outlive

verb

out·​live ˌau̇t-ˈliv 

outlived; outliving; outlives

transitive verb

1

: to live beyond or longer than

outlived most of his friends

outlive its usefulness

2

: to survive the effects of

Universities … outlive many political and social changes.

—J. B. Conant

Synonyms of outlive

• survive
• outlast

Examples of outlive in a Sentence

No mother wants to outlive her children.

He outlived his wife by 10 years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Connecticut Ballet, founded in 1981 under the name Ballet Today, has outlived many other ambitious dance companies. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 13 June 2026

The risk of outliving the plan. —Jon Sabes, Fortune, 7 June 2026

Childress sat up on the Michigan International Speedway media center stage having provided the rides for two of the sport’s generational superstars, and, now at 80 years old, outlived both. —Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 June 2026

There are many famous men who have risen and fallen, but there has only been one Michael Jackson, whose presence could outlive him 20 times over. —Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 3 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing outlive

• outlive one's usefulness

Rhymes for outlive

• argive
• forgive
• ogive
• relive
• corroborative
• determinative
• germinative
• transformative
• give
• sieve
• resistive

Kids Definition

outlive

verb

out·​live (ˈ)au̇t-ˈliv 

: to live longer than : outlast