survive

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word survive. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word survive, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say survive in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word survive you have here. The definition of the word survive will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofsurvive, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman survivre, Old French survivre, from Late Latin supervivere (to outlive), from Latin super (over) + vivere (to live), akin to vita (life). See vivid. Compare devive, revive.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /səˈvaɪv/, /səˈvʌɪv/
  • (US) IPA(key): /sɚˈvaɪv/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -aɪv

Verb

survive (third-person singular simple present survives, present participle surviving, simple past and past participle survived)

  1. (intransitive) Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.
  2. (intransitive) Of an object or concept, to continue to exist.
  3. (transitive) To live longer than; to outlive.
    His children survived him; he was survived by his children.
    • c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :
      And for that dowrie, Ile aſſure her of / Her widdow-hood, be it that ſhe ſuruiue me / In all my Lands and Leaſes whatſoeuer / Let ſpecialties be therefore drawne betweene vs, / That couenants may be kept on either hand.
    • 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter X, in Rob Roy. , volume I, Edinburgh: James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. ; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 227:
      I am afraid, as will happen in other cases, the treaty of alliance has survived the amicable dispositions in which it had its origin.
    • 2020 January 22, Stuart Jeffries, “Terry Jones obituary”, in The Guardian:
      Jones is survived by his second wife, Anna (nee Söderström), whom he married in 2012, and their daughter, Siri; and by Bill and Sally, the children of his first marriage, to Alison Telfer, which ended in divorce.
  4. (transitive) To live past a life-threatening event.
    He did not survive the accident.
  5. (transitive) To be a victim of usually non-fatal harm, to honor and empower the strength of an individual to heal, in particular a living victim of sexual abuse or assault.
  6. (transitive, sports) Of a team, to avoid relegation or demotion to a lower division or league.

Synonyms

Antonyms

  • (antonym(s) of live longer than): predecease

Hyponyms

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

Verb

survive

  1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of survivre