survive

American  

[ser-vahyv] / sərˈvaɪv /

verb (used without object)

survived, surviving

1. to remain alive after the death of someone, the cessation of something, or the occurrence of some event; continue to live.

   Few survived after the holocaust.

   Synonyms:

   succeed, persist

2. to remain or continue in existence or use.

   Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.

3. to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence.

   She's surviving after the divorce.

---

verb (used with object)

survived, surviving

1. to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of.

   His wife survived him. He survived the operation.

2. to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.).

   She's survived two divorces.

survive British  

/ səˈvaɪv /

verb

1. (tr) to live after the death of (another)

   he survived his wife by 12 years

2. to continue in existence or use after (a passage of time, an adversity, etc)

3. informal to endure (something)

   I don't know how I survive such an awful job

---

Related Words

Survive, outlive refer to remaining alive longer than someone else or after some event. Survive usually means to succeed in keeping alive against odds, to live after some event that has threatened one: to survive an automobile accident. It is also used of living longer than another person (usually a relative), but, today, mainly in the passive, as in the fixed expression: The deceased is survived by his wife and children. Outlive stresses capacity for endurance, the time element, and sometimes a sense of competition: He outlived all his enemies. It is also used, however, of a person or object that has lived or lasted beyond a certain point: He has outlived his usefulness.

Other Word Forms

• self-surviving adjective
• survivability noun
• survivable adjective
• unsurvived adjective
• unsurviving adjective

Etymology

Origin of survive

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French survivre, from Latin supervīvere, equivalent to super- super- + vīvere “to live”; see sur- ¹, vivid

Explanation

To survive something is to live through it or endure it. You can survive a car accident, or you can survive your little brother's four-hour violin recital. The verb survive is from the Latin word supervivere, “live beyond,” or “live longer than.” Originally to survive was used in the legal context as in “you survive your wife and therefore inherit her kingdom.” However, nowadays you might say that you were able to survive a holiday at your in-laws’, that your brother survived his first round of job interviews, or that you will never survive another all-day trip to the zoo in ninety degree heat.

Example Sentences

"History suggests not all will survive," she said, referring to past cycles, with the rise of Japanese car manufacturers in the 90s and South Korean brands more recently.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

Wimps don’t survive the ruthlessness of Eastside politics as an outsider to become a congressmember at just 34.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026

"A year ago, the conversation about Intel was about whether we could survive," Tan said.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

They form the architecture of an exit that both sides can survive politically.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

I might have learned to survive in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, but I couldn’t let another year pass without seeing my family.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• bear
• endure
• exist
• get through
• handle
• keep
• last
• live
• recover
• remain
• ride out
• subsist
• suffer
• sustain
• weather
• withstand