their life  (the stresses of city living) 4 the position or income of a parish priest; benefice  (- see also cost of living cost1 (1), standard of living, the land of the living land1 (7))