outlast
Americanverb (used with object)
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outlasts,
present (3rd person singular)
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outlasted,
past participle, past
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outlasting
present participle
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to endure or last longer than.
The pyramids outlasted the civilization that built them.
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to live longer than; outlive.
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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outlastsimple
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outlastssimple
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have outlastedperfect
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has outlastedperfect
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am outlastingprogressive
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are outlastingprogressive
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is outlastingprogressive
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have been outlastingperfect progressive
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has been outlastingperfect progressive
Past
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outlastedsimple
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had outlastedperfect
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was outlastingprogressive
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were outlastingprogressive
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had been outlastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of outlast
Explanation
To outlast is to live or survive longer than someone (or something) else. Sturdy old buildings will outlast newer, more flimsy and cheaply made structures. Typically, your parents will outlast your grandparents, and you will outlast your parents. You might convince yourself to buy some outrageously expensive shoes by thinking about the fact that they're so well made, they'll probably outlast the much cheaper pair you were considering. And you might wonder why a terrible TV show has been on for years, managing to outlast several brilliant ones that were cancelled after a single season.
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:
"We want to go beyond personal relationships so that the relationship becomes more institutionally based and can outlast changes in government," the source said on condition of anonymity.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
There are few fortunes that can outlast a dementia illness or other ailment that requires full-time care for 20-plus years.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Shipping veterans expect more-convoluted trading patterns and pricey tankers to outlast the conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
Put simply, Pogacar has the racecraft and strength to accelerate away from, and outlast, any opponent in almost any race.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
“Think of this as a game, Jack. Above all else, do not take personally what is happening to you. Play the game right and you might outlast the Nazis.”
From "Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps" by Andrea Warren
A prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, he added, could produce damage to energy infrastructure that outlasts the conflict itself.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
At 37 years old, with probably just a couple more prime seasons left, this could be his last chance to build something that outlasts his playing career.
From Slate ● Nov. 15, 2025
Though short-lived, the force that aligns the spins outlasts the duration of the light pulse by a significant margin.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 9, 2023
The smart ones, then, become alert to opportunities to diversify their portfolios and work their way to a kind of moguldom that outlasts radio trends.
From New York Times ● Aug. 7, 2023
“The Germans are at the extreme limit of their efforts....Victory will come to the side that outlasts the other!”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
The forfeiture fight outlasted his flying career, and last year it produced the ruling the Supreme Court will now review.
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
The 23-year-old outlasted seventh seed Svitolina - who she earlier described as "a legend of Ukrainian tennis" - in a deciding set in the first major quarter-final between two Ukrainian women in history.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
From his cell, Jin has sought to energize his congregants, reminding them of ideals that have outlasted political regimes for centuries as he defies Xi’s pursuit of total ideological control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Both actors understood the task: to interrogate what drove each man to create music and why one’s compositions outlasted the other.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
I wouldn’t be surprised if May’s wailing wall outlasted us all.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
Turning off the machines and meeting the folks next door could be the key to outlasting or escaping this cyberpunk nightmare.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
But the episode confirmed that this South African-born outsider has become a force in Trump's Washington, outlasting his friend Elon Musk, whose White House career ended in acrimony after less than six months.
From Barron's ● Dec. 24, 2025
Los Angeles is the baseball king for a second consecutive season, outlasting the relentlessly spirited Toronto Blue Jays in a seven-game classic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 18, 2025
“Late Night With Seth Meyers” recently celebrated its 10th year on air, outlasting “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2025
The polish'd pillar different sculptures grace; A work outlasting monumental brass.
From The Poetical Works of Alexander Pope, Volume 1 by George Gilfillan
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.
