survive

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To stay alive, especially after a dangerous or difficult situation.

   Whether by a miracle or by good luck, all twenty passengers survived.

2. 2
   verb

   To live through a particular dangerous event.

   Only one person survived the plane crash.

3. 3
   verb

   To continue to exist after a difficulty or over a long time.

   The ancient temple has survived for over two thousand years.

4. 4
   verb

   To live longer than another person.

   She survived her husband by nearly twenty years.

Common collocations

• survive an accident Verb + noun
• survive an attack Verb + noun
• survive a shooting Verb + noun

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.

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