survive

[ ser-vahyv ]

verb (used without object)

, sur·vived, sur·viv·ing.

1. 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

2. to remain or continue in existence or use:

   Ancient farming methods still survive in the Middle East.

3. to get along or remain healthy, happy, and unaffected in spite of some occurrence:

   She's surviving after the divorce.

verb (used with object)

, sur·vived, sur·viv·ing.

1. to continue to live or exist after the death, cessation, or occurrence of:

   His wife survived him. He survived the operation.

2. to endure or live through (an affliction, adversity, misery, etc.):

   She's survived two divorces.

survive

/ səˈvaɪv /

verb

1. tr to live after the death of (another)

   he survived his wife by 12 years

2. to continue in existence or use after (a passage of time, an adversity, etc)
3. informal.
   to endure (something)

   I don't know how I survive such an awful job

Derived Forms

• surˈvivable, adjective
• surˌvivaˈbility, noun

Other Words From

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of survive¹

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

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.

Example Sentences

He also survived the 2018 Camp fire that killed 85 people and all but destroyed Paradise.

From Los Angeles Times

Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston previously warned that the company only has enough cash to survive till next May but many think it will run out of money by Christmas.

From BBC

He is survived by his wife Judith, his son Kevin, and one grandchild.

From BBC

"Of course anyway we will stay, we will fight, we have our production but it is not enough to prevail and it think it is not enough to survive."

From BBC

Coroner Crispin Oliver concluded it was "highly likely" Mr Morris, who suffered a cardiac arrest, would have survived had available specialist medical treatment been applied in a "timely manner".

From BBC

Related Words

• bear
• endure
• exist
• get through
• handle
• keep
• last
• live
• recover
• remain
• ride out
• subsist
• suffer
• sustain
• weather
• withstand