exist

A2 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ɛɡˈzɪst/ See IPA manual

Freq #1668

Meanings

1

verb
To be real or present; to have being.

Many people believe that life exists on other planets.
2

verb
To stay alive, especially with very little.

It is hard to exist on such a low wage.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with exist

exist on Prepositional verb A2

to survive using a limited amount of food, money, or other necessities

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to be real or present; to... be

2 verb · to stay alive, especially... live survive

Opposites

ceaseunexistvoid

Word family

Forms existedexists

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

exist on
to survive using a limited amount of food, money, or other necessities

Verb + preposition/particle

Proverbs (1)

See all

If it exists, there is porn of it

Simplified etymology

Exist dates from the late 16th century and belongs to the Latin family of sistere, “to set, stand still, or stop.” It literally means “stand out” and is glossed as “come into being.”

Etymology

From French exister, from Latin existō, exsistō (“I am, I exist, appear, arise”), from ex (“out”) + sistere (“to set, place”) (related to stare (“to stand, to be stood”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, from the root *steh₂- (“stand”); see stand. Compare assist, consist, desist, insist, persist, resist. Cognate with Spanish existir, French exister, Italian esistere, German existieren.

exister French exsisto Latin *stísteh₂ti Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# exist

**Type:** Word
**Level:** A2
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ɛɡˈzɪst/
**Frequency rank:** 1668

## Meanings
1. To be real or present; to have being.
2. To stay alive, especially with very little.

## Examples
- Many people believe that life exists on other planets.
- It is hard to exist on such a low wage.

## Antonyms
- cease
- unexist
- void

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exister
- Root: exsisto
- Root: *stísteh₂ti

## Etymology
From French exister, from Latin existō, exsistō (“I am, I exist, appear, arise”), from ex (“out”) + sistere (“to set, place”) (related to stare (“to stand, to be stood”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, from the root *steh₂- (“stand”); see stand. Compare assist, consist, desist, insist, persist, resist. Cognate with Spanish existir, French exister, Italian esistere, German existieren.

## AI Etymology
Exist comes from French exister, from Latin existō, exsistō (“I am, I exist, appear, arise”), from ex (“out”) + sistere (“to set, place”) (related to stare (“to stand, to be stood”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stísteh₂ti, from the root *steh₂- (“stand”); see stand. Compare assist, consist, desist, insist, persist, resist. Cognate with Spanish existir, French exister, Italian esistere, German existieren.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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