survive

[ ser-vahyv ]

verb (used without object)

, sur·vived, sur·viv·ing.

1. to remain alive after the death of someone, the cessation of something, or the occurrence of some event; continue to live:

   Few survived after the holocaust.

   Synonyms: succeed, persist

2. to remain or continue in existence or use:

   Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.

3. to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence:

   She's surviving after the divorce.

verb (used with object)

, sur·vived, sur·viv·ing.

1. to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of:

   His wife survived him. He survived the operation.

2. to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.):

   She's survived two divorces.

survive

/ səˈvaɪv /

verb

1. tr to live after the death of (another)

   he survived his wife by 12 years

2. to continue in existence or use after (a passage of time, an adversity, etc)
3. informal.
   to endure (something)

   I don't know how I survive such an awful job

Derived Forms

• surˌvivaˈbility, noun
• surˈvivable, adjective

Other Words From

• self-sur·viving adjective
• unsur·vived adjective
• unsur·viving adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of survive¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French survivre, from Latin supervīvere, equivalent to super- super- + vīvere “to live”; sur- ¹, vivid

Word History and Origins

Origin of survive¹

C15: from Old French sourvivre, from Latin supervīvere, from super- + vīvere to live

Synonym Study

Survive, outlive refer to remaining alive longer than someone else or after some event. Survive usually means to succeed in keeping alive against odds, to live after some event that has threatened one: to survive an automobile accident. It is also used of living longer than another person (usually a relative), but, today, mainly in the passive, as in the fixed expression: The deceased is survived by his wife and children. Outlive stresses capacity for endurance, the time element, and sometimes a sense of competition: He outlived all his enemies. It is also used, however, of a person or object that has lived or lasted beyond a certain point: He has outlived his usefulness.

Example Sentences

We've managed to survive, and I want to be a part of that tradition.

From The Daily Beast

Of the ones that do survive, some will be too disillusioned to carry out an attack.

From The Daily Beast

The longtime pals—and co-stars of The Interview—stripped down and tried to survive on the Discovery Channel reality series.

From The Daily Beast

To survive on such low pay, she and her 11-year-old son share a house with another woman and four children.

From The Daily Beast

The participants want to win—or at least they want to survive, and when losing means dying, winning is the only way to survive.

From The Daily Beast

A word may survive and take a new meaning after its original meaning is no longer ascertainable.

From Project Gutenberg

A strenuous worker, Mr. Johnstone, like most men who have no hobby, did not long survive his retirement from active business life.

From Project Gutenberg

Footnote 48: Tobacco has been able to survive such attacks as these—nay, has raised up a host of defenders as well as opponents.

From Project Gutenberg

Feuchres died first, and, of the four artists assembled on that day at the Htel Pimodan, we only survive.

From Project Gutenberg

Of the anthropoid apes of Europe, probably numerous in individuals, a few remains of one or two species alone survive.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bear
• endure
• exist
• get through
• handle
• keep
• last
• live
• recover
• remain
• ride out
• subsist
• suffer
• sustain
• weather
• withstand