persist

American  

[per-sist, -zist] / pərˈsɪst, -ˈzɪst /

verb (used without object)

• persists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• persisted,
  past participle,  past
• persisting
  present participle

1. to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc..

   to persist in working for world peace;

   to persist in unpopular political activities.

2. to last or endure tenaciously.

   The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.

3. to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc.

   Synonyms:

   insist

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verb (used with object)

• persists,
  present (3rd person singular)
• persisted,
  past participle,  past
• persisting
  present participle

1. Computers. to cause (a record, configuration, value, etc.) to be written to permanent storage by the scripted process that created it, so that it continues to exist in the same state after the script has finished running.

persist British  

/ pəˈsɪst /

verb

1. (often foll by in) to continue steadfastly or obstinately despite opposition or difficulty

2. to continue to exist or occur without interruption

   the rain persisted throughout the night

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Synonym Usage

See continue.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• persister
  noun
• persistiveness
  noun
• nonpersisting
  adjective
• persistive
  adjective
• unpersisting
  adjective
• persistingly
  adverb
• persistively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• persisting
  present
• persisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• persist
  simple
• persists
  simple
• have persisted
  perfect
• has persisted
  perfect
• am persisting
  progressive
• are persisting
  progressive
• is persisting
  progressive
• have been persisting
  perfect progressive
• has been persisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• persisted
  simple
• had persisted
  perfect
• was persisting
  progressive
• were persisting
  progressive
• had been persisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will persist
  simple
• will have persisted
  perfect
• will be persisting
  progressive
• will have been persisting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of persist

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin persistere, literally, “to stand firm permanently,” equivalent to per- per- ( def. ) + sistere “to (cause to) stand,” akin to stāre “to stand ( def. ) ”

Explanation

When someone persists they keep going or hang on. If you want to finish a marathon, you have to persist and keep running, no matter how many blisters you have. The great Roman poet Ovid once advised: “Endure and persist, this pain will turn good by and by.” As Ovid’s quote hints at, persistence is often associated with hardship and the reward that comes with not backing down. Synonyms include endure, follow through, and persevere, while antonyms include cease and give up.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

persist persists persisted persisting

Finding additional examples could help astronomers determine how common this process is, how long it can persist, and what ultimately happens to objects trapped in such extraordinarily close relationships.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026

Most analysts and semiconductor executives expect tight memory supply to persist over the next few years, keeping chip prices elevated.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Temperatures between 15 and 22 degrees above normal are expected to persist through Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Scourfield said despite the decline of heavy industry and manual work, traditional images of "masculinity" persist for younger men through social media and influencers.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026

“In this one, it theorizes that dragons aren’t magical at all but are just normal animals that ancient people thought were magical. And the legends persist to this day.”

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

If she persists, you may wish to make it clear that being single and without children does not mean that you have to abide by other people’s wishes.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Along with the technicolor mural, Caland’s singular sensibility persists in scattered drawings, a bouquet of her preferred 30-inch paintbrushes and a pair of stiff-backed pews.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Manufacturing orders in Germany climbed again in July, another signal of the country’s tentative industrial recovery that is defying the impact of surging energy prices as the conflict in the Middle East persists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

They also suggested the EU should be ready to ask a court to block access to platforms temporarily if necessary "once other powers have been exhausted and where an infringement persists and causes serious harm".

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Marv admires his own humor and still persists with the key, which irritates me no end.

From "I Am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak

But complaints about missed packages and mail-order medications, as well as trouble setting up banking accounts and utilities, persisted.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

During the recent international break, many of the ideas we saw during the World Cup and prior have persisted.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

After a very strong spring and early summer, stocks stalled through August as skepticism persisted about the longevity of the current cycle with its explosive revenue growth and enormous margins.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 7, 2026

Rumors have persisted that a compromise candidate could be parachuted into the process at the behest of the powerful five veto-wielding Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026

The downpour pursued them to the coast, where they pitched the tent that night, and persisted through the whole week, through sodden landscapes that Harry found bleak and depressing.

From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling

Since the Aug. 19 announcement, the 20-year maturity sector has outperformed both on the curve and in swap spreads, with these effects persisting even as long-end yields have risen above their preannouncement levels, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Almost six months into their war, the two sides are locked in a stalemate, with Iran keeping the key Strait of Hormuz shut and Washington persisting with a naval counter-blockade of Iran.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

What it shows is inflation persisting well above the central bank’s 2% goal for the sixth year running.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026

If Sapiens women had, in fact, regularly entered Neanderthal groups, we would expect to see a recent genetic signal of Sapiens ancestry persisting among the last Neanderthals.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026

Primary thoroughfares have a way of persisting through the indignities of time—though Manhattan Island has been entirely resurfaced by human hands, the old Indian trail through it persists as Broadway.

From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro

Related Words

• carry on
• carry over
• continue
• endure
• go on
• linger
• persevere
• prevail
• pursue
• recur
• remain