persevere
Americanverb (used without object)
-
perseveres,
present (3rd person singular)
-
persevered,
past participle, past
-
persevering
present participle
-
to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.
-
to persist in speech, interrogation, argument, etc.; insist.
verb (used with object)
-
perseveres,
present (3rd person singular)
-
persevered,
past participle, past
-
persevering
present participle
verb
Usage
What does persevere mean? To persevere is to continue to do or try to achieve something despite difficulty or discouragement. A close synonym is persist. The word is typically used in a positive way to refer to the actions of someone who doesn’t give up no matter what. A person perseveres when they keep trying despite major challenges and setbacks. The noun perseverance refers to the act of persevering or the quality of those who persevere, as in You showed great perseverance by recovering from your injury to compete at an even higher level. The adjective persevering can be used to describe those who persevere or their actions, as in Without the persevering efforts of our first responders, we would not have been able to save so many lives. Example: Only if we work hard and persevere will we be able to achieve our goal—it will not be easy.
Synonym Usage
See continue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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perseveresimple
-
perseveressimple
-
have perseveredperfect
-
has perseveredperfect
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am perseveringprogressive
-
are perseveringprogressive
-
is perseveringprogressive
-
have been perseveringperfect progressive
-
has been perseveringperfect progressive
Past
-
perseveredsimple
-
had perseveredperfect
-
was perseveringprogressive
-
were perseveringprogressive
-
had been perseveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of persevere
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English perseveren, from Middle French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre “to persist,” derivative of persevērus “very strict”; see per-, severe
Explanation
Use the verb persevere when you want to persist in anything and continue despite difficulties or obstacles. The verb persevere comes from the Latin root persevereus which means "continue steadfastly, persist" and that word comes from two others, per- for "very" and severus for "strict." So, today, the connotation of the word is to persist in a methodical way despite obstacles or distractions. You can see the relationship between persevere and perseverate, which means "to persistently repeat something," and that word is a medical term used to describe stuttering.
Vocabulary lists containing persevere
List 2
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Things Fall Apart
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A Christmas Carol
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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.
See Examples For:
Driving around town, looking at the lots and the wreckage, Cooley says he started to notice the bits of nature that were trying to persevere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
The trumpeters persevere valiantly but, by the end of the day, everyone's wrung out.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
“Positive momentum across durable goods in February should hopefully help this area of the economy persevere through the current turmoil without too much damage,” he wrote.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026
Apple iPhone sales outperformed competitors in China, new data show, signaling the company’s ability to persevere against a volatile industry backdrop.
From Barron's ● Mar. 19, 2026
This in itself is dangerous since the branches are becoming precariously thin even for me, but I persevere.
From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins
But he perseveres in the hope of striking it rich.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
Knowing the Paris Games may be her last, she perseveres, training six days a week hoping to get better, to get faster, to win.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
Fortunately, the rock hasn't caused any damage to Perseverance, though it has certainly lived up to its owner as it perseveres in clinging to the rover after so many miles.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022
Fast-forward to today, and Pinoy rock perseveres on the path that Original Pilipino Music established in the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2021
He finds watercolors difficult, but with Mauves tutelage he perseveres.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
And who better to teach a down-and-out lawyer about courage and gumption than a coyote who has persevered in the face of certain failure?
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
Volunteers and rescuers persevered with the grueling task of digging through the rubble, looking for any signs of life after the critical 72-hour window passed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
He persevered and learned a valuable lesson: patience still pays off.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 22, 2026
Warwickshire's seamers persevered nobly, with Ethan Bamber and Beau Webster most threatening, but the fourth-wicket pair batted with solid technique and total concentration.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2026
Then a frost glazed the ground—winter came; relentlessly, the dog pleaded to be set free; unflaggingly, Cleofes persevered.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
"The work you do in there isn't easy -- the dust, the smell of dead people who are already decomposing. But here we are, persevering," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Despite the uncertainty, families, businesses and community members remain committed to adapting and persevering in the new normal.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
For this, we should look to King for hope and guidance on persevering amid adversity.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2026
As it happens, Mr. Fox has found enough staunchly persevering or recently revived craft workshops to buoy his spirits—and ours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
He’d had a cordial, lonely, persevering face, and Ishmael turned now to stare into it, for there was a portrait of Arthur hung on the wall just to the left of a bookcase.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
