survive
Americanverb (used without object)
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survives,
present (3rd person singular)
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survived,
past participle, past
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surviving
present participle
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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.
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to remain or continue in existence or use.
Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.
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to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence.
She's surviving after the divorce.
verb (used with object)
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survives,
present (3rd person singular)
-
survived,
past participle, past
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surviving
present participle
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to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of.
His wife survived him. He survived the operation.
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to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.).
She's survived two divorces.
verb
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(tr) to live after the death of (another)
he survived his wife by 12 years
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to continue in existence or use after (a passage of time, an adversity, etc)
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informal to endure (something)
I don't know how I survive such an awful job
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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survivabilitynoun
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self-survivingadjective
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survivableadjective
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unsurvivedadjective
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unsurvivingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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survivesimple
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survivessimple
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have survivedperfect
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has survivedperfect
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am survivingprogressive
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are survivingprogressive
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is survivingprogressive
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have been survivingperfect progressive
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has been survivingperfect progressive
Past
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survivedsimple
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had survivedperfect
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was survivingprogressive
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were survivingprogressive
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had been survivingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing survive
Beowulf vocabulary
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"The Constitution"
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Unit 1, Week 1
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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.
See Examples For:
Might the armed forces not survive the ordeal of Vietnam?
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
Many interconnected systems survive only if they can recover from disturbances.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026
Sork’s lab, along with the Nature Conservancy, is sequencing oak DNA to identify which trees are best built to survive a hotter, drier California.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
"Most individuals are unable to survive the British winter, but if temperatures continue to rise as a result of climate change, we may well see them becoming permanent residents," Benwell said.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
One year, during a harsh winter frost, Clare had taken the blanket from his own bed and wrapped it around Captain’s fat beige stem to ensure he’d survive the night.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
"I think it's good to point it out, whether it survives or doesn't," he added.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
If a new queen survives until her first brood emerges as adult workers, though, then the odds are in her favour as she no longer needs to undertake risky foraging.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
Every hard-earned dollar put down in the name of “Coyote vs. Acme” also goes toward ensuring that “Looney Tunes,” as a property, survives.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026
One lake, Xochimilco, survives, located about an hour’s taxi ride south of the city’s center.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
“No one ever survives the judgment of the unicorn,” Pol said.
From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo
Its ability to generate and regulate internal heat may also help explain how tyrannosaurs survived in colder regions that were inhospitable to many other reptiles.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
The litigation began in 2024 and has already survived one previous dismissal.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
JapanLA, a 20-year-old shop known for selling cute products, has survived the e-commerce disruption by peddling products on TikTok Shop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
He survived but lost part of his leg, another surfer who rescued him told the ABC.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
That if anyone could have survived what happened on the boat it would have been Barry Wyndham: desperately in love, with every reason to make it home.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
“In such a political environment, no surviving veterans of Hengyang Battle dared to raise their heads.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The findings suggest that surviving an initial assault may leave a lasting biological legacy.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Historians from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York recognise only three verified marble versions surviving today - all on display in museums across the US.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
But months of negotiations failed to produce a compromise capable of surviving the Senate floor, despite heavy lobbying from the crypto industry and a frantic final effort by Republicans to rewrite the legislation.
From Barron's ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Has your wife now any surviving relatives outside of the two children she has by you?”
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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.
