persist

[ per-sist, -zist ]

/ pərˈsɪst, -ˈzɪst /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR persist ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

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.

to last or endure tenaciously: The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.

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

Words nearby persist

persichetti, persiennes, persiflage, persimmon, persis, persist, persistence, persistence of memory, the, persistence of vision, persistent, persistent anterior hyperplastic primary vitreous body

Origin of persist

1530–40; < Latin persistere literally, to stand firm permanently, equivalent to per- per- + -sistere, akin to stāre to stand

SYNONYMS FOR persist

3 insist.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR persist ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM persist

per·sist·er, nounper·sist·ing·ly, adverbper·sis·tive, adjectiveper·sis·tive·ly, adverb

per·sis·tive·ness, nounnon·per·sist·ing, adjectiveun·per·sist·ing, adjective

synonym study for persist

1, 2. See continue.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for persist

“That said, underneath the surface differences in threat perception and how to deal with Russia persist,” he says.
Shocked by Ukraine Violence, NATO Prepares to Face Down Putin|Leo Cendrowicz|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet the real battle might be an even harder one: against the attitudes that allow all this to persist in 21st-Century India.
Kailash Satyarthi, Malala's Nobel Peace Prize Co-Winner, Is Fighting India's Child Slavery Epidemic|Dilip D’Souza|October 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But to persist, to endure, to put your will toward a dream that sparks you, is to live large.
From Havana to Hero: Diana Nyad’s 35-Year Quest|Diana Nyad|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How then, does the Intelligent Design movement (ID) persist, in the face of so much damning contrary evidence?
The Crazy Way Creationists Try To Explain Human Tails Without Evolution|Karl W. Giberson|June 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST

What allows evil to persist, Aquinas believed, is the “lack of good” by other people.
Government Has Made America Inept|Philip K. Howard|May 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You persist in keeping the fortune of the Fougereuse for Jules's son, who has been dead a long time?
The Son of Monte-Cristo, Volume II (of 2)|Alexandre Dumas pre
If you persist in going on like this I shall think I am in a nursing home!
Sixteen Months in Four German Prisons|Henry Charles Mahoney
"You persist in underestimating your abilities, Gladys," said Fillmore reproachfully.
The Adventures of Sally|P. G. Wodehouse
It would be a mere waste of words to persist in questioning her.
The Two Destinies|Wilkie Collins
Nor did the success of Henry's first crusade encourage him to persist in similar efforts.
Henry VIII.|A. F. Pollard

British Dictionary definitions for persist

persist

/ (pəˈsɪst) /

verb (intr)

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

to continue to exist or occur without interruptionthe rain persisted throughout the night

Derived forms of persist

persister, noun

Word Origin for persist

C16: from Latin persistere, from per- (intensive) + sistere to stand steadfast, from stāre to stand

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

persist

verb (used without object)

Content related to persist

Words related to persist

Words nearby persist

Origin of persist

SYNONYMS FOR persist

OTHER WORDS FROM persist

synonym study for persist

Examples from the Web for persist

British Dictionary definitions for persist

verb (intr)

Derived forms of persist

Word Origin for persist