coexist

American  

[koh-ig-zist] / ˌkoʊ ɪgˈzɪst /

verb (used without object)

• coexists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• coexisted,
  past participle,  past
• coexisting
  present participle

1. 

   to exist together or at the same time.

2. to exist separately or independently but peaceably, often while remaining rivals or adversaries.

   Although their ideologies differ greatly, the two great powers must coexist.

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coexist British  

/ ˌkəʊɪɡˈzɪst /

verb

1. to exist together at the same time or in the same place

2. to exist together in peace

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coexistence
  noun
• coexistent
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• coexisting
  present
• coexisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• coexist
  simple
• coexists
  simple
• have coexisted
  perfect
• has coexisted
  perfect
• am coexisting
  progressive
• are coexisting
  progressive
• is coexisting
  progressive
• have been coexisting
  perfect progressive
• has been coexisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• coexisted
  simple
• had coexisted
  perfect
• was coexisting
  progressive
• were coexisting
  progressive
• had been coexisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will coexist
  simple
• will have coexisted
  perfect
• will be coexisting
  progressive
• will have been coexisting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of coexist

First recorded in 1670–80; co- + exist

Explanation

To coexist is to live in the same place or at the same time. If you, your roommate, and a cat all live in an apartment together, you can say the three of you coexist. You can use the verb coexist to simply mean "exist together," or it can mean something more specific — to live peacefully or tolerantly in the same place. Two countries might have to work to find a way to coexist despite years of conflict, for example. The word has been around since the 1600's, but it wasn't used in this second, diplomatic way until 1931. Coexist combines exist, "be" or "live," with the prefix co, "together."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

coexist coexists coexisted coexisting

No longer content to coexist with natural-born beings or seeking to be more lifelike, synthetic humanoids lord over what’s left of humanity.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2026

“But the ancient world needs to coexist with the modern.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Here in this alt-world Albuquerque, 2D creatures coexist with mundane strip malls.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

"We will have to learn to coexist with the floods."

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Only seven years earlier, fresh from their victory over Hitler, American and Russian leaders—and most of their citizens—believed that the two nations could coexist in peace.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

This theme coexists alongside the church’s support of legitimate defense, and “there may be some tension between them,” said Philpott.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

French-language newspaper El Watan said the "symbolic" visit was "of great historical significance in a country where ancient Christian memory coexists with the Muslim reality of today".

From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026

Meanwhile, parents and experts say schools neglect students with math disabilities like dyscalculia, which affects up to 7% of the population and often coexists with dyslexia.

From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2023

The Octavia Lab, where one can explore virtual reality and design PCB circuit boards, coexists with scenes like that of a woman yelling uncontrollably in the history department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2023

The frondescent petals are very often completely disjoined, as in Verbascum nigrum, and Lonicera Periclymenum, in which, moreover, median prolification generally coexists.

From Vegetable Teratology An Account of the Principal Deviations from the Usual Construction of Plants by Maxwell T. Masters

In its most recent appeal in June of this year, the Irish chain argued both it and McDonald's had coexisted in Ireland for around 40 years and there had been no evidence of confusion.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

For centuries, this city has been a multiethnic melting pot where European and African, Muslim and Christian cultures converged, and coexisted mostly peacefully.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026

Those two things coexisted for a while, but not for long.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

"Kank coexisted with larger carnivores such as Maip macrothorax, a formidable megaraptorid dinosaur more than 10 metres long, which may have been capable of preying upon it," Dr. Motta adds.

From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026

What kind of cultures, societies and political structures would have emerged in a world where several different human species coexisted?

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Many locals who are used to coexisting with the sharks think it’s all a big hullabaloo, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026

This means two species had been coexisting unnoticed until one appeared farther north in Tohoku.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2025

In his fall 1971 convocation address at the University of Alberta, McLuhan told students that in an electronic world, people become “discarnate data, a sort of disembodied spirit coexisting and functioning simultaneously in diverse locations.”

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2025

"That paradox - of cruelty and warmth coexisting - is what made the finale so moving," said Mr Jeong, the film blogger.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2025

At some point my mom moved to a separate bedroom in the house, and from then on they were married in name only, not even cohabitating but coexisting.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah