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:
"I just somehow managed to find this strength in me to persevere and to survive. If I can do it, you can do it."
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Driving around town, looking at the lots and the wreckage, Cooley says he started to notice the bits of nature that were trying to persevere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
"I was never a great student growing up, but I found martial arts really gave me the drive to persevere and do hard things," Terao said.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
They’re human; they want and need, betray and boast, and persevere against the unknown in ways that we all are right now.
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
We would persevere and make a name for ourselves, and I would go to school, an English school where Jews were able to learn right beside gentiles.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
As rents rise and street-level spots vanish, street food culture perseveres.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
But he perseveres in the hope of striking it rich.
From BBC ● Dec. 9, 2025
Meantime, Stafford perseveres without his two top targets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2024
Knowing the Paris Games may be her last, she perseveres, training six days a week hoping to get better, to get faster, to win.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
He finds watercolors difficult, but with Mauves tutelage he perseveres.
From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman
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
He’d recently been nervous about starting a new activity, but he’d persevered, and so I said to him, “I’m proud of how well you dealt with that challenge.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
“I’d give everything I own to Yossarian,” Milo persevered gamely in Yossarian’s behalf.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Despite the uncertainty, families, businesses and community members remain committed to adapting and persevering in the new normal.
From BBC ● Jan. 31, 2026
For this, we should look to King for hope and guidance on persevering amid adversity.
From Salon ● Jan. 19, 2026
But, wrote Clough "something told me he was worth persevering with".
From Barron's ● Dec. 25, 2025
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 considered not imposing upon George LaTrell, because the truth is that in addition to being tired of persevering, I was also tired of imposing.
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
