survive
verb (used without object)
to remain alive after the death of someone, the cessation of something, or the occurrence of some event; continue to live.
were surviving
-
past progressiveof survive.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Some families were surviving on little more than a bowl of lentils a day.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 11, 2026
The apes typically don’t live past age 50 in the wild, other research has found, but the female chimps in the Ngogo community were surviving well into their 60s.
From Science Magazine ● Oct. 25, 2023
Tensions between France and Niger, a former French colony, have mounted in recent weeks, and Macron said recently that diplomats were surviving on military rations as they holed up in the embassy.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 24, 2023
Heads went into hands from many of the Poles as Mexico scored their second and, when Argentina deservedly made it 2-0, they knew they were surviving in the tournament purely on yellow cards.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2022
Mere puffs of steam, compared to what they were surviving that day.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
