exist

[ ig-zist ]

See synonyms for exist on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to have actual being; be: The world exists, whether you like it or not.
to have life or animation; live.

to continue to be or live: Belief in magic still exists.
to have being in a specified place or under certain conditions; be found; occur: Hunger exists in many parts of the world.
to achieve the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter: He's not living, he's merely existing.

Origin of exist

First recorded in 1595–1605; from Latin ex(s)istere “to exist, appear, emerge,” equivalent to ex- ex-¹ + sistere “to stand”

Other words for exist

3	abide, survive, persist, last, endure; stay, remain

See synonyms for exist on Thesaurus.com

Other words from exist

ex·ist·er, noun

Words Nearby exist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use exist in a sentence

What conflicts do exist between them derive from misunderstanding and accident.
The 2014 Novel of the Year | Nathaniel Rich | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But in a television landscape still so afraid of showing kids that LGBT people exist, it still feels like a missed opportunity.
Yep, Korra and Asami Went in the Spirit Portal and Probably Kissed | Melissa Leon | December 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
While it does service the community, it also gives them a place to call home and exist without any stigmas from the outside world.
The LGBT Center That Changed Our Lives | Justin Jones | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Both projects only exist because internet.org enables users to access info via the Internet for free.
Silicon Valley Sets Its Sights on Africa | Christian Borys | December 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They have pushed into just about every other corner of the Caribbean and Central America where airports exist.
Goodbye, Bahamas. Hello, Havana! | Clive Irving | December 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

When I can cease to remember that the sun shines, that I exist—then, perhaps, I may forget you; but not till then.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 | Various
Let us imitate the example of the Great Powers; they cannot exist alone, however strong and great they may be.
The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
Since “extremes” are words with no relation between them, Analysis cannot find what does not exist.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)
The fleet cannot see itself wiped out by degrees; and yet, without the fleet, how are we soldiers to exist?
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
In such undertakings the State must first be founded, without which the Church cannot exist, as I have said before.
The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents, Vol. II: Acadia, 1612-1614 | Various

British Dictionary definitions for exist

exist

/ (ɪɡˈzɪst) /

verb(intr)

to have being or reality; to be
to eke out a living; stay alive; survive: I can barely exist on this wage

to be living; live
to be present under specified conditions or in a specified place: sharks exist in the Pacific
philosophy
- to be actual rather than merely possible
- to be a member of the domain of some theory, an element of some possible world, etc
- to have contingent being while free, responsible, and aware of one's situation

Origin of exist

C17: from Latin exsistere to step forth, from ex- 1 + sistere to stand

Derived forms of exist

existing, adjective

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

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