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:
Heck, Bernard Herrmann’s eerie theme song alone will outlive humanity.
From Salon ● Oct. 10, 2026
That’s called the “survivor’s penalty” — or, sometimes, the “widow’s tax,” primarily because women outlive men by roughly six years, on average.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“They are going to outlive everyone,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
So could brain organoids grown and maintained in a lab hypothetically outlive humans?
From Barron's ● Aug. 19, 2026
“And she’ll outlive us all, little tiny thing that she is.”
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
The once-promising prodigy will grow dissolute, remorseful and resentful of his wife, who outlives him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The conundrum is that, when I pass, all my retirement income will be reduced to $30,000 a year for my wife, assuming she outlives me.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
If idealism outlives youth, ESG investing will grow significantly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 16, 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
“A ghost is a hunger, one so strong it outlives the body.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
The food bank was a success and still operates today, having unfortunately outlived two of the congregations that founded it.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
Many of the machines themselves have outlived generations of owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
That’s what I wanted to do, make something that outlived me — really.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
Yet some traditions have outlived the kingdoms that created them.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
The Igbo were, after all, a people who deposed gods that had outlived their usefulness.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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
That’s hardly surprising, since annuities protect annuitants from so-called longevity risk — outliving your money.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Yet despite the theoretical value of these contracts in insuring against outliving one’s wealth, people very rarely buy annuities.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 26, 2026
Baby Kochamma loved the Ayemenem house and cherished the furniture that she had inherited by outliving everybody else.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
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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.
