persevere
Americanverb (used without object)
-
perseveres,
present (3rd person singular)
-
persevered,
past participle, past
-
persevering
present participle
-
to persist in anything undertaken; maintain a purpose in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement; continue steadfastly.
-
to persist in speech, interrogation, argument, etc.; insist.
verb (used with object)
-
perseveres,
present (3rd person singular)
-
persevered,
past participle, past
-
persevering
present participle
verb
Usage
What does persevere mean? To persevere is to continue to do or try to achieve something despite difficulty or discouragement. A close synonym is persist. The word is typically used in a positive way to refer to the actions of someone who doesn’t give up no matter what. A person perseveres when they keep trying despite major challenges and setbacks. The noun perseverance refers to the act of persevering or the quality of those who persevere, as in You showed great perseverance by recovering from your injury to compete at an even higher level. The adjective persevering can be used to describe those who persevere or their actions, as in Without the persevering efforts of our first responders, we would not have been able to save so many lives. Example: Only if we work hard and persevere will we be able to achieve our goal—it will not be easy.
Synonym Usage
See continue.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
perseveresimple
-
perseveressimple
-
have perseveredperfect
-
has perseveredperfect
-
am perseveringprogressive
-
are perseveringprogressive
-
is perseveringprogressive
-
have been perseveringperfect progressive
-
has been perseveringperfect progressive
Past
-
perseveredsimple
-
had perseveredperfect
-
was perseveringprogressive
-
were perseveringprogressive
-
had been perseveringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of persevere
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English perseveren, from Middle French perseverer, from Latin persevērāre “to persist,” derivative of persevērus “very strict”; see per-, severe
Explanation
Use the verb persevere when you want to persist in anything and continue despite difficulties or obstacles. The verb persevere comes from the Latin root persevereus which means "continue steadfastly, persist" and that word comes from two others, per- for "very" and severus for "strict." So, today, the connotation of the word is to persist in a methodical way despite obstacles or distractions. You can see the relationship between persevere and perseverate, which means "to persistently repeat something," and that word is a medical term used to describe stuttering.
Vocabulary lists containing persevere
List 2
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Things Fall Apart
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A Christmas Carol
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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:
"So my thinking is, 'I would rather persevere myself'. I think lots of tiny businesses are like that, especially in rural areas."
From Barron's ● Nov. 8, 2026
And like Ms. Proulx’s Westerners, his characters persevere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
“I think the market can persevere and ultimately move higher — and the bull market can continue,” Schulze said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 20, 2026
The trumpeters persevere valiantly but, by the end of the day, everyone's wrung out.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
To help her persevere, and understand her place in the world.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
But he perseveres in the hope of striking it rich.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
It was an appropriate ending for the Carson, Calif., product who continues to be tested — and repeatedly perseveres.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 2, 2024
Fortunately, the rock hasn't caused any damage to Perseverance, though it has certainly lived up to its owner as it perseveres in clinging to the rover after so many miles.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2022
After Thackeray is assigned to a rowdy class of troublemakers, the older students do their best to break his spirit, while the teacher perseveres to prepare the class for the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2022
The beautiful natural world of the Philippines perseveres, despite everything.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Volunteers and rescuers persevered with the grueling task of digging through the rubble, looking for any signs of life after the critical 72-hour window passed.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
“They persevered and were made beautiful by the vitrification.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
She persevered and graduated from a high school special education program, then attempted community college.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
Hansen, who is the first non-American to travel to the Moon - told Nasa's mission control that the crew "firmly felt the power" of those who have persevered and worked so hard on this mission.
From BBC ● Apr. 2, 2026
“Dumbledore must have taught thousands of students,” Scrimgeour persevered.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
The Council on American-Islamic Relations advocacy group praised El-Sayed for persevering despite "endless Islamophobic attacks."
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
If you’re suffering from the persevering cold and in need of some cooking inspiration, fret not.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
Despite the uncertainty, families, businesses and community members remain committed to adapting and persevering in the new normal.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
As it happens, Mr. Fox has found enough staunchly persevering or recently revived craft workshops to buoy his spirits—and ours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
I thought about the young African women I’d met at the leadership forum, all of them now headed back to their own communities to pick up their work again, persevering through whatever tumult they faced.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
