persist

American  

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

verb (used without object)

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)

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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Related Words

See continue.

Other Word Forms

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

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

The AI momentum trade has returned, with analysts suggesting it will persist, driving investments in chipmakers and hyperscalers.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Most of the impacts appear in the early stages of a project, during transmission line construction, but some persist during operation, the researchers found.

From Los Angeles Times • May 17, 2026

Concerns persist about consumer privacy and trust on AI shopping assistants, as well as hallucinations, errors on things like product availability and sizing, and suspicions of retailers’ bias toward some items over others.

From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026

Since then AI development has continued, with firms claiming the tech has vastly improved in ability and accuracy, but so-called "hallucinations" persist.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

Under particular circumstances there may be an economic or institutional investment in a bad solution that allows it to persist.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

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