existence
Americannoun
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the fact or state of existing; being
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the continuance or maintenance of life; living, esp in adverse circumstances
a struggle for existence
she has a wretched existence
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something that exists; a being or entity
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everything that exists, esp that is living
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of existence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Late Latin word ex(s)istentia. See exist, -ence
Explanation
Existence is the state of being alive or being real. For example, you and your best friend disagree about the existence of Bigfoot if you think it's real and your friend doesn't. The noun existence can be used many different ways, but it always has to do with being alive or with simply "being". You can talk about the survival of something as its existence, like your yo-yo club having lost so many members that its existence is in danger. The particular way you live is another meaning of existence; if you live a quiet, lonely life in the country, you could describe it as a solitary existence.
Vocabulary lists containing existence
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 1
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List 2
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List 1
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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:
Throughout most of its existence, DRL has enjoyed bipartisan support.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
How developed Yosemite should be for its visitors has been a debate since the park’s existence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
And the existence of big long-term contracts could worsen any AI unwind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
The existence of a private contract between the firm and the court had never been revealed before, because federal law did not require disclosure.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026
And whom I still feel reluctant to tell you about, although it is impossible to deny his existence now.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Still, Harper and Yasmin’s existences are inextricably linked, gnarled together in a helix of favors and bargains.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2026
Sold as the ultimate work-life balance, the firm's brain microchip procedure splits a person's consciousness and memory into dual existences.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
We have given the keys to our once-private analog existences over to the wealthiest companies in human history.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2024
Locals and tourists often lead separate but parallel existences, more or less ignoring one another’s presence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2024
He experienced them, the others, incorporated the babble of their thoughts, heard in his own brain the noise of their many individual existences.
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
