Synonyms

persist

American

[per-sist, -zist] / pərˈsɪst, -ˈzɪst /

verb (used without object)

to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, especially in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc..

to persist in working for world peace;
to persist in unpopular political activities.
to last or endure tenaciously.

The legend of King Arthur has persisted for nearly fifteen centuries.
to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc.

Synonyms:

insist

verb (used with object)

Computers. to cause (a record, configuration, value, etc.) to be written to permanent storage by the scripted process that created it, so that it continues to exist in the same state after the script has finished running.

persist British

/ pəˈsɪst /

verb

(often foll by in) to continue steadfastly or obstinately despite opposition or difficulty
to continue to exist or occur without interruption

the rain persisted throughout the night

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See continue.

Other Word Forms

nonpersisting adjective
persister noun
persistingly adverb
persistive adjective
persistively adverb
persistiveness noun
unpersisting adjective

Etymology

Origin of persist

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin persistere, literally, “to stand firm permanently,” equivalent to per- per- ( def. ) + sistere “to (cause to) stand,” akin to stāre “to stand ( def. ) ”

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.

But it has faltered as disagreements persist between Dassault and Airbus, which represents Germany and Spain.

From Barron's

“De-escalation hopes have given markets a lift, but we think the effects of the war would, in many cases, persist even if the war did end soon,” said Thomas Mathews from Capital Economics.

From The Wall Street Journal

She added that "diplomatic signals remain mixed, and as long as uncertainty persists and shipping disruptions remain in place, oil prices are likely to stay elevated".

From Barron's

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned his country could face "veritable extinction" if low birth rates persist.

From Barron's

What will be the ripple effects if global helium shortages persist in the long term?

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023