survivor
Americannoun
-
survivors
plural
-
a person or thing that survives.
-
Law. the one of two or more designated persons, as joint tenants or others having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others.
-
a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.
noun
-
a person or thing that survives
-
property law one of two or more specified persons having joint interests in property who lives longer than the other or others and thereby becomes entitled to the whole property
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of survivor
Explanation
A survivor is someone who hasn't died: the word is used often about people who have been through a horrible experience, like a plane crash. Cancer survivors and Holocaust survivors have one thing in common: they lived through horrible ordeals and are still with us. The TV show "Survivor" made this word feel a little less weighty, but it still packs a punch. Anytime something horrible happens — like a car crash or an epidemic — you'll hear about the survivors. Some survivors may feel they are just lucky, but many survivors take pride in being strong enough to survive.
Vocabulary lists containing survivor
Words from "The Avengers"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Beowulf vocabulary
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"All the settlements near the river were swept away. There is nothing left," survivor Buddhi Ram Dangol told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
It will stop becoming entertaining when every survivor has to wear SPF sunscreen rated at least 1,000 just to take out the trash.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Guest: Meghan Cliffel, writer, mindfulness teacher, postpartum psychosis survivor and maternal mental health advocate.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Dragonfly is a survivor, just like its insect namesake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
“Your mom is a survivor, you know that, right?”
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
The number of people missing in the catastrophic flood that sliced through the border area between Nepal and Tibet neared 3,000 on Saturday, as rescuers scoured deep, leg-sucking mud for survivors.
From Barron's ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Nepali army has been working to rescue survivors who had been trapped inside a tunnel at a hydropower project in Rasuwa.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Yet these survivors are so hard-wired to be fearful of their neighbors that Hig and Cima’s rusty, tentative flirtation takes place under the gaze of her daddy’s gun, a heck of a chaperone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Rescue crews in helicopters have been plucking survivors from along the valleys ravaged in the tsunami-like flow of water and debris apparently unleashed by a glacier's collapse.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
When Gates saw the desperate conditions in James Town he decided to abandon the settlement and take the remaining survivors back to England.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
