outlive
Americanverb (used with object)
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outlives,
present (3rd person singular)
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outlived,
past participle, past
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outliving
present participle
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to live longer than; survive (a person, period, etc.).
She outlived her husband by many years.
-
to outlast; live or last through.
The ship outlived the storm. He hopes to outlive the stigma of his imprisonment.
verb
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to live longer than (someone)
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to live beyond (a date or period)
he outlived the century
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to live through (an experience)
Synonym Usage
See survive.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outlivesimple
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outlivessimple
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have outlivedperfect
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has outlivedperfect
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am outlivingprogressive
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are outlivingprogressive
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is outlivingprogressive
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have been outlivingperfect progressive
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has been outlivingperfect progressive
Past
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outlivedsimple
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had outlivedperfect
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was outlivingprogressive
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were outlivingprogressive
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had been outlivingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outlive
First recorded in 1425–75, outlive is from the late Middle English word outliven. See out-, live 1
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:
Davis, who Coltrane saw as a teacher, would outlive him by 24 years, and the trumpeter’s output would clearly be larger.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
When old records make it to a landfill, they’re not only likely to outlive the site, but can also leach plasticizers, a Keele University report found.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
And, like Senna, his legacy will long outlive him.
From BBC ● May 2, 2026
"The diplomatic relationship between USA and South Africa predate the Trump administration and they will outlive the current White House term of office."
From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026
“And she’ll outlive us all, little tiny thing that she is.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
If idealism outlives youth, ESG investing will grow significantly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 2026
If my wife outlives me, we always thought she could switch over to and collect my Social Security monthly payment because it’s considerably larger.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 9, 2026
In Adamsville, as in America, the myth of a man always outlives the man—and, today especially, seems also to outlast the truth.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2025
And the state can’t put a claim on it if there is a co-owner who outlives the Medi-Cal beneficiary.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024
“A ghost is a hunger, one so strong it outlives the body.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
I have already outlived my male predecessors by about six years — the oldest died at 78 — and I suspect I may not have many years left.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
A person familiar with the school’s thinking but not authorized to speak publicly told The Times that the school plans to argue the field had outlived its usefulness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Parrots and macaws that had outlived their owners squawked in a giant aviary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
Yet some traditions have outlived the kingdoms that created them.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Perhaps Cutie was right—and he was only an inferior being with a made-to-order memory and a life that had outlived its purpose.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
If you stick to that, raising the amount you withdraw every year by no more than the rate of inflation, you should be certain of outliving your savings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Funds are outliving their intended lifespans as fund managers struggle to sell the remaining assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Working part time in retirement, if you’re healthy enough and can find employers who’ll pay you, can also help avoid outliving your money.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 18, 2025
Because the annuity premium is immediate and certain, while the benefits are delayed and depend on one’s survival, some people see annuitization as a potential loss, rather than as protection against outliving their assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2025
In Cuba, Fidel Castro held on to power long after Kennedy and Khrushchev were gone, even outliving the Cold War.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
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.
