outlive
Americanverb (used with object)
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to live longer than; survive (a person, period, etc.).
She outlived her husband by many years.
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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)
Related Words
See survive.
Other Word Forms
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.
In all probability, Voyager 1 and its siblings—launched in 1977 to surveil our solar system’s outer planets and moons and then head into interstellar space—will vastly outlive humans, the sun and the planet Earth.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 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
You are two years older than your wife, and women tend to outlive men by around five to six years.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026
"Dad always believed stories outlive people. In a way, this is him still helping families he will never meet, which I think is the most beautiful legacy you can leave."
From BBC • Mar. 5, 2026
These rock gardens had outlived the barracks and the towers and would surely outlive the asphalt road and rusted pipes and shattered slabs of concrete.
From "Farewell to Manzanar" by Jeanne Houston
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.
