Synonyms

persist

American

[per-sist, -zist] / pərˈsɪst, -ˈzɪst /

verb (used without object)

to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc..

to persist in working for world peace;
to persist in unpopular political activities.
to last or endure tenaciously.

The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.
to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc.

Synonyms:

insist

verb (used with object)

Computers. to cause (a record, configuration, value, etc.) to be written to permanent storage by the scripted process that created it, so that it continues to exist in the same state after the script has finished running.

persist British

/ pəˈsɪst /

verb

(often foll by in) to continue steadfastly or obstinately despite opposition or difficulty
to continue to exist or occur without interruption

the rain persisted throughout the night

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See continue.

Other Word Forms

nonpersisting adjective
persister noun
persistingly adverb
persistive adjective
persistively adverb
persistiveness noun
unpersisting adjective

Etymology

Origin of persist

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin persistere, literally, “to stand firm permanently,” equivalent to per- per- ( def. ) + sistere “to (cause to) stand,” akin to stāre “to stand ( def. ) ”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

As a result, the U.S. economy is approaching a potential inflection point: The factors that returned the economy to a roughly 2% annual productivity growth trend may not persist for much longer.

From Barron's

“Overall, expect convergence to persist, but with smaller moves and tactical opportunities,” they say.

From The Wall Street Journal

But the Blue Sky Trust said the stigma around the disease persists and it has heard of cases where people think HIV can be picked up from sharing cutlery or a toilet seat.

From BBC

This older view suggested that once a memory was marked for long-term storage, it would persist indefinitely.

From Science Daily

When these currents persist, they help steady the bubbles, similar to what happens in "Tripel" foam.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023