idiom · neutral
live beyond one's means
UK/lɪv bɪˈjɒnd wʌnz miːnz/US/lɪv bɪˈjɑːnd wʌnz miːnz/be·YOND one's MEANS
to spend more money than one can afford
Examples
“She was accused of living beyond her means after buying the new car.”
“Many people live beyond their means because of easy credit.”
“To avoid debt, try not to live beyond your means.”
Band 8 sentence
“Politicians argued that easy credit had encouraged many households to live beyond their means, risking long-term instability.”
Collocations
- live beyond one's means
- accused of living beyond her means
Word family
Common mistakes
live beyond means→live beyond one's means
live beyond meens→live beyond one's means
Say it for a higher band
5spend too much→6have expensive habits→7+live beyond one's means
Synonyms
overspend
Easily confused
be extravagant
“He was extravagant, buying designer clothes every week.”
overspend
“They overspent on the renovation and now have to reduce expenses.”
Related words
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In Hardship
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