exist

American  

[ig-zist] / ɪgˈzɪst /

verb (used without object)

• exists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• existed,
  past participle,  past
• existing
  present participle

1. to have actual being; be.

   The world exists, whether you like it or not.

2. to have life or animation; live.

3. to continue to be or live.

   Belief in magic still exists.

   Synonyms:

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

4. to have being in a specified place or under certain conditions; be found; occur.

   Hunger exists in many parts of the world.

5. to achieve the basic needs of existence, as food and shelter.

   He's not living, he's merely existing.

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exist British  

/ ɪɡˈzɪst /

verb

1. to have being or reality; to be

2. to eke out a living; stay alive; survive

   I can barely exist on this wage

3. to be living; live

4. to be present under specified conditions or in a specified place

   sharks exist in the Pacific

5. philosophy

   1. to be actual rather than merely possible

   2. to be a member of the domain of some theory, an element of some possible world, etc

   3. to have contingent being while free, responsible, and aware of one's situation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• exister
  noun
• existing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• existing
  present
• existed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• exist
  simple
• exists
  simple
• have existed
  perfect
• has existed
  perfect
• am existing
  progressive
• are existing
  progressive
• is existing
  progressive
• have been existing
  perfect progressive
• has been existing
  perfect progressive

Past

• existed
  simple
• had existed
  perfect
• was existing
  progressive
• were existing
  progressive
• had been existing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will exist
  simple
• will have existed
  perfect
• will be existing
  progressive
• will have been existing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

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”

Explanation

The verb exist means to live, to have reality. Dodos no longer exist because they were hunted to extinction. It's not only "live" things that exist. The government exists, as does your fear of heights. Anything that can be acknowledged in the present, exists. Another meaning for the verb exist is to support oneself or survive. If someone doesn't have a job, they may have to exist on unemployment benefits until they find one.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

exist exists existed existing

Scientists do not yet know whether wandering black holes exist in the outer regions of our own galaxy.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026

Heirs receive assets after valid claims are resolved, assuming that probate assets actually exist.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

While some trials exist into their anti-cancer properties, Macmillan Cancer Support charity said there was "zero real-world clinical evidence" to back up the claims about ivermectin.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

But we exist in a highly consolidated marketplace where the majority of firms are thrusting AI into their products whether consumers want it or not.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

But even that felt unreal, because I couldn’t imagine a life where my mom didn’t exist.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

For MOTS-c and a raft of other peptides widely available online, no comparable evidence exists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Food writing has been dismissed as frivolous or shallow — as if writing about restaurants somehow exists outside the realm of “real” journalism.

From Salon ● Aug. 6, 2026

Only if the estate is named as beneficiary, or no valid beneficiary exists, would the credit-card company have a claim.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

One important part of their plans will be turning MI London into a brand that exists year-round rather than for just a few weeks each summer.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

For the sake of argument, imagine for the moment that there’s a 50–50 chance that God exists.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

We have literally and metaphorically tried to erase our actual history in favor of a mythical past that never existed — even in bad LSD trips.

From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026

By using only part of the original painting and omitting the mission, I’m reclaiming space for Black and brown spirituality while acknowledging that this land existed long before colonization.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

One leading idea is that evolution reused biological systems that already existed.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

I’m referring to the tendency that existed for much of the 20th century for smaller stocks to outperform the largest ones.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

“Yeah. I hated her. I would’ve hated you if I’d known you existed, like you hate me.”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

WHO vaccine experts on Friday recommended a full-scale human trial of the only existing approved Ebola vaccine to see if it offers cross-protection against a deadly strain spreading in the DR Congo.

From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026

The results point to specific asteroids that could be reached using existing spacecraft technology.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026

That would allow him to buy Gold's shares under West Ham's pre-emption rights rules - which allow existing shareholders first choice to buy shares when they become available.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Partners Group said it intends to support Aroma-Zone’s executives to strengthen the brand’s presence in new and existing markets and drive growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

It was strange to think about him existing beyond her view.

From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner

Related Words

• continue
• endure
• happen
• lie
• live
• occur
• prevail
• remain
• stand
• stay
• survive