survivor

American  

[ser-vahy-ver] / sərˈvaɪ vər /

noun

survivors plural

1. a person or thing that survives.

2. Law. the one of two or more designated persons, as joint tenants or others having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others.

3. a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.

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survivor British  

/ səˈvaɪvə /

noun

1. a person or thing that survives

2. 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonsurvivor
  noun
• self-survivor
  noun
• survivorship
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• survivors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of survivor

First recorded in 1495–1505; survive + -or ²

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

survivor survivors

Double-check the terms of the survivor options of your military pension and state pension.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

Alexander Díaz Rodríguez emerged in April from five years behind bars looking like a concentration-camp survivor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

When I began leaving messages for them, one survivor wondered if the phone call was a prank.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

At the scene of a blast in Ukraine's capital - that left a large hole in a residential building - a survivor told the BBC's Sarah Rainsford that she had been "terrified".

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

Of all the original signers of the Declaration of Independence, “You are the youngest and the most energetic in mind and body,” and therefore most likely to be the final survivor.

From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis

The expected announcement from Mahmood comes less than a week after a call from grooming gang survivors to exclude sex offenders from early release.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The survivors, along with fish and echinoderms such as starfish and sea urchins, went on to dominate Earth's oceans, a pattern that continues today.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

Nguyen Tien Hai, a senior Communist official in the area, said the authorities were still working to confirm the exact number of those who died as well as the survivors.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

The blaze was being extinguished, the emergency management ministry said, demanding "all-out" efforts to put it out, search for trapped survivors and treat the injured.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

Quickly, Chip explained about the list of survivors and the list of witnesses, shoving the papers over to her so she could look for herself.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Related Words

• residue