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.

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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

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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

Before being introduced to the wild from captivity, the bongos go through a series of adaptation phases for them to build the immunity needed to survive.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

"It costs so much to run a small business in New York City that our beloved local restaurants are forced to charge these prices just so they can survive, not even thrive," he added.

From Barron's • Apr. 28, 2026

They added evidence that had been collected globally, such as whether wild caribou survive the process of being captured.

From Slate • Apr. 28, 2026

The septuagenarian governor has managed to survive sundry political scandals, Mexican observers say, because of a key fact: His long-time friendship with ex-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Sheinbaum’s predecessor and mentor.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

How can I make jokes, Jonathan wondered, when I’ve just lost everything I need to survive this disaster?

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

Related Words

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