View synonyms for survive

survive

[ ser-vahyv ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used without object)

survived, surviving.

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.
Synonyms: succeed, persist
to remain or continue in existence or use:
Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.
to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence:
She's surviving after the divorce.

verb (used with object)

survived, surviving.

to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of:
His wife survived him. He survived the operation.
to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.):
She's survived two divorces.

survive

/ səˈvaɪv /

verb

tr to live after the death of (another)
he survived his wife by 12 years
to continue in existence or use after (a passage of time, an adversity, etc)
informal.
to endure (something)
I don't know how I survive such an awful job

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Derived Forms

surˈvivable, adjective
surˌvivaˈbility, noun

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Other Words From

self-sur·viving adjective
unsur·vived adjective
unsur·viving adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of survive¹

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English, from Middle French survivre, from Latin supervīvere, equivalent to super- super- + vīvere “to live”; sur- ¹, vivid

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Word History and Origins

Origin of survive¹

C15: from Old French sourvivre, from Latin supervīvere, from super- + vīvere to live

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Synonym Study

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.

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Example Sentences

For months, Palazzi has been fielding nervous questions from his suppliers in Mexico, who are typically small, family owned businesses and may not survive if the tariffs are prolonged.

From BBC

“I will get by,” they sang with help from the crowd, “I will survive.”

From Los Angeles Times

"So whatever you are surviving can affect which type of money disorder you have."

From Salon

"If you are aged 16-30, please sign up to the Anthony Nolan register online and send back your swabs. You could be the match that someone like baby Dolcie-Mae needs to survive."

From BBC

It was damaged, but some of the chickens had survived, and Davis managed to trap Half Mustache, who went to the vet for a checkup and later to a cat hotel.

From Los Angeles Times

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