outlast
Americanverb (used with object)
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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
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.
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
However, he argued that Domino’s had the profits and the advertising budget to outlast competitors that are leaning harder on discounting and, in turn, putting more pressure on their chains’ franchisees.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
The actual story is bigger than any one president and will outlast this news cycle by a generation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026
"Great civilizations outlast even the most vicious occupiers."
From Barron's • Mar. 28, 2026
The Aristotelian system would outlast Alexander's empire; it would survive until Elizabethan times, the sixteenth century.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
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.
