survivor
Americannoun
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a person or thing that survives.
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Law. the one of two or more designated persons, as joint tenants or others having a joint interest, who outlives the other or others.
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a person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.
noun
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a person or thing that survives
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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
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"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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.
Your friend can claim her own retirement benefit as early as 62 and later switch to a survivor benefit at 67, based on her first marriage, provided she meets the eligibility requirements.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
If the survivor benefit is higher than her own retirement benefit, this move makes sense.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
Shimica Gaskins, an Eaton fire survivor and a leader of Altadena for Accountability, said the report “dismissed or overlooked” residents’ experiences and failed to acknowledge evacuation alerts that came too late for too many.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Every cancer survivor would be sequenced at diagnosis and surveilled every few months.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
She, the lone survivor, will start a small paper nest in the spring, lay a few eggs in its cells, and carefully rear a small force of workers.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
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.
