idiom · neutral
living beyond one's means
UK/ˈlɪvɪŋ bɪˈjɒnd wʌnz miːnz/US/ˈlɪvɪŋ bɪˈjɑːnd wʌnz miːnz/LIV·ing·be·YOND·one's·MEANS
to spend more money than one can afford
Examples
“Many young people end up living beyond their means because of easy credit.”
“The survey showed that a third of families are living beyond their means.”
“Governments must educate citizens about budgeting to avoid living beyond their means.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policymakers should address consumer debt if they want to reduce the number of households living beyond their means.”
Collocations
- live beyond one's means
- be at risk of living beyond their means
Word family
Common mistakes
living beyond one's mean→living beyond one's means
living beyond of one's means→living beyond one's means
Say it for a higher band
5spend too much→6overspend→7+living beyond one's means
Synonyms
overspend
Easily confused
living paycheck to paycheck
“Many families borrowed to maintain lifestyles and ended up living beyond their means.”
Related words
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In Money
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